In this article, the authors argue that continued attacks by legislators on public education require that faculty become advocates. The authors examine the issue of advocacy by describing how Imig and Smith's work evolved from traditional research for a scholarly audience to a reactive research model responding to changes in educational policy in North Carolina. They then describe how Smith and Smith moved to more proactive, network-based advocacy work. Finally, they consider how teachers prepare their students and colleagues in colleges and universities to be advocates.