Year 14: E4E’s Biggest Year Yet

Educators for Excellence (E4E) is celebrating its 14th anniversary this month, and our 14th year was one of the most impactful yet. During the 2023-24 school year, every single one of our local chapters achieved a significant policy win, ranging from historic investments in high-quality instructional materials, to taking on status quo layoff policies, to building strong teacher leadership locally to take on the most pressing issues. And, while each of our chapters mobilized our members to make meaningful change locally, E4E also made waves nationally, releasing our 7th annual Voices From the Classroom survey of educators across the nation, and launching Where We Agree, our vision for how teachers’ contracts can help unlock a modernized teaching profession.

As we celebrate the impact of educators in our 14th year and look ahead to the next 14 years during this Back to School season, it’s clear that E4E has carved a strong path for teachers to lead in driving better outcomes for them and their students. Let’s take a look back and get inspired by last year’s success so we can pay it forward into the next year!

Local Chapter Wins

E4E-New York
In June, New York City leadership announced a historic investment in middle school mathematics curricula and professional learning, directly responding to E4E members’ relentless advocacy to address the City’s persistent math crisis. Eight districts will now have curricular support and professional learning for middle school mathematics, beginning to address a critical need for New York City students.

E4E-Massachusetts
As part of the budget passed by the MA Legislature, E4E-MA secured an amendment that requires a formal study on the impacts of layoffs on teacher diversity. The law requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to study the impacts of layoffs on teacher diversity over the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. In a politically contentious battle with high stakes for earlier-career educators who are likely to be laid off, we’re thrilled the legislature took action in response to our calls to make progress on this issue, agreeing that the status quo policy is not right for the moment.

E4E-Connecticut
The Connecticut Team pushed hard last year to secure robust school funding and an improved teaching certification process. Thanks to our members’ continued calls for change and our partnership with local coalitions, Governor Lamont signed into law a $150 million increase in funding for K-12 education, as well as another law that will bring a diverse group of stakeholders together–anchored by educators–to help guide and update Connecticut’s outdated teacher certification process. 

E4E-Chicago
Chicago teacher leaders’ advocacy and organizers’ coalition building led to the passage of SB15, a significant achievement that will change the shape of Chicago Public Schools in the years to come The law creates more equitable school board maps and codifies the first Black Student Success Advisory Council to advise the Board on ways to improve the daily school experience for Black students. Chalkbeat Chicago featured E4E’s Teacher Pep Rally in their coverage of modest compensation for Board members, with Organizer Lead Corrina Demma saying, “We need to stop pretending that governing this district is a small volunteer position because it’s not. It is a significant job.”

E4E-Minnesota
While the READ Act became law in 2023, insufficient resources were allocated for its implementation. To address this gap, E4E-MN partnered with other education advocates in calling on the legislature to expand funding for the implementation of the Minnesota READ Act. In response to our advocacy coalition, the legislature approved $70 million for school aid for READ Act implementation, along with $74 million of additional state aid for school districts, charter schools, and cooperative units for professional development in the years 2024-25.

E4E-Los Angeles
LAUSD Teachers gathered throughout Los Angeles to evaluate their current curriculum for cultural relevancy, using a rubric developed by the NYU Steinhardt School. After conducting numerous evaluations, publishing teacher-written op-eds on the issue, and generating over 200 petition signatures calling for more culturally relevant and aligned curricula, E4E-LA teacher members presented their findings to LAUSD Chief Academic Officer Dr. Francis Baez earlier this year. In response, Dr. Baez agreed to implement the rubric in the district’s next textbook adoption, marking a major win for students and signifying the hard work that E4E educators spent crafting a campaign that pushes for the creation of more welcoming and inclusive classrooms, ensuring curricula is representative, antiracist, and LGBTQ+ affirming.

We hope you’re as fired up as we are about all of last year’s wins, ready to take on even more in the coming year! To read about E4E’s impact over the years, check out our previous anniversary post, “13 Key Moments in 13 Years”.