Discover original insights from E4E educators working to make positive changes for students and the teaching profession.
Memo to Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot & the Education Transition Committee
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Chicago
TO: Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot & the Education Transition Committee
FROM: Educators for Excellence-Chicago
Initiative: Work hand-in-hand...
Why Having a Teacher with Dreadlocks Matters
Monday, April 15, 2019
Connecticut
MacArthur Cheek, High School Social Studies Teacher
I’ve got a story for you.
A group of suburban students came to visit our urban school in Bridgeport. One of the students rushed up to tell me she loved my hair because I had...
Minnesota Educators Take the Leap!
Monday, April 8, 2019
Minnesota
On a chilly night in February, sixteen educators graduated from E4E’s...
Chalk Talk: Tianitha Alston
Monday, April 1, 2019
New York
Had second-grade teacher Tianitha Alston never taught in a school with a strong union leader, she might never have realized the tremendous and powerful role unions can play in our education...
E4E-Boston Member Testimony to City Council on Creating Safe School Environments
Monday, April 1, 2019
Boston
On Tuesday, March 26th, E4E-Boston Outreach Director, Denise Manning testified at a City Council on behalf of educator, Monique Symes. The hearing centered on the safety and security measures...
What’s next for me and E4E-Los Angeles? Gratitude and Commitment.
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Los Angeles
Ama Nyamekye, Executive Director, E4E-Los Angeles
It was 2011 and I was a poet turned teacher turned activist who was flirting with a career in academia. I was working on a graduate thesis about this inherent contradiction in public education: If...
E4E-Boston Member Submits Testimony to the Massachusetts Joint Education Committee
Monday, March 25, 2019
Boston
On March 22, 2019, the Massachusetts Joint Education Committee held a day-long hearing on overhauling how the state funds its schools. The legislators on the Committee sought community input on...
E4E-Member Testifies at the Minnesota House on Eliminating Pre-K Suspensions and Promoting Alternatives
Monday, March 18, 2019
Minnesota
Amy Eelkema Baxter, Special Education Consultant for St. Paul Public Schools
On March 14, the Minnesota House held a hearing on eliminating the use of suspensions and expulsions in pre-k programs, House File 1785.
E4E Minnesota member Amy Eelkema, a 20-year special...
Were You Ready on Day One?
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
New York
When you reflect on your first year as an educator, what is one thing you wish you’d been ready for on day one in your classroom?
As you know all too well, new educators are expected to...
E4E-Minnesota Member Testifies at the Minnesota House on teacher diversity and pathways into the profession
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Minnesota
Ben MacKenzie, Ninth-grade speech and composition teacher at Hiawatha Collegiate High School in Minneapolis
On March 4, the Minnesota House held a hearing on House File 1329, a bill that would create an...
Strong Coalition of Organizations Urge Minnesota Lawmakers to Reject Harmful Teacher Licensure Bills
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Minnesota
Governor Tim Walz
130 State Capitol
75 Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
Sen. Carla J. Nelson, Chair, Senate E-12 Finance & Policy
Chalk Talk: Dr. Laurie Walters
Monday, March 4, 2019
Los Angeles
Have you ever thought about starting your own school? No matter where you teach, every educator has imagined what it would be like if they were the ones running things.
After 27 years of...
When it Comes to Making Education Policy, Call on Educators!
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Chicago
Jacqueline Portee, Middle School English/Language Arts Teacher, Leland Elementary
If your house is on fire, you call the fire department. So why don’t we call on educators when it comes to shaping education policy?
As you know all too well, our voices are often...
Honoring a Legacy: My Path to Educational Equity
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Connecticut
Andréa Comer, Executive Director, Connecticut
I am the granddaughter of a domestic and a seamstress, and the daughter of a financial services executive and a healthcare administrator. I am all of those things because of...
Chalk Talk: Cory Cain
Monday, February 4, 2019
Chicago
Black students who have just one black teacher in elementary school are
Letter Reflecting on the Legacy of Dr. Michelle King
Monday, February 4, 2019
Los Angeles
Ama Nyamekye, Executive Director, E4E-Los Angeles
When I first heard the news that our beloved former Superintendent Dr. Michelle King passed away, I felt a tremendous loss. I immediately recalled one of our first meetings with her--I was...
E4E-New York Hosts GOTV Launch Party!
Monday, February 4, 2019
New York
Last week, educators from across New York City came together to discuss why voting in the upcoming UFT leadership election matters so much.
Los Angeles educators have recently shown us the...
Boston Educators: Why We Support HD.3722
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Boston
Dear Massachusetts State Legislators,
Students experiencing trauma should not be left to cope on their own, yet far too many Massachusetts schools aren’t equipped with enough...
E4E Joins Others to Denounce Rescission of Federal Discipline Guidance
Thursday, January 24, 2019
National, Boston, Chicago, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New York
E4E joined a letter with other 48 organizations in condemning the U.S. Department of Education's decision to rescind school discipline guidance implemented in 2014. We should be working to keep...
Washington Post Op-Ed: Exploring the Path Forward on School Discipline in the Wake of DeVos' Dismantling of Civil Rights Protections
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
National, Boston, Chicago, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New York
The Washington Post
E4E-Boston's 2019 Policy Team Hosts Panel on Improving School Climate
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Boston
As we step into the new year and a new legislative session, members of E4E-Boston’s 2019 Policy Team are finalizing their recommendations for improving school culture.
E4E teachers...
A Letter to My Students on Why I'm Striking
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Los Angeles
Phylis Hoffman, Second-grade teacher at Harry Bridges K-8 School
Dear Students,
I am writing to you to let you know that one of the greatest joys of my life is being your teacher. I love being a teacher. It isn’t always easy but I know each day will...
Chalk Talk: Theresa Thalhamer
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Boston
Teaching is the best job out there. Where else can you spend the day with silly, eager children excited to learn the subject you are most passionate about, all while making a...
E4E‚ Declaration Launch: Finding hope and my voice
Monday, February 27, 2017
Minnesota, National
Teresa Fenske-Fanucci, Fourth-grade teacher
In this current political climate, all too often respect for others is disregarded. Empathy feels scarce, marginalized people are met with indifference, and our public education system...
See highlights from teachers' presentation of the new E4E Declaration and discussion with former Secretary of Education John King and former Chancellor of DC Public Schools Kaya Henderson
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
National
On February 10, 2017, E4E members released their new Declaration of Teacher’s Principles and Beliefs, a shared set of values and principles that teachers believe are necessary to improve...