Discover original insights from E4E educators working to make positive changes for students and the teaching profession.
Chalk Talk: MacArthur Cheek
Saturday, June 1, 2019
Connecticut
The Urgency of Diversifying our Teacher Workforce High school social studies teacher MacArthur Cheek is reminded daily that his decision to become a teacher was the right choice. In a...
The 2019 Legislative Session and Your Impact
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Minnesota
Shannon Mitchell, Managing Director of External Affairs of Educators for Excellence-Minnesota
As the deadline of regular session neared the end, party leaders could not agree on budget targets and committee chairs struggled to address policy differences. In the 11th hour, the...
Education Organizations Urge Policymakers to Increase Diversity in the Teacher Workforce
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
National
The Honorable Robert Scott Chairman House Education & Labor Committee Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Lamar Alexander Chairman Senate HELP Committee Washington, DC…
The Bulletin Board: Inequitable School Funding
Thursday, May 9, 2019
National, Boston, Chicago, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New York
Strong Unions Need Strongly Informed Voters and Turnout
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Chicago
Sarah Reardon
April’s mayoral runoff election was one of the lowest voter turnouts in Chicago’s history. This is surprising -- and discouraging -- given the list of serious issues confronting our city....
The Best Way to Truly Recognize Teachers
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Near the end of our second year of teaching at our public elementary school in the Bronx, our principal slipped a letter into each of our mailboxes thanking us for...
Top 5 education issues to watch at the legislature this week
Thursday, May 2, 2019
Minnesota
The House and Senate will soon come together to iron out the differences in their education bills before sending a compromise bill to the Governor. The funding and policies provisions...
Letter to Boston Superintendent-Designate Brenda Cassellius
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Boston
Dear Superintendent-Designate Cassellius, Congratulations on your selection as the next Superintendent of Boston Public Schools! I am excited to introduce you to Educators for Excellence Boston (E4E-Boston). My name is...
Chalk Talk: Monica Johnson
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Minnesota
Most people just about fall asleep when the topic of school funding comes up. It’s not a sexy issue and there are a lot of nuances to understand. But for...
E4E-Minnesota Joins the Solutions Not Suspension Coalition and Signs Joint Letter on Non-Exclusionary Discipline
Thursday, April 25, 2019
E4E-Minnesota educators have consistently prioritized the issue of racial disparities in school discipline as a top advocacy issue. Non-exclusionary discipline practices help to increase student learning time by keeping them...
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 with educators to shape and implement policies that set students and teachers up for...
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...
Minnesota Educators Take the Leap!
Monday, April 8, 2019
Minnesota
On a chilly night in February, sixteen educators graduated from E4E’s inaugural Leadership for Equity in Action Pipeline program. That evening marked the culmination of…
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...
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 taken...
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...
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...
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...
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 opaque teacher licensing system that shuts out many teachers of color....
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 3235 Minnesota...
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....
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...
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 education....
Chalk Talk: Cory Cain
Monday, February 4, 2019
Chicago
Black students who have just one black teacher in elementary school are significantly more likely to graduate high school and attend college. Yet, the chance of a black student...