FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 4th, 2013 Contact: Kerri Lyon (917) 348-2191 | klyon@skdknick.

com

NYC TEACHERS LAUNCH PETITION CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF MEANINGFUL EVALUATION SYSTEM

E4E-NY Teachers Lay Out Priorities for a Default Evaluation System if the City and UFT Cant Reach a Deal
February 4, 2013 (New York, NY) Two weeks after the teacher evaluation deadline came and went, Educators 4 Excellence members announced today they have launched a petition campaign calling on the Governor and Legislature to line up a meaningful default system if the city and union cant reach a deal soon. Their inaction has already cost the city approximately $250 million in state funds and further resources are now in jeopardy. New York Citys public school teachers and students are counting on a strong evaluation system and we simply cant afford to drag our feet any longer, said Jonathan Schleifer, Executive Director of Educators for Excellence New York. We were relieved to hear the Governor and Legislature will step in if needed, but we want to ensure that even a default system is one that provides teachers the best opportunities to improve their practice. E4E-NY teachers are calling on state leaders to design a multi measured evaluation system that includes:

Multiple Observations Student Growth Data Student Survey Data School Community Participation Measures of Professionalism.

E4E members say the default system should remain in effect until the City and UFT can collectively bargain an alternative. Finally, the petition calls for the restoration of the approximately quarter billion dollars lost to the city as a result of missing the January deadline for a deal.

Nearly two years ago, E4E-NY teachers released recommendations for a stronger evaluation system and have been advocating for changes ever since. They believe that the current evaluation system of satisfactory and unsatisfactory is wholly inadequate and that teachers need robust feedback and follow up support to help them improve. To read the full petition, click here. ### For far too long, education policy has been created without a critical voice at the table the voice of classroom teachers. Educators 4 Excellence (E4E), a teacher-led organization, is changing this dynamic by placing the voices of teachers at the forefront of the conversations that shape our classrooms and careers. With a quickly growing national network of over3,500 educators united by the E4E Declaration of Teachers Principles and Beliefs, E4E teachers can learn about education policy and research, network at E4Es event series with like-minded colleagues and important education policymakers, and take action by advocating for teacher-created policy recommendations that lift student achievement and the teaching profession. For more information, please visit www.educators4excellence.org.