Principals’ Open Letter Regarding the NYS APPR Legislation
I received this e-mail yesterday and I thought I would share. The Principals’ Open Letter regarding the NYS APPR Legislation has caused quite a stir in these parts. It’s a clear signal that educators have begun to stand up and demand that intelligent choices are made when revamping education policy, not political ones. If your not familiar with the letter or issue visit www.newyorkprincipals.org and read the letter as well as the research behind it.
I’ll be giving an update later on during the week, as to my own personal quest to ensure that as many educators, administrators, and parents are truly aware of the real issues at play here.
Read the update below
Dear Friends:
You are receiving this message because you have indicated your support for the New York State Principals’ Open Letter Regarding the NYS APPR Legislation (www.newyorkprincipals.org). We thank you for your support and would like to provide you with an update on all that has happened over these past few weeks. As always, the most recent version of the APPR Position paper (with all signatures) is available at: http://www.newyorkprincipals.org/appr-paper. Given that the paper with signatures is 100 pages long, we have also created a separate link for the four-page paper alone.
Some numbers to report:
· Over 1163 New York State principals have signed the letter: that’s almost 26% of all principals in NYS! This is an impressive figure for a paper that has been public for just over two months!
· We have over 5100 supporters now — teachers, supervisors, parents, superintendents and board members included!
· Support among our New York City colleagues has increased notably these past few weeks!
Events of the Past Weeks:
· Carol and I were interviewed by the New York City Fox 5 Affiliate on Monday, 19 December. The reporter had heard of our paper and was interested in learning more about our views. You can see the segment through the following link: http://vimeo.com/34026983
· Carol wrote another article for the Washington Post Answer Sheet. Read her perspective on the inconsistencies of the SLO plans.http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/forging-ahead-with-nutty-teacher-evaluation-plan/2011/12/29/gIQAkMiYQP_blog.html#pagebreak
· The New York City Public School Parents blog named our movement as one of the ten best education stories of 2011!http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2011/12/worst-and-best-education-events-of-2011.html
Some Steps to Take:
We need to continue to build support for our position! It is particularly important that we expand our support upstate. Our next target is to have the support of 40% of the principals in New York State. This is achievable with all of your assistance!
1. Understand the Issues! As I have mentioned in past updates, NYSUT is actively opposing our paper. We believe that this is due to a misunderstanding of our positions and recommendations. On our website is a clarifications memo that serves as a response to NYSUT’s concerns. You can find the memo through the following link: http://www.newyorkprincipals.org/clarification-points
2. Contact your local Regent! Some of our supporters have been in active contact with their local Regent – even arranging for a meeting next month! They are aware of the issue and may very well respond to your requests. You can identify your Regent through this link:http://www.regents.nysed.gov/members/findrep.html
3. Contact your local Legislator! The legislature can make the changes to the APPR system. Unfortunately, many are simply not aware of the complex issues related to the APPR system as created by SED. The last thing that they want, however, is controversy come elections next November. Contact your local legislator and let him or her hear about your concerns. This simple step will make a difference!
4. Share the letter with your colleagues — teachers, principals, central office administrators — and encourage them to support it. The more signatures we get, the more powerful our message will become! Everyone is welcome to support the letter!
5. We need more parents! Make your parents aware of the issues related to APPR and encourage them to support the letter.
6. Tweet, Share, Facebook or whatever it takes to get the message out! We have a number of signatories from out of state! Remember:www.newyorkprincipals.org
Thank you once again for taking a stand on such an important issue! Please enjoy a healthy and happy new year!
Sean and Carol
—
Sean C. Feeney, Ph.D.
Principal
The Wheatley School
11 Bacon Road
Old Westbury, NY 11568
Follow my blog at http://www.thewheatleyway.org
Opine I will 
your links are broken, probably from copying the email