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Teach For America, the educational organization founded by Wendy Kopp, as a result of her senior thesis at Princeton, has been moderately successful since its founding in 1989. The organization hires recent college graduates from prestigious institutions, training them for the summer in a dorm-like setting and then placing them into low-income, traditionally underserved schools.
I say it has been moderately successful because the teachers are required to only commit for two years. The program has been successful in getting the brightest, most talented and energetic teachers into the classroom -- receiving 46,000 applicants for just 4,400 teaching slots last year -- but the problem is keeping them.
Perhaps they will address this issue with the $100 million they just received, according to the AP, to launch their first-ever endowment in hopes of making the grassroots organization a permanent fixture in education.
Teach for America has many vocal opponents -- particularly teachers' unions -- who are critical of the lack of experience of these new teachers who are put into classrooms without going through the traditional certification that requires years of training and advanced degrees.
Others offer more philosophical criticism: can recent Ivy League grads respond to the cultural differences of low-income, often inner-city or rural, largely African American student populations?
But Teach for America alums say the criticism is both unfounded and inaccurate. Ayanna Taylor, a Teach for America alum, and graduate of The University of Pennsylvania, worked for 10 years in the classroom, and continues to work as a consultant for public and charter schools around the country. Other alums she said went through the program continue to teach and work in other areas of education reform.
Have critics compiled statistics on the number of traditionally trained teachers who stay on after two years? Or elect to work in traditionally underfunded schools?
"Teach for America changed the concept of what a teacher could be," says Taylor. "Teachers were put into classrooms with extensive knowledge of their content area. It also gave the teaching profession some cachet -- to have Ivy League grads decide to earn $25,000 a year and many of them stayed with the profession after the two year requirement."
According to statistics from Teach for America, 10 percent of alumni are still teaching or are working in the trenches for education reform. It points to studies that show its teachers are at least as effective as those who enter the teaching profession in more traditional ways.
The idea of an endowment started with philanthropist Eli Broad, who pledged $25 million from his Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and encouraged others to commit to the project. Three more foundations stepped up with matching funds: the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the Robertson Foundation and philanthropists Steve and Sue Mandel.
Right now the organization gets its budget from nonprofits, corporations and federal grants, but it's a shaky way to depend on funding each year. With the increased funding, the organization hopes to double the number of teachers and increase the amount of communities they serve from 39 to 60.
What critics often miss in talking about Teach for America is that it offers some poorly underserved schools some of the brightest minds in the country. If Teach for America combines that with proper training, the increased funding will likely keep the program around for a while and it will be a force to be reckoned with.
Comments: (5)
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By: Poison Ivy League on 1/27/2011 5:58PM
The philosophy behind TFA's founding is undoubtedly laudable. But the program's potential for long-lasting success is crushed under the weight of its 2-year commitment. While many do stay to work in the field (by taking on policy-making positions or by just taking their
talents to other districts), you lose the continuity and direct impact when there's turnover by constantly funneling in new blood. As it stands, these Ivy grads are just being given a 'taste' of the challenges faced when educating
low-wealth, high-needs populations. Until they're required to make a more long-term commitment, the gains the program aspires to achieve on both ends (with students and educators alike) will barely scratch the surface.
As suggested, I, too, hope this is one of the ways in which TFA uses this exceptionally generous philanthropic gift -- as it continues the fight against educational disparity and the achievement gap.
Great piece!
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By: ADMR on 1/28/2011 5:10AM
100 MILLION Says ericA!
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By: Creole on 1/01/2012 1:45PM
This is great. I pray that this money is put to good use.
But the most important part in making these kids education better and successful comes from the parents. The parents need to get off their butts and attend PTA meetings,check homework, and stop trying to be their kids friends.
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By: EB on 1/30/2011 12:27PM
With the truth being an absolute defense to a lie, Teach for America is a joke and is doing nothing but dumbing our children up more than they are.
The only thing good about Teach America is their PR Department which is misleading people.
I have had the opportunity to view and analyze many Teach America teachers and I woyuld not alloe any of my own grandchildren to ever be taught by a Teac America Teacher. Stop experimenting on our children and go get "Qualified Teachers" from Teacher Colleges, period. Throwing good money after a bad program is just another joke and slap in the face of minority children who are the recipients of many unqualified Teach America Teachers.
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By: David Winters on 6/12/2012 12:27AM
EB,
My stepdaughter is a new teacher in this program. By far she is one of the most well read, organized, enthusiastic and motivated people I know...at any age. My wife and I have had the privilege or going to school ourselves in a variety of cities and socioeconomic settings as well as getting three children though school the last being my above mentioned stepdaughter. I can assure you that for her part she is equally if not more prepared than the majority of teaches we have encountered. The chances of her positively impacting students is high.
On to your points. So it seems that you feel that "your" children are dumb. Further that these new teachers will make them dumber. That is not a very positive attitude. Why do you think they are dumb? Quite the contrary, Teach for America is training their corp to unlock the potential in all. I for one hold the belief that everyone has considerably greater capabilities within and will rise to them if given the opportunity.
Under what method did you "analyze" many Teach for America teachers? Would you be kind enough to share your analysis in a form other than bashing and innuendo? I would certainly enjoy reading your report.
What makes a "Qualified Teacher" in your opinion. I know plenty of so called qualified teachers who coasted though high school, went to non-challenging universities and graduated with teaching degrees that never had them go beyond the most average amount of learning. On the contrary, my stepdaughter, who is typical of so many TFA corp members, went though high school in the International Baccalaureate program, graduating high school already completing considerably more than her first year of college. She went on to get a double major in history and psychology. Lastly she had spare time to run the largest student run charity on her campus raising a half million dollars in 10 months for the the North Carolina Children's hospital.
Why would you think for one second that a person this motivated and high achieving would do anything to dumb down "your" children? This is a person who gave up going to law school to make low wages and to help make a difference. Are you saying that you would rather have a low achieving average person teach "your" children rather than a hyper-motivated person with significantly more advanced education? When your children learn math is it better for them to have a teacher that made it though algebra or calculus? When they get to their history lessons would it be better to have a teach that the teach had their one mandatory history class or person with a degree in american history? When learning reading would you want the average person on someone who has read well over 1000 books in her short life and thinks proper grammar is sport?
Lastly, since you feel that this gift to "your" children is a slap in the face to them. I can assure you that just about every principal in any highly funded school with little or no minorities would be glad to hire these TFA teachers if they were given the opportunity. Sadly I feel sure that if that were going on, folks like you would be writing how unfair it is.
If you are really lucky "your" grand children will have my stepdaughter as their teach for the next two years. Perhaps you would volunteer your time to help in the class room. That would be appreciated by the teachers as well as the students.
Sincerely
Dave
Charlotte, NC
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