Teach for America has everything a neo-liberal could ask for. It’s entrepreneurial; it bypasses schools of education; it implies that anyone (at least our nation’s most promising future leaders)can teach. For education reformers, Teach for America now offers a new attraction: circumventing teacher unions.
The Globe reports TFA recruits now in place could replace laid off teachers, teachers who would probably stay in education more than the two or three years of a TFA teacher.
With the first batch of 20 corps members scheduled to arrive in the fall, just months after probable teacher layoffs, the union has sent a letter to the popular program objecting to its help.
Neither Boston schools nor Teach for America are backing down.
“We already have hundreds of good, ‘surplus’ teachers; we don’t need [Teach for America] to provide us any additional help,” Richard Stutman, the union’s president, wrote in a letter sent this week. “By coming here, you will only make matters worse.”
At the union’s most recent monthly meeting, more than 600 teachers, classroom aides, and other members overwhelmingly approved a request asking the School Department and the nonprofit to end their contract to reduce teacher layoffs.
While public service is a key mission of Teach for America, the program does not provide free help. Participating school districts must pay the recruits the same salary as a beginning teacher in the district, which in Boston would be $46,291.
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sabutai says
These guys have five weeks of training. They stop in for a coupla years to add a line to their resume, and leave it to professionals to clean up after their inadequacies.
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p>TfA people have that wonderful energy and idealism all new teachers have, and frankly that’s about it. And wouldn’t you know, notorious DC schools boss Michelle Rhee gained her whole three years’ “experience” with teach for America.
kirth says
NYT, last year
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p>The Effectiveness of “Teach for America” and Other Under-certified Teachers on Student Academic Achievement:
A Case of Harmful Public Policy
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p>Teach For America Gets Schooled
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p>All this and much more at The Daily Howler (scroll down).
irishfury says
I’m not sure if I disagree with you on many of them. But can you point to me where in the article it specifically states that TFA corps members will replace laid off teachers? Two paragraphs down from the part of the article you cited, it says