Aaron Regunberg: The Downside To Teach For America
Friday, September 23, 2011
Earlier this week Teach For America held an information session at Brown University, where I am a student. Both the Brown Education Department and the City of Providence have trumped their recent work to partner with TFA, so I decided I should at least check them out. But after hearing their pitch and talking to TFA recruiters myself, I have become more convinced than ever that the answers offered by this organization are not going to help public education and will—if anything—add to the problems our schools face.
But from that relatively nuanced sketch of what they themselves admit to be an incredibly complex and interconnected set of problems, they made a jump I couldn’t rationally follow—that getting inexperienced kids from prestigious colleges into these low-income schools will make the system better.
Two Huge Assumptions
Such a leap makes two huge assumptions, which I will deal with one at a time. First, it takes for granted that the biggest obstacle keeping low-income students from getting the education they deserve is the poor quality of their teachers. And second, it accepts as truth that students from elite colleges will somehow make better teachers, regardless of their lack of experience and knowledge in the field of education.
The first assumption was particularly jarring to me in the context of the information session’s promising opening. How could these people earnestly describe the structural violence of poverty and the complex challenges under-resourced schools face, but then return to TFA’s foundational position of, “No, actually the only thing that matters in a school is the individual teacher, and the teachers in low-income communities suck”?
But it’s even harder for me to understand how one gets from this point to their next assumption. At least their first point has some basis in real problems—it is, undoubtedly, harder to get teachers to serve in challenging urban environments. In addition, I think it’s definitely fair to say that many in the majority-white and middle class teaching profession do not have the best understanding of the communities they serve, and therefore are not as effective at working and communicating with low-income parents and children of color.
But it would seem to me that the answer to these problems is to re-professionalize teaching by increasing teachers’ training and compensation, as well as providing the professional development and support they may need to build better relationships with their students and their students’ families. The answer is NOT to replace real teachers with kids from even more privileged backgrounds who do not intend to stay in these low-income schools and who have far less instruction in the art of teaching. I mean, TFA members get just five weeks of training before being put in the classroom! And even during those five weeks, their instruction focuses exclusively on classroom management skills; they learn virtually nothing about education theory, as if this large and important body of intellectual work has no applicable value (which, to me, is the same as saying that a five-week crash course on courtroom tricks can turn someone with no knowledge of case law or jurisprudence into a great lawyer).
Actual Data Tells Another Story
Of course, this would all be fine if TFA teachers were actually making our schools better places, as TFA supporters claim. At the info session, certainly, the recruiters mentioned a number of specific TFA grads that allegedly were able to improve their students’ test scores in miraculous ways. But the actual data tells another story, as I discovered upon reading a recent study out of the Education Policy Research Unit at Arizona University and the Education and the Public Interest Center at the University of Colorado, which reviewed all of the studies done on the effects of Teach For America from its founding through 2010. It is, as far as I can tell, the most comprehensive work currently available on this topic. Unfortunately, it has a number of troubling conclusions.
First, it found that—despite a number of non-peer reviewed studies by TFA claiming otherwise—TFA teachers initially do about the same or worse than first-year teachers who are traditionally certified, and only after two or three years do they seem comparable to more experienced teachers. But at that point, most TFAers are moving on; a review of the research on TFA attrition rates found that 50% of TFA teachers leave the profession after their contracted two years, and 80% leave after three. In other words, since they aren’t staying long enough for their students to benefit from their gained experience, TFA isn’t ultimately leading to higher teacher quality.
But that’s not all the data revealed. While TFA’s public relations teams claim that they are filling a real gap by providing teachers to the most difficult, hard-to-staff districts, the research shows that TFA has begun placing its teachers not in schools lacking qualified candidates, but in slots previously held by veteran teachers who were laid off to make room. Meaning that somewhere there may be a classroom full of students who have been forced to trade their qualified, experienced teacher for some random Brown kid just out of college who has never before stepped foot in a public school (I am, of course, making generalizations; there are many TFA teachers who don’t fit this description at all, but there are many more who do). Worst of all, we’ve had to pay good money to make this trade. The study found that TFA often charges districts significant finders fees for each recruit, while an even heavier cost comes from the professional development and mentoring that school departments are forced to invest in teachers who will be gone in a few years.
It’s Part Of The Problen
Of course, Teach For America isn’t hurting public education much in the grand scheme of things; way more powerful forces are at work on that front. But it’s my opinion that if an organization is spending millions of dollars, some of them public (TFA recently received a $50,000,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education), on a PR campaign to convince policy makers that its model is part of the solution, then it damn well better be part of the solution.
If not, then it’s part of the problem, and it’s hard for me to understand how so many people are getting duped. It’s not the college kids who are applying to become TFA teachers that confuse me. You might be shocked to hear this, but it’s been my experience that some of the kids at Brown and schools like Brown have pretty high opinions of themselves—it makes sense that many of them mistakenly believe that their elite status gives them a unique ability to solve the problems of public education. What’s crazy, to me, is that anyone else agrees with them.
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Comments:
slim pickens
7:52am on Friday, September 23, 2011
I cannot recall a time when TFA students or the RI Fellows program teachers were actually put in place to create smaller class sizes. If a teacher left or was forced out, then a TFA student/fellow teacher was put into that opening.
Substitute teachers are even passed over to put these TFA and Fellow teachers in place.
So has class size gone down in any of the classes due to TFA and Fellow teacher programs?
I heard that in foreign language, art and other elective subjects that class size has gone up and the number of classes offered has gone down.
J Martin
9:18am on Friday, September 23, 2011
It has been my experience that many teachers in urban school districts are often the first person in their families to have graduated from college. Since many of the TFA people will not be in the classroom after just 3 years, it appears that for them, after an initial burst of enthusiasm, it is nothing more than a resume builder to gain entrance to law school or perhaps an MPA program. What does it say to students that a person that has dedicated their life to a profession can be bumped out for a student whose family could afford an Ivy League education? If the studies indicated that education benefits actually increased, then maybe the end could be justified by the means. However, much of this just seems like class warfare to me.
Aaron Regunberg
9:56am on Friday, September 23, 2011
By the way, if anyone thinks the conclusions of that research sound fishy and wants to really look through, check their methodology, etc., you can access the study I cited here, I'd definitely encourage folks who want a better understanding of these findings to read through it: http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/teach-for-america
Stephanie Federico
10:59am on Friday, September 23, 2011
Aaron – please tell me why you believe you have the qualifications to evaluate the impact of TFA on public education? Because you read a report? Have you been into a classroom that is taught by a TFA corps member? Have you spoken to their students? Have you asked the opinion of colleagues that work beside the corps members every day? I think it is fair to assume that you have not, because if you had, you would have learned what I have by visiting dozens of these classrooms right here in Rhode Island.
Yes, the first year corps members face struggles at times, but these struggles are no different than any other first year teacher. However, the energy and enthusiasm that they bring to the class is inspiring. They understand the impact that a teacher can have on a child and they strive every day to provide content specific instruction to the children that are in their classrooms. Ask any person, who throughout their life has inspired them the most, and outside of family members, I would venture to guess that the number one answer would be a teacher. Observe these corps members in the classroom and you will understand that no study can measure the impact that these young corps members are having on student achievement.
Furthermore, the children in these classrooms are attentive and excited by the delivery of instruction by the corps members. They are engaged in the lesson plans and I believe that it sets a tremendous goal for our urban youth to see an individual who has been educated in one of the top colleges/universities in our nation spending time with them.
And let’s not forget about the other “non TFA” teachers in these schools. I have often spoken with many of these teachers who willingly admit that they have spent time observing the TFA corps members in action. They are learning lessons about keeping kids engaged, about creative ways to deliver a district developed curriculum and at the end of the day they are working as a team to deliver the best possible education to students who so desperately need it.
You are correct that there is a fairly high attrition rate for the corps members. What you fail to mention is the fact that as a result of their time in the classroom these corps members will forever be impacted by the challenges facing our public educational system. These corps members go on to work in school district administration, they run for political office and they are having a tremendous impact on the direction of public education. I for one am grateful that they are not all staying in the classroom because I know that regardless of what they eventually do they will forever be an advocate for the teaching quality and resources that our urban children need and deserve.
You stated “…but it’s been my experience that some of the kids at Brown and schools like Brown have pretty high opinions of themselves – it makes sense that many of them mistakenly believe that their elite status gives them a unique ability to solve the problems of public education.” This is like the pot calling the kettle black Aaron. Correct me if I’m wrong but you weren’t educated in an urban school district, were you? And you now attend Brown University? And didn’t you have such a high opinion of yourself that you believed you could solve a public education problem by organizing the students at Hope High School in a walk out that interrupted their instruction and created a safety risk for the students? The TFA corps members are far from perfect but they are on the front lines everyday doing more than just talking about a problem, they are trying to solve one.
Travis Yowley
11:27am on Friday, September 23, 2011
Really Stephanie? Most experts in education say that it takes between 3-5 years to BEGIN to master the craft of teaching. If 80% quit, it is hardly worth the time to place these people. Word is that a least 2 have already quit this year at Roger Williams Middle School in Providence! Hardly a good investment.
Aaron Regunberg
11:45am on Friday, September 23, 2011
Stephanie, usually I don't like getting sucked into these comment-dialogues, but you brought up some salient points so I thought I'd respond.
First, you are right, I am not an expert on the impact of TFA on public education, and having read a study doesn't make me an expert. However, I think I'm at least qualified to pass along the findings of that research, which as I mentioned above is a review of literally every single study done on the impact of TFA since its founding (which I'd assume rests on a more complete sampling than your class-visits). So it would make sense to me that we should take this research seriously when it questions the positive impact of TFA, instead of simply writing it off because you have dropped in on a few classes which seemed to be doing well.
I'm really glad to hear that the teachers you've spoken with have decided to really work together with new TFA members. But I wonder how fully you are vetting these communities. I have talked to a whole lot of great teachers who are fully aware of, as you wrote, the inspiring potential of teachers--that's why they decided to devote their lives to teaching! And the idea that we are saying TFA folks can come in for two years and fix what they have been working on for decades, simply because they've been educated in a top college...well, obviously they find it insulting, but mostly they just think it's dumb.
And lastly I'll address the personal criticism of the organizing at Hope High School. I did not think I could solve a public education problem. What I believed is that I could teach students a bit about direct action organizing, so that they could go kick some ass fighting for what they believed they deserved. Anyone at Hope--students, teachers, principals--who read your criticism would laugh out loud. The months of organizing and the walk-out (all led by students at Hope) were, according to nearly everyone at that school, some of the best learning experiences students had ever had. And it's funny that you are placing blame for interrupting instruction on me, when it was PPSD who blocked hundreds of students from walking back into Hope after their protest because they wanted to continue learning. As far as safety risks, fortunately students are way smarter and more mature than you give them credit for--no one was hurt in their struggle for justice, despite YOUR repeated threats to have students arrested.
Aaron Regunberg
11:50am on Friday, September 23, 2011
Sorry, that post was snarkier than I wanted it to be. If there are parts that seem rude, I apologize.
Stephanie Federico
4:35pm on Friday, September 23, 2011
In hindsight I would like to stay away from the personal attacks, from the other issues facing urban education and focus more specifically on the accurate numbers when it comes to Teach for America, since that is the focus of your article.
Two-thirds of Teach for America’s nearly 24,000 alumni are working full-time in education. They’re taking on important roles at all levels of leadership, as I previously mentioned, to provide our highest-need students with the educational opportunities they deserve. 92% of the corps members return for a second year in the classroom, a higher rate than the national average of 83% among teachers in low-income communities.
The most rigorous independent research (the methodology of the study you cite is not strong) find that corps members are effective in the first and second year of teaching. Mathematic, The Urban Institute, and three states – Louisiana, North Carolina, and Tennessee – all found that corps members are having a positive impact and doing as well as or better than other new and veteran teachers.
I’m disappointed to see that there’s a lot of misinformation in the article and in the comments. For instance, no corps members have resigned from Roger Williams Middle School this year. I hope we can keep the focus where it belongs – on the kids. It’s going to take our entire community working together to raise the bar for our schools and make sure that all of our students – including those facing all the challenges of poverty – get a great education.
Rob Peters
4:46pm on Friday, September 23, 2011
Aaron - Very well written. Do not get discouraged by the likes of Stephanie F. It is apparent that she is just another “reformer” who has never actually been in a classroom.
Terrence Barrettee
5:15pm on Friday, September 23, 2011
I am a teacher in the Dallas ISD and I teach in a zip code with one of the highest crime rates in the city (75231). In the three years I have worked in this district (5 yrs overall) I have worked with at least 20 TFA's. Most do not come back for a second year, in fact most do not make it to the semester mark. The real reason most of the TFA "teachers" sign up is because they will have their loans forgiven after 3 years in the classroom. (hence the high rate of attrition). The "teachers" are not professionals that have gone though extensive training require of those who choose this path. They go to a series of workshops over the summer before they teach. Most do not have the correct mindset to teach, they are their for the short term paycheck and the chance to have their loans forgiven. Most have never consider teaching and in fact look down upon us who choose this career. I am wondering if Steph has ever tired to teach a child who hasn't eaten in a day, works till 3 in the morning to support their family, does not have a consist place to sleep. I have, and believe me, if you do not have the compassion to teach, I don't care if you have gone to Yale, Harvard or at RIC and PC like myself, if you don't want to do it forever, you can't fake it for a while.
You can throw numbers at me, but I have worked with many of these TFA's and this is my opinion. But I ask this question, is the a Doctors for America program? How about Lawyers for America? Until we treat teachers as professionals and not baby sitters, we will always have this problem.
Aaron Regunberg
5:21pm on Friday, September 23, 2011
Stephanie, to your first point. TFA claims in its “Alumni Social Impact Report” that “more than two-thirds of Teach for America alumni are working or studying full-time in the field of education.” Sounds pretty good. But there are some issues with that. The small print notes that the report’s information is based on self-reported data in 2007 from 57 percent of the alumni network. Off the top, therefore, 43 percent of the alumni are unaccounted for, which distorts the report’s findings. In addition, TFA alumni are defined as those who have finished the two-year commitment, but only 87.1 percent of members completed their commitment in 2007, and dropout numbers were higher in earlier years. Yet that 13 percent or higher drop-off is not factored in, so the two-thirds figure is not very reliable.
More importantly, however, is how loosely "working in the field of education" is defined. A huge number of those grads go on to work at TFA as TFA recruiters or in other roles, which is great for the organization but, I would argue, is not going to improve public education. As for the rest, I guess it's fine that they are going on to get Broad fellowships and trying to become superintendents or policy advisers or whatever. But why are we supposed to assume that these folks are going to be better superintendents or policy advisers or whatever than we would otherwise have? We're certainly not short on folks who want a career in education policy--it's a pretty lucrative field (as you yourself have found) and it's only getting more lucrative as more billionaires are getting interested in it. So I guess it's better that some of these kids are going down that road rather than going to Goldman Sachs. But again, I don't think that the fact that they are from prestigious colleges automatically makes them better superintendents or policy advisers--particularly if they weren't even studying education at those prestigious colleges.
Regarding the test scores of students under TFA teachers, do you have any more specific critique of the methodology of the Heinig and Jez study? It took into account the few studies you mentioned, as well as many more, and made conclusions comprehensively over that broader body of data.
But I'm glad that we're all committed to keeping the focus on students. I was worried for a moment.
Joseph Fazio
8:22pm on Friday, September 23, 2011
Sorry kids, but the TFA folks are the ones you find in the bathroom crying because no one prepared them for the real world of teaching. Take Central Falls High School, the TFA squad of math teachers - only one is left. Face it, you were lied to, you don't get to save the world and when you find out you are all alone with no support you begin to rethink that great decision you made.
erik bryson
8:33pm on Friday, September 23, 2011
Good article by Aaron. TFA teachers for the most part are in the business of resume padding and making $$ in the lucrative age of educational consultancy, test-making and evaluations, and so called educational experts. Having been in the profession for many years and seen a handful of these people come and go often leaving a mess behind. Race to the Top typifies this waste of taxpayer resources with money going towards consultants and others. Those few TFA teachers who make a difference with kids god bless them, but for the majority like Steph, they cannot and will not stay in the profession very long. It is not easy and can't be mastered in two years.
Craig O'connor
2:24am on Sunday, September 25, 2011
F'ing GLP! I have twice written a long response to this wonderful article by Aaron, and the site auto-refreshes and I lost all I wrote. GLP really is terrible, although I give it credit for adding thoughtful columnists like Aaron. Josh and whoever else runs this sham of a news site - please get your act together.
Craig O'connor
2:29am on Sunday, September 25, 2011
Short version: 57% of 81% is only 47%. Of those 47% of TFA recruits who make to "alumni" status, 1/3 leave the field, meaning only about 305 of TFA recruits make it into year three. and most of those aren't actually teaching.
According to multiple sources (including http://www.ncsu.edu/mentorjunction/text_files/teacher_retentionsymposium.pdf), the attrition rate overall for teachers is about 50% after three years. So TFA does worse than normal, even including all those who are doing something in the education field other than teaching.
I admire the young people who are trying to help our children. I blame the leaders and propagandists for TFA and similar programs for misleading them, and the public. they are papering over a failed experiment, it would seem, and should be held accountable.
Aaron - thank you for holding them accountable!
Craig O'connor
2:30am on Sunday, September 25, 2011
Typo: "305" supposed to be "30%."
Christie Smith
10:43am on Monday, September 26, 2011
Aaron- I appreciate your passion about this subject, but I really hope that you will take the time to visit classrooms, meet corps members, and get more insight into urban education beyond what is written by others. There is a real education crisis in our country and in Rhode Island and I think you could have an impact if you channeled your energy towards being part a solution.
While I appreciate your points, my experience tells me that there are many potential solutions and Teach For America is one of them. As a TFA alum, my personal experience contradicts your research. I spent my two year commitment teaching in a large middle school in New York City from 1997-1999. There were vacancies in my school that were not filled for entire school years. What that means is that an entire class of 6th graders never a consistent teacher. A different teacher covered every period of their class, every day for the entire school year. This was with six TFA corps members, 2 TFA alum, and 3 teachers from a similar post Peace-Corps program working in our school. While we had some excellent veteran teachers in our school, there were also a surprising amount of veteran teachers who were beyond terrible. Other schools in the neighborhood had similar situations. Teach For America filled a need in this neighborhood, and many of the veteran teachers supported us and appreciated our presence.
Again I realize I am not citing studies, but of the eight corps members in my school during that time most of us are still committed to the cause. After our two year commitment, six stayed teaching. After 10 years, two are still teachers, two are principals in urban schools, two are doing legal aid type work, one is a lawyer but I honestly don’t know what kind of law she practices, and I just took a leave after 12 years of teaching to stay home with my children. While I realize that not representative of all corps members, it is also not uncommon.
It is easy to criticize, but until all children are getting the education they deserve, I believe we need to be supporting efforts like TFA that are constantly striving to improve themselves and the quality of education in our country.