Teach for America’s Impact on RI
Monday, February 07, 2011
The subtitle of Teach For America (TFA) founder Wendy Kopp’s new book, A Chance To Make History, reads “What Works and What Doesn’t in Providing an Excellent Education for All.” It is that level of certainty that has left the education reform community buzzing about the potential of Kopp’s program and others cringing at the idea that even the most intense abbreviated training course can create great teachers.
The two-year program, which recruits recent college graduates –cal led corps members- to teach in urban and rural public schools across the country, recently celebrated its one year anniversary in Rhode Island. This year, TFA Rhode Island Executive Director Heather Tow-Yick says 30 corps members are either serving in Providence public schools or a handful of charter schools throughout the state.
So how does the Ocean State feel about Teach For America? GoLocalProv spoke to Tow-Yick as well as a number of education leaders and just like the national debate, the opinions were mixed.
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Prior to becoming the program’s first Rhode Island Executive Director, Tow-Yick served as a Teach For America corps member in a classroom in the South Bronx. She recalls considering other options after college but says she joined the corps because she was compelled by organization’s mission.
Now she oversees the program in a state where students, particularly Latino students, are scoring significantly worse on math and science tests than the rest of New England. But Tow-Yick is quick to make it clear that she doesn’t believe she has all the answers. In a state that needs drastic change, she says Teach For America is only hoping to be part of the solution.
“Our corps members’ goal is to be complimentary and supplementary in the schools they serve,” Tow-Yick said. “Our motto is ‘do good work; learns from others; and be humble.”
Devaluing The Profession
While he supports a diverse population of bright, young graduates wanting to get into teaching, Frank Flynn, who recently replaced Marcia Reback as President of Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals, says he has a number of concerns about Teach For America.
“It is my understanding that while many have strong content knowledge they sometimes struggle with the delivery of instruction and classroom management,” Flynn said. “I would hope that whatever district or school they work in would provide a quality mentor program not only for TFA candidates but for all new teachers. “
Flynn also says he is worried about Teach For America’s functioning like the Peace Corps.
“I think that [two year] concept devalues teaching as a profession. I have always viewed teaching as a professional career opportunity. I have had the good fortune of working with many fine young teachers who have graduated from traditional teacher prep programs and have done an excellent job. Many served the district as substitutes, gaining valuable experience, until they were hired. I would hope the TFA program would shift its focus to encourage their clients to become more oriented toward making teaching a professional career.”
Gist Supports TFA
But some believe that Teach For America can fill a void in a number of schools districts where recruiting quality teachers is difficult. In an e-mail, Education Commissioner Deborah Gist wrote that part of her strategic plan is to “expand the variety of pathways into the [teaching] profession by attracting high-quality, non-college-based programs for all educators.”
Gist said research has shown that Teach For America corps members are successful teachers and that the majority of alumni continue to work in education after they complete the program.
“In its first year in Rhode Island, Teach for America has brought to our state a diverse pool of dedicated new teachers eager to work in some of our lowest-achieving schools,” Gist said. “Teach for America has helped us increase the diversity of the teaching profession in Rhode Island, and it has helped schools and districts hire great candidates in positions that are often hard to fill.”
Is TFA Effective?
Not everyone is certain that Teach For America is helping to produce great teachers. While Tow-Yick pointed to a number of studies that have praised the program, at least one study found that TFA corps members do not out-perform other first year teachers.
According to the Great Lakes Center report on Teacher For America, corps members performed less well in reading and math than tradition beginning teachers. The research also suggested that more than 80 percent of TFA teachers leave the field within three years. Teach For America has since released a report disputing the Great Lakes Center’s findings.
But Maryellen Butke, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Campaign For Achievement Now, said she supports any program that seeks to bring high quality teachers into the community.
“Teach for America has engaged bright, creative and dedicated teachers - and brought them to Rhode Island,” Butke said. “Prior to entering the classroom, these teachers receive intensive classroom training, including the cultivation of a mindset that all children can learn. Once in their classrooms, they receive ongoing coaching and support - from experienced teachers and classroom coaches.”
The Final Grade
Because the corps members in Rhode Island are still in their first year of actual classroom teaching, it is too early to know whether TFA will help raise student performance in the Ocean State. But Tow-Yick said she is happy with the relationships her program has built with schools they serve.
“I feel positive [about the relationships],” she said. “Our teachers met with the schools and all the schools accepted our teachers.”
And of course, there’s at least one thing traditional teachers and the TFA corps members have in common.
“Our model may be different,” Tow-Yick said. “But we all have the same goals.”
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