The Wall Street Journal has a great weekend interview with the founder of Teach For America, Wendy Kopp. I know that many folks interested in improving education in Delaware have had an active debate as to the merits of Teach For America. The interview can be found here (a subscription may be required). Quoting from the article:
In the spring of 1989 Wendy Kopp was a senior at Princeton University who had her sights set on being a New York City school teacher. But without a graduate degree in education or a traditional teacher certification, it was nearly impossible to break into the system. So she applied for a job at Morgan Stanley instead.
Off to Morgan Stanley rather than teach, and it wasn’t for greedy purposes? Nope. Several years ago, Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM, found that the the most popular major for college students in the bottom 20% of their class was an education major. Mr. Gerstner conducted this study in partnership with the American Federation of Teachers, one of the nation’s largest teacher unions. It seems that Morgan Stanley has higher metrics for its employees.
A few months ago, Teach for America (TFA) received an applicant pool that Morgan Stanley recruiters would drool over. Their 46,000 applicants included 12% of all Ivy League seniors, 7% of the graduating class of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and 6% from U.C. Berkeley. A quarter of all black seniors at Ivy League schools and a fifth of Latinos applied to be teachers in the 2010 corps. It is, I’m told by some recent grads, one of the coolest things you can do after college.
So, Ms. Kopp did an end-run around the teacher-mill establishment to create a new system — very entrepreneurial. A system in which the top students in the country now compete to be teachers in urban, under-served schools. How did we get here?
“The interesting thing,” she tells me in her organization’s Manhattan headquarters, “is that 20 years ago most of our school systems were thinking that recruiting teachers was not their responsibility. They were thinking that was the responsibility of schools of education. So you had one set of institutions that was responsible for training teachers and another set responsible for actually affecting student achievement results.”
With the Union hold on teachers, it is no wonder that school districts stayed out of determining the districts needs for teachers. Why fight against a union that spends millions of dollars controlling the legislature. We’ll just lower the standards, give social promotion, and blame it on bad parents. Everyone wins except for kids, and the future of America. Ms. Kopp, no screaming right-winger, has delivered the goods:
A 2008 Urban Institute study found that “On average, high school students taught by TFA corps members performed significantly better on state-required end-of-course exams, especially in math and science, than peers taught by far more experienced instructors. The TFA teachers’ effect on student achievement in core classroom subjects was nearly three times the effect of teachers with three or more years of experience.” A new study from the University of North Carolina found that middle school math students taught by TFA teachers received the equivalent of an extra half-year of learning.
TFA has proved (although anyone with half a brain wouldn’t actually need the proof as it is self-evident) that the discrimination of low expectations is what has destroyed educational opportunity for millions of our poor.
TFA’s fundamental premise is that a child’s home life and socioeconomic status need not doom him or her to educational failure. “There is a perception in our communities that we have low educational outcomes in low-income communities because kids aren’t motivated or families don’t care. We’ve discovered that is not the case,” says Ms. Kopp.
There is one area in which I disagree with Ms. Kopp — but since she is doing an end-run around the system, I think that her mindset is to continue to do an end run.
The constraints now are funding and placement. Ms. Kopp says that her funding has grown about 30% per year for the past decade “because of the commitment of the private sector.” While many philanthropists have cut back giving in recent years, TFA has not suffered. (Their biggest funders include Eli Broad, Doris and Don Fisher, and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.) Public funding makes up about 30% of her budget. TFA received a federal appropriation of $21 million last year, and it has asked for $50 million in fiscal year 2011 to take advantage of what Ms. Kopp calls the “incredible” recruiting environment.
I don’t think that the constraint is funding. We spend 1/3 of the State’s budget on education; much of it on wasted, legislatively-managed central planning. If the legislature and Governor had the political will to open up the District hiring process to anyone (not just Union-mandated, acceptable candidates), the funding is there. Ah, well. At least with the Teach For America end-run, we’re getting some fresh blood into the system. Fresh faces & capabilities that are actually improving education. What a concept.
Bravo Charlie for a keen assesment, however there is plenty of intrique that merits sharing over TFA.
Red Clay has been the leader in hiring TFA teachers. The public line is we need minority role models. Apparently there are those who feel minority kids can’t learn from white teachers. (talk about racism)
But the truth is TFA teachers come cheaper then a DSEA teacher. So now the district can save money. Money always triumphs over white teacher’s allegedly not being to relate to minority kids.
Also note that DOE Dan has made Red Clay his special project because that’s the next stop for hm so Red Clay can hire all the TFA teacher’s the want if the number 2 at DOE says go for it.
Also the NCC Vo-tech have decided to replace temporary contract teacher’s with TFA teacher’s again because they’re cheaper.
Now back to DSEA. The question has been around for month’s why they haven’t went to Gov. Begatto demanding this to stop?
The answer is RTTT money. Gov. Begatto needed the money so DSEA was offered a choice:
Kill Charter’s or TFA.
DSEA picked charters. Only one charter was approved this year an it was their 4 try. DOE’s own lawyer admonished the charter school committee for several applications they denied but shouldn’t have.
When the DSTP scores come out soon charter’s with low scores will soon be in the Moyer gun barrell. They need to look out for this they are next. Eastside, Edison and Pencader round out the top three.
Gov Begatto and DSEA figured if they can survive closing an African American school where every legislator is a Democrat they can do anything to anyone. They’re right.
Not one city legislator publicly fought for Moyer Academy.
The pro-charter forces had mastered the application process. There aren’t enough votes in Dover to make the process harder so an end run had to be done and RTTT provided the impetus to create one.
School district’s can’t be closed. Charter’s can. Once that starts happening DSEA gets more members as public school’s take back charter kids requiring more DSEA teacher’s to be hired.
I must applaud Gov. Begatto. He’s found a way to both increase DSEA membership and get the RTTT money.
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Oh, my goodness. Where do I begin? NativeBlueHen is mistaken. TFA not cheaper than other first year teachers–not by a long shot. Red Clay had 6 TFA corps members last year. They will get six more this year. According to the contract signed in April, 2009, that is all that Red Clay will get. These employees get full salary and full benefits like any newbie in the district. However, the district pays an unprecedented $10,000 more per participant PER YEAR as part of the agreement with TFA.
The money goes to TFA for training and administrative costs, and to Wilmington University to cover the costs of the master’s degree program coursework it provides for all TFA participants. Finally, each corps member will walk away with an $8-9K stipend to be used to further their education in business, law, administration, public policy, etc.–whatever they desire.
It cost Red Clay a full $60,000 more this year to hire the six TFA than to hire fully-trained, fully-certified college-trained first-year teachers. This is no bargain by anyone’s standards. The district will pay $120,000 this coming year for the 12 TFA and finish next year with $60,000 for the last year of the second cohort. This is a grand total of $240,000 for the privilege of hiring (loosely-used term in this case) twelve individuals who will probably not stay around to teach in Red Clay or Delaware much longer than their required two-year stint.
Dear Ms. Jenner,
I am wrong and stand corrected. Thank you. BTW you were my son’s 6th science teacher at HB and you did an excellent job! Is Ms. O’Leary there as well? She was a great English teacher. Whatever happened to Mr. Bartoli and Mrs. Pyle as well?
However this further mystifies me as to why any district would embrace such an expensive scheme? School district’s want teachers who are good and good building principal’s crave reliable staff. TFA teacher’s come and go.
Thanks for the update. BTW, many legislator’s think TFA is a cheap way to get young teacher’s. Over July 4th in Bethany several of them and myself were discussing this and they and myself all thought it saved money.
Again thank you for the correction.
“However this further mystifies me as to why any district would embrace such an expensive scheme?”
Politics ! Why would an outgoing super sign a such a contract two months before retiring? To F the union and to kiss Jack Markell’s ass.
“BTW, many legislator’s think TFA is a cheap way to get young teacher’s”
If they are so concern about $$$$ perhaps we show have term limits, end pensions and fee heathcare.
Mark my words DOE Dan is the next Diane Dunmon in Red Clay.
who is Governor Begatto?
“Mark my words DOE Dan is the next Diane Dunmon in Red Clay.”
Now do you really think the board would approve such a move? Dunmon’s job was filled. But we know how is can go in Red Clay. Maybe they’ll make Skipper CFO 🙂
When did Skipper start drinking the kool-aid?
Skipper is making the Kool-Ade! An old family recipe!
Where is the evidence that TFA are all minority for minority? The only TFA teacher I know personally is white and teaches math at Prestige Academy.
TFA are not all persons of color.
“TFA are not all persons of color.”
I agree and infact the majority of TFA are white. Nearly all if not all are teaching in high poverty school predominately African-American such as Warner and Kuumba.
The issues is, TFA is a two-year deal after which they are rewarded with $9400.00 from the federally funded AmeriCorp program. The money is to go towards student loans or futher tuition. TFA are paid regular paid as benfits from the school district and are consider district / school employees whereas they and their evaluation are confidential. Many work in Title 1 schools that require Reading and math specialist aka highly qualified. The highly qualified standards have been reduced for TFA.
Another issue is with federal law itslef. Per Title 1 under NCLB Section 1118 Title 1 parents “must” be part of the planning and review of Title 1 programing within their child’s school. They did not have any input in the TFA decision in Red Clay. Red Clay is paying $300,000.00 over an above TFA salaries and benfits. $300,000.00 could have been more effective in community out years and parent involvment.
We need long term committed teachers in our schools one who chose to be a teacher not someone spicing up their resume for jobs outside of education. However, some do decided to stay in education. But when TFA spits out numbers / % who stand in education they exclude those who dropped out of the program within the two-year committment.
TFA sell the notion they are filling vacant jobs in high poverty schools. Jobs no one wants. That’s bull!
For really, don’t you all think $300,000.00 over three years could have been invested better?
After straying a bit far from field, let me reiterate the key point, IMHO:
“A 2008 Urban Institute study found that “On average, high school students taught by TFA corps members performed significantly better on state-required end-of-course exams, especially in math and science, than peers taught by far more experienced instructors. The TFA teachers’ effect on student achievement in core classroom subjects was nearly three times the effect of teachers with three or more years of experience.” A new study from the University of North Carolina found that middle school math students taught by TFA teachers received the equivalent of an extra half-year of learning.”
The recent proposal that I received directly from a TFA representative was a $10,000 fee for the TFA teacher — who would be paid the same as any other teacher. So, for an additional $10,000 I’ll take an extra half-year of learning for our students. That is a bargain.
Why should we be paying recruiting fees every two years ? School districts have HR managers that should be competent to select the best candidates. What about the $9400.00 AmeriCorp pay out after the two-year TFA comittment?
Why not just employe The New Teacher Program who seeks out permanent long-term teachers? Also, throw in the Federal gants going directly to Teach for America. No real bargain if you all it all up.
Hello Kilroy:
From my original post:
“If the legislature and Governor had the political will to open up the District hiring process to anyone (not just Union-mandated, acceptable candidates), the funding is there. Ah, well.”
I think that this quote shows that we agree. But, since the system isn’t open to allow the schools to hire the best candidates as they determine them, TFA did an end-run, successfully from our children’s perspective.
“since the system isn’t open to allow the schools to hire the best candidates as they determine them, TFA did an end-run, successfully from our children’s perspective.”
Charlie tradtional public school teacher are required to join the union. The system using Red Clay as n example hires wonderful teachers. And to be honest the only teachers I had any problems with during my son education was his Kindergarten teacher at Carvel Academy. He went there for Pre-K, K and about 1 month of First grade. He went on to Red Clay Richey and had wonderful teachers, Richardson Park and had wonderful teacher, Conrad Middle prior to Conrad Magent and Charter School of Wilmington. It was at CSW I encounter the worst teacher I ever met. Looking at his online DOE profile he went to five colleges before he obtained his bachelors.
It sounds as if you have issue with the route professional teachers take. The University of Delaware has been supplying Delaware teachers for years and Wilmington University. We are they failing ? How is it a business major from Harvard can join TFA and with 5-6 weeks summer training come out the other end better than one who study for four year and competed student teaching?
Billions of dollars are wasted in reforming education in efforts to undermine the unions. Those dollar could be better spent adding teacher to lower class sizes.
FYI not busting on you, just expressing my views.
I am pro organized labor as far as decent pay and benefits and protection from employers with little man syndrome. There is no reason why any employeer should be in the hunt to downgrade and take employees sefl-esteem. HOWEVER, I am for weeding out ineffective teachers using more than one indicator. If a teacher is deemed ineffective I don’t think the system / taxpayers should pay to retrain them. In private industry if your are ineffective than out you go. I oppose giving low performing teachers the option to VT out of a school. Many of the VTs end up in school where other don’t want to teach and those school are the high poverty.
The strength of any union is only as strong as the weakness of the local politcians. They are no more corrupt than many politicans serving special interest such as Markell. Yea Yea I voted for him.
“successfully from our children’s perspective.”
Success of nearly all successful children came from involved parents and way before TFA public school teachers have been know to inspire students. You don’t grow up inspiring to be a teacher unless you were inspired.
Straying from the scope of the blog topic is because the issues of TFA isn’t cut and dry. There are many variables to the success and failure of children. Poverty is not an excuse to fail but the “conditions” of poverty stagnates ones ability to achieve and succeed.
“Several years ago, Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM, found that the the most popular major for college students in the bottom 20% of their class was an education major”
Several years ago IBM dominated the PC market and now DELL dominates. So are you suggesting because Joe Biden was in the bottom 5% of his class America is in deep trouble? :).
“Charlie tradtional public school teacher are required to join the union. The system using Red Clay as n example hires wonderful teachers.”
Sorry Teachers aren’t required to join the union. Excuse my GED and pocketful of college credits. My father was a forklift driver a Edgemoor. How could the world survive without uneducated people? 🙂
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Kilroy:
“Brevity is the source of wit.” — You are throwing a lot up against the wall just to see what sticks. So, I will once again go to the salient point:
“A 2008 Urban Institute study found that “On average, high school students taught by TFA corps members performed significantly better on state-required end-of-course exams, especially in math and science, than peers taught by far more experienced instructors. The TFA teachers’ effect on student achievement in core classroom subjects was nearly three times the effect of teachers with three or more years of experience.” A new study from the University of North Carolina found that middle school math students taught by TFA teachers received the equivalent of an extra half-year of learning.”
TFA works. Period.
That doesn’t mean that we don’t have some great teachers in Delaware. We do. I’ve met dozens. Also, I don’t know where you come up with your comments on teacher pay. Shoot, if we trimmed the bureaucracy, teachers would make 15-25% more. Are great teachers should make more money.
Charlie says: “With the Union hold on teachers, it is no wonder that school districts stayed out of determining the districts needs for teachers.”
And: “If the legislature and Governor had the political will to open up the District hiring process to anyone (not just Union-mandated, acceptable candidates), the funding is there.”
I am confused as to how the teacher union governs or even influences who is and who isn’t hired in our local schools? I have just served as a local union president for three years and I never felt that I had any say in who was or was not hired in Red Clay.
In my experience, district hiring needs and expectations are bound by student enrollment projections from the DeDOE–aka unit count. Until districts find out differently with the much anticipated (and dreaded) September 30th count, hiring is pretty much based on these DOE numbers.
Who they hire depends on who has submitted applications. I would imagine that districts get applications from people who want to teach and who come with the background to meet STATE-determined certification and licensing requirements.
Additionally, the State has had an “alternative routes to teaching” program for years. I have no idea how many people have taken advantage of this way to join the teaching profession.
Hospitals and medical practices want qualified, certified, experienced candidates to choose from. Law firms require trained, certified, and qualified lawyers with some legal experience as applicants. My chosen profession is no different. However, with the advent of TFA, we are faulted for desiring the same.
But the Union does have a major influence on hiring…
1) The requirements of education/certifications/etc are set by legislation. Legislation drafted with heavy input from the Union’s full-time, ever-present lobbyists. In addition, 90+% of new teachers join the union. Therefore, students in college know that a teaching job will be a union job. People that don’t want to be in a union self-de-select from the teaching profession (And the TFA founder speaks to this point in her interview). The legislative requirements further influence who applies for the job.
2) Almost no teacher is fired for poor performance. The union’s job is to protect these teachers through a burdensome grievance process. Therefore, the union controls how many new teaching spots open up.
So, the union has significant control over the in-bound training requirements of new teachers; the union controls the number of job openings for new teachers; and the union controls who remains a teacher. I’d say that that is “influence” on personnel.
As to your accurate comment on hospitals, medical practices and law firms, you make my point for me, which I appreciate. Hospitals, medical practices, and law firms don’t require a union to define their in-bound needs or their firing needs. Evidently, public education is different for some reason.