How TFA Is Saving the World

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1. Michael Fiorillo says:

   November 16, 2012 at 7:56 am

   Yes, TFA, making the world safe for edupreneurs, one patronizing, privileged missionary at a time.

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2. mrobsmsu says:

   November 16, 2012 at 7:56 am

   If only we had a system of schools and colleges of education designed to recruit, prepare and nurture a diverse cadre of future teachers in teacher preparation programs, based on the best research and practice, and staffed by scholar-teachers who have experience in the schools and with the tools of inquiry. Then we wouldn’t have to place the future of public education in the hands of neo-liberal political hacks who see public schools as nothing more than an untapped “profit center,” and see no problem with relegating minority students in under-resourced urban schools to a teaching force of well-intentioned but unprepared, naive and poorly prepped novices.

   If only…….

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3. concerned citizen says:

   November 16, 2012 at 8:23 am

   Horrifying.

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4. Susan says:

   November 16, 2012 at 8:55 am

   Ivy League hubris. Data on their effectiveness as muddled and disingenuous as the basis of their program. Kids aren’t failing because of the teachers.

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5. gregory barnes says:

   November 16, 2012 at 11:11 am

   An alternative from Finland, with the best achieving students in the world. A few years ago, the planners got together and proposed recruiting the top high school graduates into majoring in education. What did they promise in return? Good wages and working conditions. Freedom to plan their own curriculum with support from administrators, collaboration with other teachers, no or very few tests, and most of them of their own making. Sounds like “No child left behind,” right?

   Results have been spectacular, even if not 100% perfect.

   It reads exactly like the opposite of what we are doing, emphasizing tests to the point of cheating, teaching the tests addfinitum, using the same tests from the same providers who are getting quite wealthy, emphasizing only a couple of disciplines, relegating history, humanities and arts to a back corner.

   And now they want to pay teachers based on student scores, no matter the demographics. Oh, and in the meantime they’ve re-segregated schools in America’s largest cities.

   A blueprint for success, right?

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   • dianerav says:

     November 16, 2012 at 11:58 am

     There is no Teach for Finland

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     • Duane Swacker says:

       November 16, 2012 at 12:23 pm

       Well one of these days they’ll join the civilized world, eh!

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     • Mark Collins says:

       November 16, 2012 at 12:55 pm

       I’m surprised at Germany and Japan. I’m waiting for some blow back from some of the other countries. The new imperialism. We know what happened the last time out.

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   • Lourdes says:

     November 17, 2012 at 8:00 am

     Just a thought. Can we really compare Finland with America the first being so homogeneous (demographically speaking) and us being so heterogeneous, diverse, so plain … different? Please illustrate me because I must certainly be wrong.

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6. Danny Vargos says:

   November 16, 2012 at 8:14 pm

   This reveals so much ignorance and resistance to change on your part. Why in the world wouldn’t you want ambitious, hard-working, committed young individuals to come into the field? Education has been de-professionalized for too long! Our kids deserve educators who have many options and, because they are principled and desire social justice, opt into teaching. The fact is that the majority of TFA corps members go on to either stay in education beyond 2 years or work toward educational equity through various means (administration, law, politics, medicine, etc.).
   I urge you to move past your self interest or your union’s interest and prioritize the best interest of students.

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   • Michael Fiorillo says:

     November 17, 2012 at 10:59 am

     The short to intermediate-term forecast calls for talking points, heavy at times, interspersed with self-serving cliches. Likelihood of local floods of BS, so keep that in mind as you go to work.

     The data shows that the ever-increasing release of ed reformer hot air is leading to rapid climate change in the schools, resulting in the emergence and increasing dominance of a sub-species that is an insufficiently-studied but insufferable combination of arrogance, deception and opportunism in service of the Overclass.

     Long-term forecast still uncertain…

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7. Lehrer says:

   November 16, 2012 at 9:26 pm

   The cancer is spreading.

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8. manilamesa says:

   November 28, 2012 at 8:16 pm

   Just recently I learned that San Diego Unified is entering an agreement with TFA to hire 25 teachers, with an additional cost to the district to train them while they work for two years. I’m appalled. About 1,100 highly qualified certificated people were laid off this year. People have been excesses and we have a highly qualified pool of teachers working as substitutes. I’ve read the MOU and it says that the intent is to fill hard to staff schools (urban) and deal with hard to fill teaching assignments. This is a slap in the face. I’ve worked for them for over a decade, had to endure a HOUSSE process to prove I was qualified to teach my subject area, and I was laid off once in May. I’ve been rehired but it upsets me that our district has no problem employing under-qualified teachers in training when some of my colleagues are worried about their jobs and these are folks who have dedicated years and years of service. I don’t get it.

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