Julian Vasquez Heilig has probably fine more research on Trach for Amertica than any other scholar. In this post, he describes the growing backlash against TFA, much of it emanating from TFA alums who became discouraged when they realized that their five weeks of training were inadequate preparation for the rigors of teaching.
University of Southern California Debate may provide more than the one sided view points
USC ED MONTH KICKOFF
Teach For America Debate
January 15th, 2015
30 days to go.
Any links to tell us who the debaters and the moderator(s) will be? Who the sponsors are?
Sorry, that is all I have at this moment. I will try to to find out from USC if I can. It will be worth watching.
More about USC EdMonth
“EdMonth at USC is the first national student-led movement and discussion about the state of education in our country. Downtown Los Angeles and the USC campus will serve as the backdrop for educators, parents, policy makers, business leaders, elected officials, engaged citizens and students to engage in a national, collegiate student-driven discussion on the issue of improving education in our country.”
TFA does not do real debates. On two occasions I sat on panels with TFA reps and both times TFA refused to participate unless the panel was stacked in TFA’s favor. They wanted 4 pro-TFA people to 2 critical of TFA presenters in one case and 5:1 in the other. The organization is not interested in discussing real critiques, they just want to PR/spin the issues away. TFA has a bad bad history of abusing power and media access to have nothing but a one-sided, infomercial-type presence. The Al-Jeezera piece was a breath of fresh air.
Sorry to burst your bubble.
The University of Southern California (USC) debate is about TFA and not by TFA and is an integral part of the national student-led movement and discussion about the state of education in our country. Please note the key words “student Driven.”
When you say “more than one sided view”, I assume you mean there will be pro-TFA people there. I caution anyone trying to set up debates with this organization that TFA will not play fair, but will try to manipulate the situation.
TFA is interested in maintaining its power and image while continuing to push its neoliberal agenda destroying education. The truth will not come from TFA. http://atthechalkface.com/2014/02/21/why-teach-for-america-cannot-change/
Thanks for the information, Michelle.
Michelle, being Raj. The newly appointed troll.
Don’t expect TFAers to engage in a rational, reasonable debate. It’s like having right-wing xenophobic activists making hate speech on ethnic/cultural minorities(including foreigners) or ultra-nationalist politicians at the table for sake of televised debate. Any opinions that doesn’t concur with their positions fall on their deaf ear.
opinions/opinion; sake/the sake; ear/ears
5 weeks does sound inadequate, but the surprising thing (always unacknowledged here) is that there is zero evidence that 4 years of education school is any better. At most, a few scholars have claimed that there is a barely perceptible difference, on the level of saying that traditional teachers are a fraction of one percent better.
Horse Manure!!
Oh look, there’s a talking orbit.
Actually, any schooling past kindergarten is redundant.
Robert Fulghum wrote a book about this important (and far too often overlooked) fact: “All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten”
Raj, WT, Changemaker? The same?
4 respondents, not one with an intelligible thought.
All of your responses were reflected directly from your initial posting that is based on unscientific, groundless, fallacious attribute. What were you expecting?
Silicon Valley’s Ron Johnson failed as CEO at Penney’s. If the company’s TFA contributions reflect Johnson’s legacy of contempt (IMO), for Penney’s customers, the Board should rethink the donations.
Could there be a worse match-up between a “philanthropy” and a business, than one that undercuts the pay and job security of the demographic, that shops at the store? Penney’s may just as well load up their customers and deliver them to Walmart.
For a company that is trying to bounce back from the ropes, thumbing their noises at teacher pension investors, seems unwise.
If the problem is hedge fund operators making decisions, on the Board, what can one expect? The abysmal record of hedge fund performance is documented in Peter Mallouk’s book.
Decision-makers, in the business world, are looking, none too bright.
How does one debate Stepford Teachers (who aren’t even teachers)?