A reader sent this announcement:
BREAKING news from MINNESOTA
CEHD Dean’s Office
cehddean@umn.edu to CEHD-OFFICIAL
November 7, 2016
Dear CEHD Faculty and Staff Members:
We are reaching out to you today with an important message related to one of our teacher licensure programs in our college.
The University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development’s alternative pathway to teaching program for Teach for America corps members will not be renewing the contract we have with TFA. This means that we will not admit new corps members to a 2017 cohort. Reasons for ending the partnership program include an unsustainable funding model for the program and dwindling numbers of corps members.<br
Corps members currently in the TFA program who are part of the 2015 and 2016 cohorts will continue in their high-quality, University preparation to enable them to be recommended for teacher licensure in May 2017 and 2018, respectively. We appreciate the opportunity we have had to learn from the corps members and this partnership.
This decision will not impact the many other teacher licensure programs and pathways at the University of Minnesota. We are committed to providing multiple pathway programs to teaching. We believe that the best use of our limited resources in moving forward is to focus on innovative curriculum development and ways to prepare teachers in partnership with our K-12 colleagues. As a land-grant research institution, we are committed to working side-by-side with K-12 educators to ensure that teachers are prepared and then supported in their early years of teaching. We will work to prepare teachers who teach in multiple school settings—including rural and high-need schools—so they can meet the needs of Minnesota’s children.
Research indicates that programs such as the Minneapolis Residency Program (MRP), developed with Minneapolis Public Schools to grow their own talent pool of teachers; the Emotional Behavioral Disorder (EBD) Program for special education teaching aides, created with K-12 colleagues across several districts; and the Dual Language and Immersion licensure program for elementary teachers across multiple school districts are the most promising routes to preparing and retaining diverse, high-quality teachers.
If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us (Deborah Dillon at dillon@umn.edu).
Sincerely,
Jean K. Quam, CEHD Dean
Deborah R. Dillon, CEHD Associate Dean
College of Education and Human Development
University of Minnesota
104 Burton Hall
Minneapolis, MN. 55455
612 626-9252
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I wonder what that contract looked like. Why would a state university be engaged in contracting for a specific brand of teacher preparation, especially when the TFA brand and its preferred training paths, are supported by deep pocket foundations? The announcement obscures more than it reveals.
I also wonder about the “partnership” the University has with “the Minneapolis Residency Program (MRP), developed with Minneapolis Public Schools to grow their own talent pool of teachers.”
A typical “grow-your own talent pool” program does not require university faculty. I could not find the course components of the Minneapolis Residency Program. The website for the residency program says explicitly “ The courses are not held on the University of Minnesota campus.”
I suspect that the University has lost its academic independence by signing up for a residency initiative from the Bush Foundation. This Bush (deceased) was a senior executive with Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M). He left $300 million for the foundation.
A 2014 report on this residency program with districts is not very flattering. https://www.bushfoundation.org/learning/bush-papers/teacher-effectiveness-initiative
Residency programs have merit, but the models in use seem to me not distanct from the TFA idea: get a degree in any subject with a decent GPA, pass our admission interview including a stress test for teaching aptitude. We will put you in a school with a mentor teacher, pay you, give you full time teaching duties midyear and enough coursework to get you through a licensing procedure with a master’s degree to boot.
I confess to being skeptical because the Gates Foundation has poured millions into propagating these programs with Relay Graduate School of Education as one of the models. See this recent Gates funded report if you have an interest. http://nctresidencies.org/research/case-study-project-clinically-oriented-teacher-preparation/
Thanks for the report and links!
U of Washington also has a special little TFA program. Here’s hoping it goes away too. It’s been awfully quiet there lately, after much initial fanfare & disgruntled pre-service teachers in the traditional track.
I’m happy about it but…they have not had an awakening of conscience? They are discontinuing it because….”Reasons for ending the partnership program include an unsustainable funding model for the program and dwindling numbers of corps members.” Well, I hope all the funding dries up for TFA, everywhere. I guess the University was happy to go along with it when it was a money maker.
Did the TFA jiffy lube program compete with a real, true, educator program?
Anyhow, bye bye TFA – I will never miss you and hope you meet your demise across the USA.
great T-shirt slogan: Bye Bye TFA
TFA? That’s still around? 🙂