Mercedes Schneider, a veteran high school teacher in Louisiana with a Ph.D. in research and statistics, was stunned to learn that Teach for America teachers—recent college Gradiates—will begin teaching with no actual teaching experience.
In this time of school closures and social distancing, teacher temp agency, Teach for America (TFA), has decided to “train” its 2020 corps members online.
As former TFAer-gone-career teacher, Gary Rubinstein, writes, pre-COVID, TFA trainees actually teach on average one hour per day over the course of four weeks during the summer, in classrooms which they share with four other TFA trainees.
As such, TFA trainees have no experience teaching even one entire school day in a classroom in which the trainee is responsible for all instruction.
And now, with the social restrictions and classroom complexities introduced by the coronavirus, TFA’s 2020 trainees will have no experience being in charge of a classroom– not even an entire classroom online.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Why do people go into Teach for America? I mean, if you want to become a real teacher, wouldn’t you want to go through a process to do so? What are the perks of being in Teach for America? Is it considered “prestigious” to someone? It seems to me like a lot of stress to go through if you’re not really interested in being a teacher. I’ve seen teachers who have gone through a whole program and then get to student teaching and just walk right out of the school one day because they decide it’s not for them!
Hard to believe, but among the people who are chosen, it’s still considered a mark of prestige–even though so many end up leaving teaching after they complete the program. My daughter-in-law–a Phi Beta Kappa UCLA grad chose TFA over other options, including City Year and admission into a highly ranked ed grad program because she would, after only two years, end up with both a teaching credential (after the first year) and an Master’s in education (after the second year), plus two years of full-time teaching. It was a horribly stressful program, and her teaching experience was in a financially mis-managed charter middle school in which the children were treated in a militaristic, “teach like a champion” fashion. She emerged from the program exhausted and soured on ever becoming a full-time teacher. One thing I’ve gleaned, is that TFA-ers tend to believe that their two years entitles them to an administrative job–curriculum develpment, vice-principal, etc.
the candidates are told that they are ‘exceptional’ and ‘special’ — what college kid wouldn’t want to hear that
And the school districts that accept these novices pay a fee to the coffers of TFA. Charter schools are not the only venues where TFA’s find work.
Houston terminated its contract with TFA when it realized it was paying too much for temporary fill-ins. Communities should realize they are paying a lot for a small amount of service.
A stint in TFA is a gateway to higher-paying careers—just not as teachers.
Within 2-3 years TFAs are part of the ‘Winners Take All’ $100k+ world of administration, policy & business-funded school board and state DoE roles. Student loans and master’s degrees can be paid for.
We—career teachers—are not part of this club. From my perspective, our sole role is taxpayer—because we PAY to perpetuate this foolishness. Between the finder’s fees and ‘innovation/reform’ grants that they get, TFA has positioned itself as THE reform movement. The Neo-con organization is the darling of the business world, which views our work with an anyone-can-do-this dismissiveness. The TFAers provide an in to privatization. When you find a charter chain, educational non-profit, or state DoE, check the leadership teams, rife with TFAers in their late 20s-early 30s. I’ve met some excellent TFA teachers. TFA Itself, however, is part of systemic racism. There. I said it.
When compared to other teacher training programs, TFA has the worst and the highest turnover rate.
Having worked with TFA recruits in the North Bronx, I can say with the confidence of relatively deep experience that even with their “training” the people don’t bring much to the pedagogical table, so to speak.
Many charter school teachers are hired that have not taught a day. If they have have taken 24 college hours in their major, whatever it is, bible study or biology they are considered “highly qualified” in Colorado. No teaching credential required.