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TFA helps develop leaders in education

To the Editor:

I am writing in response to David Kanter's column ("In Teaching, Experience Matters" 9/17/08). Five years ago, I was one of the seniors at Penn who decided to join Teach For America.

In the fall of 2004, I walked into a classroom in Houston, full of third graders reading at a first-grade level.

At the close of my two years, my students, on average, made over two years of academic progress in just one year.

My story reinforces what research has proven. Years of experience do not necessarily lead to increased student achievement. Quality teaching does.

Even though my "two-year stint" was up, my Teach For America experience was far from over. I took a job in education policy reform here at Penn and am currently writing a book that recommends a much needed strategy for attracting, supporting and retaining the best and the brightest in the field of education.

My experience is not unique. Approximately two-thirds of our 14,000 alumni are currently working or studying full-time in education (half as classroom teachers).

This year, some 350 principals and 23 superintendents/district/charter leaders are impacting more than 350,000 students across the country.

One such alumnus, Mike Feinberg (Penn '92), founded what many contend is the most successful charter school network for low-income students in the country, the KIPP academies.

While it's true that the public probably knows that the school system is broken, without first-hand experience, it's hard to know how to fix it.

Maybe this sounds like "PR mumbo-jumbo" to someone who hasn't been through the program, but I suppose that's just where my experience matters.

Claire Robertson-Kraft The author is a 2004 College alumna and assoc. director of Operation Public Education Asking the right questions

To the Editor:

David Kanter recently criticized Teach For America's potential alumni impact by asking "Why does a congressman . need experience as a TFA teacher to know that public education . is broken?"

He answers that "enlightened" leaders recognize the problems and are "crusading for change." Mr. Kanter's solution, which he declares "impractical," is "pay teachers more." Kanter asks the wrong question; everyone knows public education is broken. Here's a better one: Why is classroom experience valuable in fixing the problem? Answer: Without some knowledge of the inherent complexity, oftentimes learned on the ground level, developing an effective solution is difficult.

Anyone who has spent time in a failing school system realizes that simply paying teachers more would do little. What about the administrators responsible for leadership? How would you remove ineffective teachers who now had more reason to stay? What about the proven failure of education schools to effectively prepare teachers? TFA alumni like Michelle Rhee (chancellor of D.C. schools) have been central in impressive education reform efforts throughout the country.

Of course we need better teachers. Anyone could arrive at that conclusion. But, perhaps even more importantly, we need leaders with a real understanding of the problems in the education system, rather than "impractical" answers. Zach Blattner The author is graduate student in the Fels Institute and a 2005 TFA alumnus

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