TFA recruits face steep learning curve

Just a few weeks into classes, almost 40 graduates from Penn’s class of 2009 — and over 4,000 nationwide — are being tested in the classroom, equipped with only a five-week boot camp under their belt.

These fledgling teachers are part of the workforce of Teach for America, the non-profit organization responsible for sending bright college graduates into the understaffed, underprivileged public classrooms of low-income and rural America.

But sending bright graduates into classrooms with so little preparation makes TFA the object of criticism. Skeptics points to the comparatively short training time, asking whether high GPAs and ambition are adequate substitutes for graduate-level education courses.

Additionally, many critics question the motivations of the participants themselves: Do applicants truly want to impact education reform, or do they consider the two-year commitment a fast-track resume-boost for bigger opportunities?

Reflecting the sentiment of TFA opponents, the American Federation of Teachers has defamed the program as a “band-aid” that only devalues traditionally-certified educators and limits the earning potential of experienced teachers.

Research on corps member performance in the classroom is largely mixed. While past research out of Arizona State University has depicted TFA teachers as inadequate compared to their certified counterparts, a growing body shows TFA members do just as well — if not better — at motivating and educating their students. One study from the Urban Institute found that corps members produced nearly three times the classroom achievement generated by teachers with three or more years of experience.

Many within the program attribute this quick learning curve to the quality of applicants, many of whom come from Penn and similarly prestigious universities, that they select for the program.

For example, 2008 Penn graduate Jessica Carter found herself assuming the role of Social Studies Chair at her school — just two weeks into the job.

Matt Reamy, past corps member and current recruitment liaison for the program, explained that it is actually common for students to find themselves in similar leadership positions early on, particularly in often undermanned and overlooked extracurricular activities.

Reamy attributed this in part to TFA’s history of honing in on a pattern of requisite student traits that help predict success in the classroom.

This pattern, according to TFA’s website, includes everything from demonstrated leadership and ambition to an appreciation for the program’s core mission of eliminating education inequality.

And it’s a selectivity they capitalize on. Last year alone, TFA received 35,000 applications — only to admit 11 percent into the program.

Once the program acquires students who have shown their ability to challenge themselves and overcome obstacles in the classroom and on campus, explained Reamy, “the program then gives them the tools that helps make them successful.”

These tools range from the five-week summer training institute, often described as a “boot camp,” to ongoing mini-courses, team meetings and a full-time corps mentor program.

Lena McAfee, a 2007 Brown graduate and past corps member now involved in corps recruitment, framed her TFA stint realistically while describing her own experiences to a group of prospective members.

“I don’t want to sugarcoat it,” she said. “It was the hardest — but most meaningful — experience of my life.”

And despite criticism suggesting that corps members are only in it for the short run, some data proves otherwise.

In 2003, the National Commission on Teaching and America’s reported that 91 percent of corps members return for a second year — a much higher retention rate than the 8 percent of teachers in low-income communities and the 86 percent rate overall.

Even after completing the two-year commitment, two-thirds of corps members choose to stay in education — whether in the classroom or in an administrative role.

This reflects TFA’s ultimate aim of sending corps graduates into higher education and areas of public policy, hoping to enact change from the bottom up.

Still, the perceived lack of preparation is a criticism the program continues to face.

As a result, more programs, such as the one run by the Graduate School of Education at Penn, are pairing the TFA classroom experience with more traditional education courses.

At Penn GSE, the two-year Urban Teacher Master’s and Certification Program is designed specifically with the corps member in mind.

Today, all TFA teachers in the School District of Philadelphia area attend the education program as part of the ongoing TFA training.

And it’s a partnership that attempts to address TFA’s shortcomings. “Penn has churned out national leaders,” said Reamy. “These are the people we need in our classrooms.”

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