Teach for America (TFA) is a non-profit organization, self-described as looking for “leaders who commit to expanding opportunity for low-income students… [while] fighting for the aspirations of children and their families.” Upon critical reflection of TFA and its policies, such words barely cover the elitist reality of a corrupt organization that destabilizes public schools in low-income areas.
TFA recruits college graduates, appealing to their idealism and sense of frustration at injustice. At the most basic level, TFA’s five week training program does not adequately prepare these prospective ‘teachers’ to handle the challenges of a classroom. One former TFA member described her training experience as working with “nine well-behaved third-graders… with three other corps members, which created a generous teacher-student ratio [and] ample time for one-on-one instruction,” leaving her grossly unprepared to manage a difficult classroom. Most states require years of study on educational theory, student psychology and student teaching from their public school teachers, so TFA’s recruits’ poor training stands out as exceptionally illogical in challenging, low-income schools where training and experience is most needed. How can barely trained TFA members be expected to teach adequately, much less “expand opportunity for low-income students?”
However, TFA goes beyond ruining one or two critical years of children’s education. Corps members only need to commit to two years of teaching, creating instability in schools that are already plagued by it.
When something is so clearly contradictory as TFA’s values and outcomes, I like to give benefit of doubt by looking at intention and adherence to it. TFA was founded by Princeton University senior Wendy Kopp, who created the organization to remedy teacher shortage issues plaguing the nation. This intention has been dramatically lost, instead contributing to the unemployment of qualified teachers across the country. Journalist James Cersonsky talks about how “Chicago, for example, is closing 48 schools and laying off 850 teachers and staff while welcoming 350 corps members.” TFA fails in this regard as well.
Despite the many, many harms already perpetuated by the TFA, it, most alarmingly, seems to reflect an ongoing effort to privatize public schools. A 2019 expose by ProPublica revealed how the Walton foundation, TFA’s largest private funder, provided a two-year $20M grant in 2013 which stipulated that it would pay $4,000 for every teacher placed in public schools and $6,000 for every teacher placed in charter schools. Charter schools are publicly funded and privately run, and billionaires’ interest in them represents an attempt to shift the public education system to private, for-profit charter schools. The proportion of TFA corps members sent to charter schools has increased correspondingly because while “only 7% of students go to charter schools, Teach For America sent almost 40% of its 6,736 teachers to them in 2018 — up from 34% in 2015 and 13% in 2008.”
The growing school choice movement, which supports allowing parents to choose which schools are best for their children, is perfectly reasonable, but when one of the school options are charter schools that are strategically manipulated by billionaires, there is an issue. School reform should come from policy by those with education and experience rather than million-dollar money dumps into unproductive non-profits. Thus, not only does TFA have a history of destabilizing traditional public schools, but it has a growing tendency to support charter schools and offer an avenue for billionaires to manipulate a public entity.
While the long-term consequences of such corruption have not yet played out, it cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. Reform of the public school system is undeniably necessary, but by publicly accountable professionals rather than the whims of nonprofits and billionaires. The upcoming election provides a chance for the enforcement of such reforms through proper channels: Biden’s education proposal “urges federal investment in low-income schools, supports universal pre-kindergarten and higher teacher pay, and… opposes for-profit charter schools.” His plan offers a first step in the necessary revitalization and reformation of the public education system.
Additionally, to seniors interested in changing the world: there are ways to do so that are not through corrupt organizations like TFA. Do not let your passion and potential be wasted.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual writers in the opinion section do not reflect the views and opinions of The Daily Campus or other staff members. Only articles labeled “Editorial” are the official opinions of The Daily Campus.
I was accepted as a TFA member in 2012. I left before the start of the school year. I 100% agree that there are serious problems with TFA, but this article uses such a small sample size it renders the criticisms near meaningless. For example, the article says that in one instance, there were four teachers in a classroom with only nine students. When I did my training, I and everyone else was solely responsible for a classroom of 25 students. That person’s experience may not be representative of the reality. For that matter, my experience may not be representative of the reality. Point being, one anecdote doesn’t tell us much about teacher training without statistics to back it up.
Second, it would be nice if “most states require[d] years of study on educational theory, student psychology, and student teaching from their public school teachers,” but that’s simply not the case. In many states, all that’s required is a Bachelor’s degree (in any topic,) passing a teaching certification exam, and a clean background check.
Third, the claim that “Charter schools are publicly funded and privately run, and billionaires’ interest in them represents an attempt to shift the public education system to private, for-profit charter schools” is patently false. Approximately 88% of all charter schools in the US are nonprofit. I also agree that there are problems with the charter school system, but just like with public schools, it differs from school to school.
As I said, there are serious issues with TFA. A White Savior Complex, prioritizing image over impact, teacher turnover, etc–but making broad generalizations and misleading claims doesn’t help anyone.
Very helpful reply. Thank you.
I am still trying to digest my TFA experience in South Louisiana and it has been nine years since I was accepted into the program. I completed two years in the public middle school that hired me and happily stayed one year more, transferring to a charter in East Oakland to be near my ailing parents in Northern California.
While I reflect upon my and fellow SLA corps members with whom I am still in touch experiences, I have not yet found the words to express my personal feelings about TFA. There is a complexity that I have yet to face.
What I know is that my time as a corps member changed me forever. I would still be teaching in the States if my parents were alive but since I spent my forties and early fifties in Italy, I came back here after they died. I miss teaching but I do not miss TFA; I am grateful however, for the friendships I made. Only one of the four women I am in regular contact with continues to teach SPED and while I have ten other friends around the country who are still in the classroom, one left recently to become part of TFA leadership. Two others left before their service was completed.
TFA is a complicated story. The educational system in the US, even more so.
I will agree with the comment above that this kind of article needs to be cited in evidence, well- supported and substantiated in order to be truly helpful. I commented here because as yet, I cannot even face my time as a corps member-that is just how traumatic and confusing, enlightening and trying it was for me-the most difficult thing I have ever done.
I have no regrets.
Why does TFA’s partner organisation ‘Teach For All / A global network’ have no means of contacting the organisation – with the exception of making financial donations? This is of concern as this is a feature more commonly associated with scam websites. If someone from ‘Teach For All / A global network’ reads this could you please add a ‘Contact us’ feature to your website?