I’m not exactly unbiased on the topic — my wife spent two years teaching middle school in the Bronx through the program — but I do find articles like this one from Campus Progress surprising. (Jane previously noted a less-than-friendly NYT news piece about TFA. Campus Progress itself posted a response from a TFA alum here.)
This excerpt nicely encapsulates the problems with the anti-TFA case:
Increasingly, however, critics say, the program’s good intentions are overpowered by its problems. According to some TFA alums, the organization often seems less like a “shining example” and more like a way for school districts to replace experienced, more expensive teachers with people who will work for far less, most of whom end up leaving after their two-year commitment is up. Some, like Baideme, don’t even make it through their first year.
According to a 2008 study from the Harvard Graduate School of Education looking at TFA retention rates, only 43 percent of corps members remained at their schools beyond the commitment. Critics also argue that TFA’s breakneck training course leaves TFA teachers — or “corps members,” as they’re called — with insufficient classroom experience, before throwing them headfirst into some of the most disadvantaged school districts in the country. And a brand-new study cast[s] doubt on the effectiveness of TFA in promoting civic engagement among its participants — it found that TFA grads score lower in areas such as voting, civic activism, and donations to charities than individuals who dropped out or were accepted to the program but declined.
Jane already pointed out the absurdities in the second study discussed in the second graf; 63 percent of TFA alums remain in education, and 31 percent continue teaching, and that’s a very good record of encouraging involvement in the field. Also, it’s little surprise that two years of teaching burns some people out relative to those who drop out or never try. There’s a tradeoff involved: Would you rather they had more “civic engagement” later in life, but left inner-city schools to languish? Given the hell these teachers go through, I doubt you can have both.
I’d like to concentrate on three problems with the first paragraph. It’s a somewhat long post, so click through if you’re interested.
The first problem is not quite stated, but it is implied: Teachers who work for only two years are inferior to those who stay longer, due to inexperience. In fact, studies have shown that TFA teachers are about as effective as other teachers.
Second: TFA teachers “replace” other teachers. Probably not. There’s a nationwide teacher shortage — and an acute teacher shortage in New York, where the program is very active — so TFA members probably lessen the burden on fellow teachers more often than they replace them.
Third: It’s problematic that some TFA members don’t make it through their first year. Okay, but: “TFA points out that the dropout rate for its teachers is slightly lower than for all other starting teachers, and notably lower than the estimated average for new teachers in low-income schools.” Also, “In NYC, the two-year attrition rate for teachers is 25%, with 18% of teachers [in general, not just TFA] leaving in the first year — while the national rate is only ten percent.” Teaching in a low-income neighborhood doesn’t happen the way it’s depicted in Nice White Lady movies. It’s hard work, and some people who think they can do it will fail. TFA should do the best job it can screening applicants, but it’s pretty exclusive as it is, and I doubt its retention rate can ever reach 100 percent.
Also, I don’t know first-hand, but this comment (from a teacher who left the program after becoming the victim of a ridiculous lawsuit) irked my wife:
Looking back, Kaplowitz says he generally agrees with TFA’s mission and philosophy, but believes there are many problems with its execution. “I think my case is a good example of some of the flaws in the program,” he says, “the frequent lack of support or empathy for teachers who really struggle, a lack of candor in their recruiting process and a philosophy that can sometimes be dogmatic and inflexible.”
The lack-of-empathy part can be true, my better half says: TFA program directors encourage members to problem-solve, and they have a limited tolerance for complaining. But she adds that TFA is quite frank that the program is likely to be the hardest thing you’ll ever do in your life.