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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > August > 17 > Entry
Editorial: Ohio should bring Teach for America here
Ohio could be bringing dozens of the smartest college graduates into its most needy schools, but it has taken a pass.
That should change.
Teach for America, which trains top graduating seniors and places them in high-poverty classrooms for two years of Peace Corps-like service, continues to expand. This fall it will be serving six new regions and adding 1,000 teachers to the 6,200 it placed nationwide last year.
But none will be coming to the Buckeye State.
Some say that Ohio doesn’t need programs like Teach for America because the state has more than two dozen colleges with teacher training programs and actually exports new teachers to other states. Moreover, the number of new teachers who are turned out annually in the state surpasses the open teaching jobs, and this is true even when the economy isn’t in the tank.
Still, these facts aren’t acceptable excuses to pass on attracting a nationally respected program here. Many of the grads who go through Teach for America are on their way to successful careers, sometimes in education, sometimes not. Bringing them here gives Ohio a shot at benefiting from their ingenuity and energy, both while they’re teaching and maybe after their commitments are complete.
Consider a couple of examples:
• Mark Feinberg and David Levin founded the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) and started their first successful charter school in Houston just after finishing their stints there with Teach for America. KIPP, which has a school in Columbus, is now considered one of the most promising school-reform models and charter school networks in the country.
• Ohio-reared Michelle Rhee is another Teach for America grad. She taught in Baltimore’s city schools and founded the New Teacher Project, another Teach for America-style post-graduate program. Now she’s the widely admired superintendent in Washington, D.C.
Their successors can bring fresh approaches to classrooms here. And who knows — this might be the place where the next generation of new ideas bears fruit.
To get Teach for America here, Ohio needs:
• Changes to its teacher certification rules.
Generally, Teach for America’s teachers majored in something other than education. Ohio needs a process that either speeds program participants through to a quick or temporary certificate or creates an exemption for them.
• Collaboration among school districts.
Teach for America generally requires a commitment to take 100 teachers. That is too many, for instance, for Dayton schools. But districts could make the commitment in partnership. Dayton could participate, say, with Cincinnati and other nearby needy districts.
• Buy-in from unions.
Where unions view Teach for America grads as a threat, their road can be bumpy. But generally the program puts its participants in the highest poverty, lowest achieving schools, which veteran teachers often try to avoid anyway.
• Funding.
To recruit, train and support 100 Teach for America teachers costs about $5 million to $6 million, the organization says. Usually about 70 percent of that cost is raised by the state, school districts and philanthropies where they’re placed. Even in an era of tight budgets, those figures aren’t insurmountable.
This year Teach for America had 35,000 applicants, including 11 percent of all graduating seniors from Ivy League colleges. The program hopes to add three to five more sites per year.
Ohio should be jumping to be on the list.
Permalink | Comments (16) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Education, Scott Elliott
Comments
By Jan
August 17, 2009 5:25 AM | Link to this
In the current economic times, suggesting that we pay millions for a new program to bring new unqualified teachers here, when we have a glut of state qualified teachers is just wasteful spending.By Susan
August 17, 2009 7:30 AM | Link to this
Teach for America is funded largely by by private contributions from corporations and other organizations. The idea that a college graduate is considered an unqualified teacher should make us ask “Exactly what does a college degree qualify one to do- wash cars?” What is becoming more and more evident is that a talented teacher is one who possesses excellent verbal and listening skills, as well as an affinity for their students(see the study done by the Abell Foundation on this topic). Some characteristics that make a good teacher can’t be taught, and our kids are being cheated of a good education because the schools are full of unqualified teachers who happen to have a teaching degree. We need to dip into the vast pool of talent and energy available, not only amongst recent college graduates, but in our retirees. Talk about a wealth of wisdom, experience, and talent that remains untapped…By JP
August 17, 2009 12:03 PM | Link to this
Teach for America does not need to come to Ohio. Ohio needs to fund it schools better to keep the many excellent teachers it trains in it’s colleges. Ohio best export is highly trained teachers. Obtaining an Ohio teachers license is neither a small nor inexpensive task. Getting a job in an Ohio schools is even harder due to the funding situation of Ohio schools. Teach for America, while helpful states that despirately need teachers (the south, southwest), is disingenuous to the many teachers who went to school for education in Ohio and are out of work in the state they hold their license. I also think many TFA workers are looking to boost their Law/Grad school applications with service, and are not in it to become professional educators. Many have a positive impact, but I’m interested in the rention of educators from TFA.By Joe Lacey
August 17, 2009 2:04 PM | Link to this
“…the program puts its participants in the highest poverty, lowest achieving schools, which veteran teachers often try to avoid anyway.” The Education Trust studied this phenomenon in Ohio in its paper, No Accounting for Fairness, released December, 2008. That study indicates that Dayton’s poorer schools are pretty close to Dayton’s not so poor schools in levels of teacher experience. The discrepancy is pretty wide in some districts but not so much in Dayton.By Joe Lacey
August 17, 2009 2:06 PM | Link to this
“…the program puts its participants in the highest poverty, lowest achieving schools, which veteran teachers often try to avoid anyway.” The Education Trust studied this phenomenon in Ohio in its paper, No Accounting for Fairness, released December, 2008. That study indicates that Dayton’s poorer schools are pretty close to Dayton’s not so poor schools in levels of teacher experience. The discrepancy is pretty wide in some districts but not so much in Dayton.By JP
August 17, 2009 3:06 PM | Link to this
I agree, Joe. Putting in unexperienced TFA candidates in classrooms will not necissarily produce results. I think TFA is more for it’s own interests than these schools. It takes several years to develop good teaching strategies. Throwing someone in a class for two years is not the right approach. My teacher education classes definately helped, but not as much as quality praxis and real-world experience. If I could only find a stable teaching position in the region. TFA definately has its good qualities, but certainly puts more highly trained and experienced teachers out of work. Since when does an Ivy league degree autimatically qualify someone for a job over a better candidate? Thanks for the Education Trust article. Interesting stuff.By Casey
August 17, 2009 7:27 PM | Link to this
I am a 2007 Miami-Dade corps member with Teach For America. I graduated from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and then served my two years in the TFA corps in North Miami, FL. Currently, I am helping to open KIPP: Journey Academy in Columbus, Ohio…the FIRST KIPP school in the state. Teach For America does not have purposes that rest outside of what America’s purposes SHOULD BE: to ensure that EVERY child, regardless of their socio-economic background, has access to world class education. Not only do we serve students who many believe CANNOT learn, we find ways of teaching that address the many learning types of American children. Furthermore, Teach For America teachers go through rigorous training throughout their two year commitment, and many stay in teaching, while others go on to sectors having a solid understanding of the policies that need to be in place in the United States to fix our education system. In addition, TFA surely does not put “highly trained” teachers out of work - and for the record, “highly trained” is a laughable accolade in many places and does NOT reflect someone’s dedication, passion for, and ability to work relentlessly for results. Many TFA teachers who HAVE gone through traditional education programs argue that TFA’s training is much more comprehensive, state of the art, and effective than even colleges and universities provide. In fact, data shows that overall, Teach For America teachers are two to three times more effective in their FIRST YEAR of teaching than teachers with three to five years of experience. We work hard. We believe in what education SHOULD be. We don’t take NO for an answer, and we believe that EVERY child should learn. Anyone who does the research will produce results that show that Ohio has many of the lowest performing schools in the nation (specifically in Cleveland and Columbus). Regardless of the region, excellent teachers are needed everywhere. TFA has simply done what no one else has: made teaching a competitive, rigorous, professional career - not a “fall back” plan. And, while there are so many wonderful teachers working for their students’ greater good, one would be a fool to deny that many tenured teachers, administrations, and entire school districts are corrupt, lazy, and downright apathetic. This MUST change, and we are making that happen. Teach For America alumni, Dave Levin and Mike Feinburg, started KIPP after their TFA commitment was over; since then, 82 KIPP schools have been formed, each outperforming EVERY SINGLE other school in its district. Look at the data, it speaks for itself. The opening of our KIPP school in Columbus is the start to education reform in Ohio. We have a powerful board of directors who are determined to light the fire under KIPP and let us lead the way to equal education with not just highly qualified teachers - but the BEST teachers. The majority of us are TFA alum, including our principal. We are working relentlessly to bring TFA to Ohio, where it is desperately needed, and to extend the TFA network into KIPP schools throughout the state. TFA and KIPP are doing the work that needs to be done for the future of the nation. Every child should have the option of college. Every child should be given the proper tools they need to learn. Every administrator and union representative should be respectfully challenged and held accountable to delivering what their students and teachers need. Every teacher should be pushed to continue their learning and make their instruction rigorous and creative. Every school should be a place of INSPIRATION. And TFA? Well…that’s just what we do.By JP
August 17, 2009 9:06 PM | Link to this
Casey, I’m not saying you haven’t worked hard or made a significant impact. And I’m not questioning your training or commitment to education. In a cash strapped State and City, I’m questioning the logic hiring unproven teachers. A license and degree proves the recipient has earned the spot. My basic premise is that TFA undermines the professionalism of the educator. If it is so important to become an educator, why not go to college and get a teaching degree? Some questions: “In fact, data shows that overall, Teach For America teachers are two to three times more effective in their FIRST YEAR of teaching than teachers with three to five years of experience. ” < Can you provide me with this data, or the study it comes from. I’d like to read it. “and for the record, “highly trained” is a laughable accolade in many places and does NOT reflect someone’s dedication, passion for, and ability to work relentlessly for results.” I think the term you’re referring to is “Highly Qualified”, I don’t agree with that term either. “Regardless of the region, excellent teachers are needed everywhere. ” I agree completely. There are many excellent teachers in our region, just not the funding to hire them all. Want to fix eduction? Hire more teachers to reduce class size. Pay them more for their high levels of education and high cost of licensure/education. Offer more extensive loan forgiveness for entering civil service. “We work hard. We believe in what education SHOULD be. We don’t take NO for an answer, and we believe that EVERY child should learn.” Licensed teachers believe the same thing. By stating this, you presuppose that a teacher who went through a Teacher Education program does not? “TFA has simply done what no one else has: made teaching a competitive, rigorous, professional career - not a “fall back” plan. ” If you think educators are not competitive and this is their ” ‘fall back’ plan”, you’re mistaken. I agree that the education needs serious work and improvement. TFA isn’t a bad system and produces results, no doubt. But I’d like to see more TFA teachers stay in education until retirement. Do you have data on TFA retention rates? How many like you have stayed in education after TFA? “…one would be a fool to deny that many tenured teachers, administrations, and entire school districts are corrupt, lazy, and downright apathetic.” Agreed, but not ALL teachers are corrupt, lazy, etc… but is TFA a good fix? Or just a red herring to draw attention away from larger, systemic problems. I think TFA is like putting a band aid on a broken leg. Address the underlying issues like class sizes, teacher retention, cost of education, and parental involvement. Also, how much state/tax money do KIPP schools profit from an expanded TFA program in Ohio? I’m not much of a charter school fan either. Again, I’m not saying that your individual experience was false, or that you did not make a difference in your TFA placement. Our goal is always to educate and make a difference in our students lives, no matter the education or background.By JP
August 17, 2009 9:10 PM | Link to this
This comment board doesn’t handle spacing or formatting very well. I’ll try and email you. I’m not comfortable with posting my personal email on a public forum. This is a healthy discussion.By Danielle
August 17, 2009 9:30 PM | Link to this
I am graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Secondary Language Arts education and currently living and teaching in Houston, TX because of TFA. My education with UC was excellent, but TFA’s training and model of CONTINUAL support is better. I completely agree with Casey. Why should Ohio continue trying the same things with its inner city schools when it has proven to not work. Dayton and Cincinnati would do well to accept TFA, especially to help their growing population of English Language Learners that even many college grads in Ohio are not trained to teach. Dayton needs to remember that large companies have left for many reasons including lack of access to fresh, intelligent, driven young graduates in Dayton AND a lack of education reform in Dayton. And for the record, over 70% of TFA teachers in Houston returned to the classroom after their 2 year commitment and this number was significantly higher than the number of traditionally trained teachers that returned after a second year.By Danielle
August 17, 2009 9:40 PM | Link to this
teachforamerica.org/about/research.htm#card This is the research you requested JPBy Kathy
August 17, 2009 10:13 PM | Link to this
Thank you Casey for choosing the future of our neediest children in your decision of what to do after graduation. What really kills me is that those opposed to TFA site the cost. Very little above and beyond the regular teacher salary is paid by the state or district. What is REALLY costly is when we don’t invest in our most important resource - educating our children. Those states with TFA are lucky to have such bright and motivated teachers going into the schools that most education majors avoid.By Kathy
August 17, 2009 10:14 PM | Link to this
Thank you Casey for choosing the future of our neediest children in your decision of what to do after graduation. What really kills me is that those opposed to TFA site the cost. Very little above and beyond the regular teacher salary is paid by the state or district. What is REALLY costly is when we don’t invest in our most important resource - educating our children. Those states with TFA are lucky to have such bright and motivated teachers going into the schools that most education majors avoid.By Ice Bandit
August 18, 2009 2:30 PM | Link to this
Here is an educational program we can try; the three Rs. While educrats have jumped on every fad bandwagon from whole language to self-esteem movements, our kids get dumber in the challenges they face in real life; such as making change for a buck, compose a complete and coherent paragraph or realize Thomas Edison was never president. And what is all this talk about “needy” children? I thought all children were needy insofar as they rely on adults for every aspect of their existance, the educational area being only aspect. There are kids needing guidance in Oakwood as sure as there are in west Dayton, with neither kid being more important than the other. The inconvenient truth is society cannot beat an education into the heads of kids who are not motivated to learn. If your culture denigrates knowledge and there are more students at Third and Main than in the classroom, than bringing in the best of instructors is of little value. Hammer reading ability, writing skills and simple math, as well as positive parental reinforcement (the real, hidden barrier to ed reform) and everything else will take care of itself….By Ice Bandit
August 18, 2009 2:31 PM | Link to this
Here is an educational program we can try; the three Rs. While educrats have jumped on every fad bandwagon from whole language to self-esteem movements, our kids get dumber in the challenges they face in real life; such as making change for a buck, compose a complete and coherent paragraph or realize Thomas Edison was never president. And what is all this talk about “needy” children? I thought all children were needy insofar as they rely on adults for every aspect of their existance, the educational area being only aspect. There are kids needing guidance in Oakwood as sure as there are in west Dayton, with neither kid being more important than the other. The inconvenient truth is society cannot beat an education into the heads of kids who are not motivated to learn. If your culture denigrates knowledge and there are more students at Third and Main than in the classroom, than bringing in the best of instructors is of little value. Hammer reading ability, writing skills and simple math, as well as positive parental reinforcement (the real, hidden barrier to ed reform) and everything else will take care of itself….By patty
August 25, 2009 12:06 AM | Link to this
After reading a book about Teach for America I was thrilled with the program. I had a child in a public school in an area with an “Excellent” rating, but he got to 8th grade without being able to write a decent sentence. His school district created a situation of lopsided classrooms where the best teachers had the majority of the best students and to heck with the rest. I can’t believe the school district let it happen and the only way is to make the Proficiency test scores public per teacher classroom, not just generally by the entire grade or school. Yea Teach for America!! Shake up the current system which is shameful.