The Seattle School Board voted 6:1 to approve a contract with Teach for America tonight—despite vehement opposition from the teachers union—allowing its recruits to apply for teaching jobs in the Seattle Public Schools next year.
Teach for America is a national teacher recruiting and training program which places fresh college graduates in rural and urban high-poverty schools for two years after five weeks of summer training. The Seattle Teacher’s Union has opposed the idea of bringing in TFA recruits from the very beginning, contending that they are less-qualified and unnecessary at a time when so many experienced, qualified teachers are out of a job in Seattle. But TFA supporters say the program helps to put the country’s “best and brightest” into some of its most low-performing, high-poverty schools, expanding the diversity of the teacher applicant pool.
Seattle’s contract with TFA makes it the organization’s 40th site in the United States.
Board Director Betty Patu was the only dissenting vote. The meeting drew 47 speakers—a record number—but only about 20 of them actually got a chance to speak. Members of the teachers union and parents vociferously opposed the program, arguing that TFA members were not adequately prepared to handle the complex demands of a classroom environment.
They cited studies, statistics, and personal anecdotes, but were unable to sway board members who remained convinced that Teach for America would bring diversity to the Seattle schools and help solve the achievement gap.
What was surprising was that nobody except TFA alums spoke in favor of the program—in fact, El Centra De La Raza, one of the community groups TFA had met with—spoke out against them, questioning the diversity of their members.
“I am sorry, but it is hard for me to sit here and tell my teachers ‘TFA is the best and the brightest,'” said Betty Patu, as the audience clapped and cheered. “I want to ask my colleagues, what is our commitment to our teachers?”
“I have no illusions—TFA won’t solve the achievement gap” said Director Harium Martin-Morris (or world poverty, hunger, and AIDS), “but even if one classroom is changed, that makes a difference for those kids which will last a lifetime.” The most interesting piece of data came from school board director Kay Smith-Blum, who shared the results of a survey she had conducted on what principals at 30 low-performing Seattle schools thought of TFA (principals make the final decision when it comes to hiring teachers at their school). Turns out, 68 percent said they already had over a 100 highly qualified applicants for teaching positions at their schools. However, 49 percent were open to having TFA members as an option. Forty-eight percent said thanks, but no thanks.
More TFA after the jump
Perhaps the only saving grace for the district is that unlike Federal Way—which has reserved 10 spots for TFA—SPS is not obligated to interview or hire Teach for America members. TFA recruits will have to compete with other teachers in the district to get hired. TFA will, however, receive a $4,000 “headhunting” fee from the district for each recruit hired, which will come from private donors.
“Each teacher will, however, receive a $4,000 “headhunting” fee from the district, which will come from private donors.”
Each teacher? Or TFA?
opposition smacks of nimbyistic protectionism to me. and, “diversity complainers,” diversity comes from AR and KY and OK, too.
I don’t think it’s accurate that the $4000 fee goes to the TFA teachers–TFA takes it to cover their training costs.
I’m not sure what the problem is. Let the TFA folks try their contribution for a while, see how it goes. Innovation can’t happen unless you give the district some room to be creative. It’s not like teacher education programs are the gold standards of higher education. (I mean, seriously, have you taken a teacher education class at UW? We may actually be helping more than we think by bypassing typical teacher education programs…)
Unions are generally a solid contrarian indicator on any given issue, so TFA must be a good thing.
“SPS is not obligated to interview or hire Teach for America members. ” C’mon kids, if you think the district signed a contract with TFA and isn’t going to hire them…? The contract has a number of TFAers (between 20-25) AND they have to be hired in pairs (I guess so they have someone to sit with in the lunchroom).
5 weeks of training to be a teacher. You want that for your kid or that’s what you look for in a doctor, pilot or mechanic. You have lower standards than I do.
Also, this was initially stated as a way to close the achievement gap and magically it’s now about “expanding the pool” – as far as numbers of fully-qualified teachers, we have an Olympic-sized swimming pool. One principal told Kay Smith-Blum he got over 100 highly-qualified applications for one teaching spot. There were 400 for one spot in West Seattle. And we need to bring in out-of-state exports?
Diversity? TFAs newest recruits have 32% people of color BUT that doesn’t mean that’s who will apply in Seattle. That’s the entire national pool.
That this only came to public awareness through the Save Seattle Schools blog, other blogs and other activists should worry people. There was no real public engagement other than with groups with money. (That was stated as a reason to bring TFA here in a memo from the Chief Academic Officer to the superintendent – that community groups with funding wanted them here.)
You’re not reading about this because our district let you know – you’re reading because of activists and journalists. That should worry you because next time it could be something you care deeply about but the district keeps it on the downlow.
The union is a red-herring whipping boy on this. The real problem is the board. Given the mania for data-driven decision making, this choice seems particularly muddled. There’s just no proof that TFA works, even in communities where there is a teacher shortage.
I was appalled to hear the idea “if this makes a difference in even one classroom, it’s worth it.” Sounds good, but what this really means is the board has no idea how to close the achievement gap. Their approach is just throw this against the wall and see if it sticks. They’re looking for the mythical silver bullet that will solve a complex systemic, cultural, and social problem. It doesn’t exist, and it’s not going to work.
It is unjust and unfair to give teaching jobs to people who never had to further their educations to get teaching certificates when others must go to teaching colleges, and work to get Pro Certs or to pass National Boards. Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.
I think we need to look at the times politically and economically when schools started sinking. We can’t necessarily blame this on teachers. Slapping students not educated by teachers colleges into the mix will only put a very loose band aid on the situation.
We need to analyze the whole educational picture in America and in its’ inner cities before coming up with long term solutions. We need to think about groups such as the prison industrial complex, teacher training groups who make millions every year by introducing new programs while bemoaning teachers, we need to look at the many groups and organization who benefit financially from the miseducation of our children if we are to come up with constructive and lasting solutions to our educational mess.
We need to all make a commitment to our children as they are the fastest group falling into poverty today. We need to think about the hours parents spend working and how little they are making as compared to parents 30 years ago. We need to think about the rise in single parent households, the rise in unemployment, the cuts to social agencies designed to help families. Only when we look at the whole picture of things affecting our children and their ability to succeed can we make a real difference.
What about supporting teachers. What about teach for America working alongside teachers as teachers assistants-with no intention of taking their jobs. What about upholding the idea of fairness. Good begets good, inequity begets inequity. Let’s fight the good, fair fight.
What about building safe havens for children, for homeless parents, for after school programs. What about after school programs that are part library, part gym, part living room environments with staff to watch kids and make sure the do their homework? What about making the children do their work? Let’s look at the whole picture.