There
has been much discussion and debate about how Teach for America undermines our
public schools by encouraging the deprofessionalization of the teaching force, and
“perpetuates
systemic inequalities” especially
in urban schools. In many districts, TFA has used its political clout to get
its recruits hired, as in Chicago, while thousands
of experienced teachers are being laid off.
Gary Rubinstein, a
former TFA corps member, has been a fierce critic of the inadequate training that
the organization provides. Edushyster
recently wrote that the TFA has become a primarily a “placement agency” to staff charter
schools rather than public schools – and in the process is fueling the
privatization movement.
All the
above is true; but in my mind, the most shocking aspect of the organization is how
in many districts, including NYC, raw TFA recruits are assigned to special
education classrooms almost exclusively --because this is the biggest shortage
area. See the recent Independent Budget Office report on p. 24 – showing that 80 percent of TFA recruits in NYC public schools in
2010-11 were working as special education teachers; and 68 percent of Teaching
Fellows (a similar program for mid-career recruits, run by TNTP).
That to
me is the biggest scandal. Instead of
doing something to stanch the outflow of special education teachers assigned to
those children who clearly need teachers with the MOST training and experience,
TFA and TNTP fill in the gap, year after
year, with the least-trained recruits, who only stay one or two years and
perpetuate the problem.
For all
the endless rhetoric about teacher quality that issues from TNTP, about the
need for more rigorous teacher evaluation and getting rid of sub-par teachers, they
along with TFA are actively participating and benefiting from a system in which
children with disabilities -- who require the most specialized instruction -- are
relegated to the poorest-trained teachers. The same phenomenon has been
noted in Philadelphia – in which about 20
percent of the TFA recruits were assigned to special education classrooms
in 2010:
Conventionally
certified special education teachers in Pennsylvania must complete a
comprehensive course of study combining a degree program at an accredited
university and field experience in a special-education classroom.
For
Joseph Ciesielski, a fully certified, third-year special education teacher at
Olney Elementary, his studies helped him understand the laws governing special
education as well as specific skills like writing an Individualized Education
Plan (IEP). Ciesielski went through five years of schooling, 190 hours of
classroom observation, and 12 weeks of student teaching.
He
said he regrets that his training at St. Joseph’s University didn’t include
“more outreach from the District and a mindset of ‘Let’s make it easier for you
to come work here.’” Absent that push, many of his classmates headed for jobs
in the suburbs, he explained. But he
said that his coursework on disabilities and how they affect each child’s
learning is “very valuable” and “sometimes undervalued.”
TFA
corps member Julia Cadwallender, now a second-year special education teacher at
Spring Garden Elementary, had her advance training crammed into one summer.
Milwaukee
also relies heavily on “alternatively certified” or “emergency-credential
programs” like TFA and
TNTP teachers to staff special education classes, and about one
fourth of all its special-education teachers
held emergency licenses in 2009.
“…experts
and advocates argue that a few weeks of preparation over the summer — and even
less time for teachers who start training in the winter — isn’t enough to help
individuals, regardless of their passion and motivation, deal with the often
profound needs of special-education students.”
According to the Hechinger Report, about 12.5
percent of the TFA corps worked as special-education teachers in 2009. I would suspect that the figure is even
higher now. How can the organization
justify this?
