Ain’t Gonna Learn What You Don’t Want To Know…

I’ve noted our field’s unhealthy (and unhelpful) hostility to Teach For America rather than a desire to learn from them where possible.  Here’s a refreshing counter-example from North Carolina via a slide deck on teacher prep there. The state is trying to figure out why TFA teachers are high performers relative to other paths and what aspects can be built into policy.

3 Replies to “Ain’t Gonna Learn What You Don’t Want To Know…”

  1. Allowing alternate routes for teacher and administrator certification, including successful programs like Teach for America and New Leaders for New Schools (parallel program for school principals) is an important first step in reshaping policy. We’re working to get a new law passed here in Connecticut that would make the requirements for becoming a principal more flexible: http://www.conncan.org/campaigns/ourracetothetop/principals. We absolutely need to work to both learn from these high-impact programs and allow them to thrive.

  2. Education research being what it is, TFA offers a perfect study for comparing the effects of intelligence versus guild preparation.

  3. I agree that we should learn from TFA, but I don’t think the comparison is quite that simple. TFA teachers also receive a lot of training and support from the organization. This must be taken into account with any research.

    Also, Andrew – could you link to the deck again? It’s not connecting for me.

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