Teach for America: Moving smart, devoted Christians into public charter schools across the nation

[Karmadillo]

An interesting piece on TFA from Eduflack. This comes from a posting over at Metafilter about a TFA study on what makes for effective teaching. There's a good discussion beginning, if you're interested. It also links to an Onion piece on TFA that's funny in a depressing sort of way. And there are links to a TFAer's difficult first year teaching experience (as first year teaching experiences tend to be): click here and here. ON EDIT: In response to one of the posts below, I edited this to add the last paragraph of the excerpt which I accidentally left out. The headline I selected is, as Eduflack would note, cynical, but I don't think it's all that cynical given the overheard conversation and given what's going on in education right now (cuts to public schools, pushing by the right and the Obama administration for charter schools, and Bush's NCLB apparently good enough to criticize during the election, but good enough to leave alone once the election is over).

http://blog.eduflack.com/2009/10/21/from-the-mouths-of-tfaers.aspx?ref=rss

From the Mouths of TFAers

<edit>

For this flight, I was seated directly in front of a regional manager from Teach for America. As luck would have it, he was a chatter, as was the businessman seated next to him. TFA was asked what he did for living. He stated he worked for an education non-profit called Teach for America. The businessman clearly had never heard of the organization, so he inquired as to whether it was a new group and if it was surviving in the current economy. I think Mr. TFA (who was part of the very first teacher cohort) was surprised that there was someone who had not heard of Teach for America. So he went on to provide a wealth of interesting tidbits and bragging points to demonstrate that Teach for America was not your average bear education not-profit.

Of course, Eduflack's ears perked up, interested to hear how this Teach for America executive (I believe he was a regional manager for sites in a number of states in the south and southwest) would begin describing an organization so well known in education circles to someone so unfamiliar with it. Some of the highlights:

* Teach for America recently embarked on a $142 million fundraising drive, and has already raised more than $149 million
* Teach for America's new strategy is to reach out to more and more charter schools, seeing them as a quicker point to help close the achievement gap. "There are a lot of good charter schools and a lot of bad charter schools," he explained. The key was to find schools that would buy Teach for America whole cloth. And in his eyes, KIPP can do no wrong.
* Teach for America is beloved and has never run into any opposition. In fact, Boston is the first and only school district where any teachers have ever had any problems whatsoever with Teach for America coming in. And isn't that just short-sighted of them.
* Teach for America is becoming so selective that it recently determined a student who "wrote" the new University of Virginia financial aid policy was a questionable candidate. (As an alum of Mr. Jefferson's alma mater, I won't get into the number of underlying issues here)
* The ranks of devout Christians joining Teach for America is growing by the day, in large part because the work of a Teach for America teacher is so demanding that they need the supports that their beliefs provide them to do their secular work well.

What I found most interesting, though, was that the notion of recruiting and placing teachers didn't come up until nearly 10 minutes into the conversation. Teach for America was about school improvement. It was about closing the achievement gap. It was about partnering with schools who couldn't fix themselves. It was about the organization serving poor communities and black communities and such. But the notion of teachers (and teaching for that matter) didn't come up until deep in the conversation, when Mr. TFA wanted to demonstrate how exclusive and competitive Teach for America slots were. Then he began discussing how they place only the best college graduates in schools that need their help, making clear they did not want students who attended education schools or formally studied education.

Now I'm not naive, I realize that Mr. TFA was trying to play to his audience (and certainly had no idea that Eduflack was sitting two feet in front of him). He read his seatmate as a good southern Christian who believed in school choice, so he tried to play up those issues. But listening to the whole conversation (which ran for almost half of the flight), I was struck by how "off message" Mr. TFA was. Don't get me wrong, Eduflack is a Teach for America fan. I believe that TFA plays an important role in school improvement, both literally and rhetorically. But this certainly isn't the way that Wendy Kopp talks about her organization. This isn't the way TFA has been positioned in education improvement discussions. And it certainly isn't how the org is depicted as it moves into countries like India and Australia.

Teach for America is an organization that prides its good press (and moves heaven and earth to deal with any media that is just the tiniest bit critical). It is a group that has an incredible network of alumni and advocates who would do anything and everything to protect the TFA brand and promote the TFA mission. But as a fly on the wall, it seems that a little message discipline may be in the works for Teach for America. A cynical listener, unfamiliar with Teach for America, could have listened to this conversation and heard that TFA had just raised $150 million to move smart, motivated devout Christians into public charter schools across the country. Does that sound like the Teach for America we have all grown to know and love?

more...

[Turbineguy]

1. Hilter could only wish

he had been this well organized

[msongs]

2. lol brainwashing kids one class at a time nt

[malletgirl02]

3. Problem schools

This is kind of off topic, but I think the problem with the the districts the Teach for America work with is that these districts don't support their teachers. You hear stories from veteran teachers at these schools of having to buy their own supplies, and the lack of support. No wonder so many Teach for America participants have so much difficulty.

[onpatrol98]

21. Buying Their Own Supplies

I don't teach in K-12, and I'm sure teachers by their own supplies, but you sure can't tell by the supply list we're given for our kids each year.

1) Sharpies (not the off brand)
2) Crayons...not one box of 24, two boxes of 12
3) feminine hygiene products - (I saw this on someone else's supply list
4) folders - with brads (specific colors)
5) folders - without brads (specific colors)
6) day planners
7) dry erase markers
8) m & m's
9) hand sanitizer
10) napkins
11) paper towels
12) pencils (number 2, not plastic)
13) paper (wide rule versus college rule)
14) pens (red & black)
15) binders
16) scissors
17) scientific calculator
18) toilet paper (not kidding
19) lotion

* Now, after sending a gazillion packets of pencils, papers, and pens to the school...throughout the semester, guess what? Of course, you still have to purchase a gazillion packets of pencils, paper, and pens. I don't remember any of my children actually getting to use any of the stuff I send each year.
-------------------
that's not an entire list, by any means...and if you decide to play an instrument...buddy, you've had it, now you've got to pay your fair share...play sports, we've got to total that in, also

today an education may be a lot of things, but it certainly isn't free or appropriate

[MadHound]

4. They are very selective in their recruitment,

To the point where one wonders just what their agenda is. Not to brag or anything, but I'm getting multiple degrees, two in education, one in history, a member of several honor societies, and have a GPA well over 3.9. I was interested in TFA and stopped by their booth at a general recruitment/job fair on campus.

They didn't want me, even though I was a top education recruit in our school. There was no mention of religion or anything, so I can't say that was the issue, but nevertheless, they said that I didn't fit the profile of the candidates that they were looking for. My thought is that they wanted younger and dumber, easily malleable candidates who wouldn't complain about the situations they were placed into, wouldn't complain about how the organization worked and the pay they received.

It doesn't surprise me that they're big into charter schools, and the whole Christianity thing doesn't surprise me either.

[jwirr]

6. They may be judging you by what college (liberal) you went to and

just passing you over. Could be that we are now going to have charter schools with dumbed down teachers.

[MadHound]

10. I'm actually going to a historically conservative school

One that was founded by Presbyterians(though there is no current official affiliation). Thus I think that the your second hypothesis is closer to the truth.

[mzteris]

26. broad brush much?

I know a whole lot of charter public school teachers, and they are anything BUT "dumbed down". Just because you don't like (or evidently understand) the concept of charter public schools, don't insult the teachers!

[Swamp Rat]

30. Not broad enough - I know a whole lot of 'charter' public school teachers too, and they hate TFA

I know why: the TFA teachers I met were qualified to babysit and mow lawns, at best.

Yet, they are being used to replace REAL CAREER TEACHERS, at much lower salaries.

[mzteris]

31. um - he was dissing the teachers -

that's what I was complaining about.

I know teachers don't like the idea of non-education majors becoming teachers. However, given the shortage in teachers - what would you do? Class size can't get any bigger - so where are they going to find the people to "teach" if they're not coming through "normal" education channels?

[Karmadillo]

40. Teacher shortage? Why are they laying off so many teachers around the country if

there's a teacher shortage?

[mzteris]

43. maybe I shoulda said

teacher shortages in particular disciplines.

And some areas of the country fare better than others in that arena. And the current state of the economy isn't helping anyone with anything.

Ii personally believe that schools should be one of the LAST things that gets its spending cut. They need MORE teachers and smaller classes and smaller schools and more choices. And most definitely a hell of a lot more ARTS in the schools.

[KamaAina]

49. Swampy! My man!

Way'at! :hi:

Could you give us the lowdown on the takeover of most of NOLA's school system by charters?

Oh, and GEAUX SAINTS!!!

[jwirr]

34. I said they are trying to dumb down the schools not that the schools are

already dumbed down. You misunderstood.

[mzteris]

42. oops - sorry, 'bout

the misunderstanding part.

However, I still disagree that they are TRYING to "dumb down" the schools.

There is a severe teacher shortage. How do you suggest getting it fixed?

[jwirr]

52. Do they still have the pell program that funds teachers and then

forgives their loans for teaching in areas of need? That should be extended to help students who agree to teach so many years after graduation. That would be one way of doing it.

[malletgirl02]

12. Your Degrees

With your degrees, and your GPA, you clearly showed commitment and you should have been a top candidate. The article in the OP also mentioned they passed over education majors. If Teach for America was logical they would actively recruit education majors, because they shown some interest in teaching early. From the article and what I have heard you are probably better off that they pass you over.

[MadHound]

17. Yeah, I probably am better off,

But this sort of thing really burns me. Despite the opinions of pundits and uninformed observers, you can't simply walk into a classroom and teach math just because you have a math degree. You need to know how to teach kids, and how to control a classroom.

My opinion is that this is simply another way of driving already meager teaching wages even further down, bust the unions, and sadly, dumb down an entire generation or more.

[lolly]

20. Selective for what?

My daughter applied, and was not chosen. A few months later, when she was taking required CBEST testing to enter a teaching credential program (all CA teachers are required to pass the CBEST before teaching), she overheard a couple of "successful" TFAers who had taken the test multiple times and were unable to pass it, so they were afraid they were going to have to pass up on doing their TFA stint in California if they didn't pass it this time.

[caraher]

19. Perhaps it's your education degrees?

I thought they very specifically recruited students who were not ed majors?

My sense from reading the article linked in the OP is not that TFA is all about Christianity and charter schools, but that the guy running his mouth on the plane pitched TFA when that's not their main thrust at all. I'm sure my friend whose feminist atheist daughter is now in TFA will be surprised to learn she's participating in a program that's a big front for the Christian Right!

[MadHound]

22. Which is what I find desicable about the organization

It is foolish, doing our children a huge disservice, to put teachers into the classroom who never learned how to actually teach. You can be the most brilliant person in the world, but if you don't know how to control a classroom and how to convey your knowledge in ways that a student will understand and pick up on, you're worthless.

This simply sounds to me like a further attempt to devalue teachers, education, bust the unions and dumb down an entire generation of kids.

[tonysam]

37. You gotta know pedagogy and you gotta know classroom management

Nothing else truly matters in the classroom. Those skills you learn in ed school, but it takes YEARS to master them.

TFAs can't possibly master both in their short time in the classroom. The first year of teaching generally is a lost cause.

[mzteris]

25. some things they are looking for:

From the TFA website.

"Our focus on individuals who share the backgrounds of the students we reach

We deeply value each individual who commits to our mission and believe we have to enlist our nation’s best talent, from all backgrounds, in this important work. At the same time, we place a particular focus on attracting and fostering the leadership of the individuals who share the racial and/or socioeconomic backgrounds of the students we teach, 90 percent of whom are African-American or Hispanic children living in low-income communities.

We have seen historically that when teachers themselves are from under-represented racial backgrounds or low-income families, they have the potential to have an additional impact on their students because they are uniquely positioned to serve as models of the potential for success in education and in life. "

Personally meeting with thousands of top prospects, with a heightened focus on individuals who are African-American, Latino, Asian American, Native American, Native Hawaiian, and from low-income backgrounds.


Evidently they're really focusing on people with a science/math/engineering background, bilingual, & Special Ed.


Or maybe you and the person behind the desk just didn't "hit it off" - if you're still interested, you should pursue it! Don't let one person tell you "no" - they're not the real decision makers.

As for the "christian" aspect - well - I will say this. The foster care/adoption system aggressively recruits "Christians" because they do have this "commitment" to "doing good works". I - personally - would prefer that so-called "Christians" would be WEEDED OUT, not encouraged, but I can see where the tactic to recruit from those ranks makes sense.

[mzteris]

5. wow. you got THAT headline

from all that text.

A little inflammatory and slanted, doncha think?

[Karmadillo]

11. Thanks. I updated to show the source of the headline. It is

a little inflammatory, but not a lot based on the quoted conversation.

[madfloridian]

7. I think they only have a 2 year committment to teaching...enough to get rid of experienced

teachers and put cheaper new folks in their places. No more higher salaries due to experience and time put in.

Yes, the religious community appears to be getting deeply involved. Just like Catholic and other Christian schools are becoming charters to get public money.

[malletgirl02]

9. Teaching Committment

Also these are the same people talking about failing schools, but they are actually making schools worst by doing this.

[Karmadillo]

13. Teaching is a brutally tough profession if you want to be good at it. This Beckett quote

always makes me think of what's involved: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better." You're never as good as you need to be. I was reading somewhere it takes 10 years to become an expert at something. From what I've seen of teachers, that's about right. Whatever role TFA might have to play in education, the two year committment isn't going to replace the committment of a person willing to devote their life to becoming a good teacher.

[madfloridian]

15. There will be no more people devoting their lives to teaching.

That is about to be all gone, all over.

And what is replacing dedicated teachers who trained for several years will be inexperienced cheaper people with a mission to move on.

[mzteris]

46. What's the turnover rate of "new teachers"

who received an education degree? Anyone know?

[LWolf]

8. Attacks on multiple fronts,

all designed to degrade the quality of teaching, and the position of teacher.

[madfloridian]

14. They are powerful attacks. Not to fix public schools, but to destroy them.

And they are doing a damn fine job of it. Even Democratic forums are mostly on board with privatizing education because of all the "bad" teachers they have heard about since Reagan.

[LWolf]

16. Yes. I found this just a few minutes ago on DU,

a response on one of your OPs:

"As for the demise of public education, it's about damned time."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7609624#7610357

[madfloridian]

18. I saw that. Surprised that would fly here, but it is getting quite common.

Teachers and public schools are targets here now.

[LWolf]

32. It didn't fly for too long,

but it's discouraging to see how eagerly teachers and public schools are targeted by supposed Democrats. :(

[madfloridian]

23. Read more about TFA and its goals....dedicated teachers not necessary.

Will Teach for America Come Back?

Teach for America, which came blazing into town in 2002 and promptly quit the city two years later, may be bracing for another shot at Detroit. “All eyes are now on Detroit,” says Ify Offor, vice president of new site development for the organization, which places college graduates and professionals in low-income school districts to teach for two years. “There's leadership that wants to take on this issue of education reform.”

Offor says she has met with officials in Governor Granholm's office, along with the Detroit Federation of Teachers and the United Way. “Our goal is to simply make Detroit a center for education reform and Teach for America is an integral part of that reform, as the place to come to do the very best work,” says Michael Tenbusch, vice president of education preparedness at United Way of Southeastern Michigan. As for the union, Offor's aim is to ensure that relations get off on a better foot than they did last time, when the Detroit Public School was facing budget issues and beginning to lay off certified teachers—creating resentment toward TFA members who had not completed Michigan's long and arduous certification process. (Tenbusch of the United Way successfully pushed the Michigan legislature to pass a bill allowing for a quicker certification process in certain cases.) With the lack of support, Teach for America had no choice but to finish its two-year commitment until 2004 and then withdraw.

Why is the United Way involved with education to the point of being quoted over educators?

If TFA does come back to Detroit, don't expect it to have a major impact. Start with the numbers: TFA had 35 teachers back in 2002. DPS employs a total of 6,000 teachers. Furthermore, TFA has a host of critics. Some contend that it's little more than a pit stop for Ivy League grads looking to boost their resume before moving onto their corporate careers. Former TFA teacher Nate Walker says that what he calls the organization's “number-driven” approach, which is focused on raising test scores, is too limited to deliver major change. Walker is one of many Detroiters working on alternative charter schools. His, called the Boggs Educational Center, would place more emphasis on having the kids create student portfolios and self-reflections, and apply skills taught in class to real‑life situations. “The models that we're working on, they build community,” says Walker. “We value kids for who they are and whatever they do regardless if they decide to go to Harvard or be a plumber.”

Read more: http://detroit.blogs.time.com/2010/01/26/will-teach-for-america-come-back/#ixzz0eDRpj74V

Did you get that?

"Some contend that it's little more than a pit stop for Ivy League grads looking to boost their resume before moving onto their corporate careers."

"Former TFA teacher Nate Walker says that what he calls the organization's “number-driven” approach, which is focused on raising test scores, is too limited to deliver major change."

That would explain why someone like the poster with an education degree was not considered acceptable to TFA...they are not after educators they want people on the road to another profession.

Cheaper that way.

[madfloridian]

24. A must read from Daily Kos in May of 2009...about the real TFA

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/3/23/711798/-The-Truth-about-Teach-for-America

Long read, money quote:

"TFA was never a grassroots organization. From the beginning it has been financed and promoted by the rich and powerful who would would love nothing more than to privatize America's schools. So, Wendy set out on a fundraising tour and was able to convince people with power and money that her teacher corps was the saving grace of our education woes. Snake oil."

..."Yes, as of this minute, it costs the school at least $3,000 more money to hire a fake teacher with five weeks of TFA training than it does to hire a properly trained regular teacher who has made education a career choice and will be teaching after two years. TFA teachers also receive a $5,000 bonus at the end of each of their two teaching years. I couldn't find out who pays for that, TFA or the school district? Fake teachers get an extra $10,000 after teaching two years; regular teachers get nothing. Hmmm, sounds fair -- can't see any reason for animosity there. By the way, $20,000 will pay quite a lot of tuition at many colleges and universities for real education.

Why has Wendy Kopp made it her personal agenda to malign public school teachers? Why have so many influential people bought into her egomaniacal tripe? You don't hear of anyone offering to accept an injection from Nurse for America or to jump into a plane with Pilot for America, right? Yet, it seems that we are more than willing to hand over our children daily to those who function little better than babysitters because they have no knowledge in their core subject area and no training on how best to deliver instruction."

[caraher]

27. There's a serious question - why is TFA so popular?

The some wag on the student paper at the college where I teach dubbed the program "Teach for Your Resume." I think we have more students applying to TFA (and a high acceptance rate) than education majors.

I'm not sure what would make TFA especially attractive on a resume, but I'm sure there are students who do perceive it that way and that motivates them to join. I even had an advisee mention that he was thinking about applying to TFA, even though his career plans led through graduate study in physics, for no better reason than because everybody else seemed to be doing it!

But I think there are plenty of students who view the program as a fast-track to a teaching career with a built-in escape hatch after 2 years if it doesn't work out. I considered joining when it was a new program, but there's no doubt 5 weeks of even the best training is woefully inadequate. In the end I chose the college teaching route in part because classroom management is not as big an issue in that setting.

The problem I see is that there seem to be two warring camps. On one hand we have the "reformers" whose main goal is to tear down the existing structure of free public education. This faction is not monolithic, but includes profiteers who help their political allies craft "failing schools" accountability "reforms" designed to cripple the public schools and funnel students into charter schools as well as people with sincere worries about the state of public education. On the other hand, there is an educational establishment that, despite the existence of thousands of dedicated, competent, professional teachers, appears more concerned with protecting its turf than worried about students' success. And from the perspective of a college student considering teaching, it's not clear that the traditional education school curriculum really gives useful training.

For such students, alternative certification programs are immensely appealing. And they generally do not worry as much about the agendas of those who promote them as much as they think about their own careers.

In my state, Indiana, the Republican governor and his cronies are proposing a new "accountability" package that includes sorting all teachers at a given public school into 4 categories, with the criteria for effectiveness dominated by standardized test scores. It's yet another system rigged to produce failures, because the school administrators are given quotas - they must find that at least specific percentages of their faculty fall into both the best and worst categories. The absurdity of this system should be obvious to anyone with even marginal mathematical literacy. They've also proposed making all 3rd graders who perform below the standard on a statewide test repeat the grade - while insisting that this will not cost a dime. And while cutting education statewide by 3% next year.

I think the biggest problem with recruiting and retraining dedicated teachers is the utter lack of respect afforded the profession. I don't think it matters much exactly how we train teachers (as long as we do so in a serious way). The deeper problem is that those capable of becoming excellent teachers can do so many other things, for better pay and far, far more respect, than teaching in elementary and secondary schools.

[madfloridian]

29. "lack of respect" says it all.

We will pay for the new "reforms" later on.

[Swamp Rat]

28. Teach for America is destroying the New Orleans (no longer) public school system

The Louisiana legislature in 2008 gave them the green light to teach creationism in science class.

The New Orleans charter schools recently fired many career teachers (principals can fire anyone on the spot for any reason with no recourse) with grad degrees and replaced them with Teach for America teenagers and twenty-somethings with little to NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE, and have cancelled art and language classes.

I had good and bad experiences in the NOLA public school system, but I would not put my children in the current system.

[Starry Messenger]

35. Creationism??

Ack!

And the erosion of the arts classes and languages, how can anyone justify that? That's tragic. :(

[madfloridian]

39. A Christian school in FL that teaches creationism just became a charter.

Palmetto Christian School in Florida joins 7 former Catholic schools, turns charter for public money

PALMETTO - Starting next school year, the Bibles, crosses and religious pictures will be removed from Palmetto Christian School.

In addition, the school will take on a new name and receive its funding from a new source: Florida taxpayers.

The K-8 school -- operating in the same building with most of the same leadership, staff and students it has now -- will become a charter school that could receive more than $1.7 million in state tax dollars.

The move was unanimously approved by the Manatee County School Board last week, despite contrary advice given by the board's own legal counsel. State law prohibits private schools, that fund themselves, from switching to charter schools that receive state money

Will they stop teaching creationism since they are keeping the same staff?

Who knows?

[Karmadillo]

41. Is anybody taking this to court? Then again, given the state of the judiciary,

Palmetto Christian School would probably end up with a ruling doubling their state funding.

[mzteris]

45. isn't that a private school? n/t

[Karmadillo]

47. Looks like one. I'm not sure of the point you're trying to make.

nt

[mzteris]

51. I dunno -

you were talking about Palmetto Christian getting more funding?? How is that if they're a private religious school??


(I admit to being a wee bit in the dark as I could only read your post and not the one to which you were responding, so I may have mistook your post entirely!)

[mzteris]

44. This "Creation law"??

§285.1. Science education; development of critical thinking skills
11 A. This Section shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana
12 Science Education Act."
13 B.(1) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, upon
14 request of a city, parish, or other local public school board, shall allow and
15 assist teachers, principals, and other school administrators to create and foster
16 an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that promotes
17 critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of
1 scientific theories being studied including, but not limited to, evolution, the
2 origins of life, global warming, and human cloning.
3 (2) Such assistance shall include support and guidance for teachers
4 regarding effective ways to help students understand, analyze, critique, and
5 objectively review scientific theories being studied, including those enumerated
6 in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.

C. A teacher shall teach the material presented in the standard textbook
8 supplied by the school system and thereafter may use supplemental textbooks
9 and other instructional materials to help students understand, analyze, critique,
10 and review scientific theories in an objective manner, as permitted by the city,
11 parish, or other local public school board.

12 D. This Section shall not be construed to promote any religious doctrine,
13 promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs, or
14 promote discrimination for or against religion or nonreligion.

15 E. The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and each
16 city, parish, or other local public school board shall adopt and promulgate the
17 rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this Section prior
18 to the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year."

http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=482728


Has this resulted in creationism being taught in the classroom? It specifically prohibits "religion" in the classroom. . . ? I'd be curious what is actually goiung on now.

[Swamp Rat]

48. "It specifically prohibits "religion" in the classroom" - No, it does not.

Read more carefully. They can and are teaching creationism in New Orleans charter schools. (I know this for a fact.)

Here is La. Science Education Act bill after it passed:

http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=503483

B.(1) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, upon
request of a city, parish, or other local public school board, shall allow and
assist teachers, principals, and other school administrators to create and foster
an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that promotes
critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of
scientific theories being studied including, but not limited to, evolution, the
origins of life, global warming, and human cloning.

(2) Such assistance shall include support and guidance for teachers
regarding effective ways to help students understand, analyze, critique, and
objectively review scientific theories being studied, including those enumerated
in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.

C. A teacher shall teach the material presented in the standard textbook
supplied by the school system and thereafter may use supplemental textbooks
and other instructional materials to help students understand, analyze, critique,
and review scientific theories in an objective manner, as permitted by the city,
parish, or other local public school board unless otherwise prohibited by the
State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=503483

In other words, the supplemental can be Gideon's Bible.

[mzteris]

50. which "charter" school would that be?

I still don't see it. What's wrong with discussing the scientific theories of evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning.??

Yes, they can use suppemental textbooks, but they are NOT allowed to use religious instruction material.

This Section shall not be construed to promote any religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or nonreligion.

If you know of one doing it, then I say report them to the proper authorities.

Andn I really would like the name of the school where you KNOW this is taking place - I'm really curious about this. You can pm me if you prefer.

I'm not saything they AREN'T doing it, but they certainly are not supposed to. How many other schools might be breaking the law, too? I'd be curious to know that.

Of course we know that other traditional school boards across the country have in the past - and are trying to in the future - add creationism to the traditional classroom as well. Again - this is not a very good argument for being completely "anti-charter". FWIW - we have a lesbian mom and a headscarf wearing Muslim teaching in my son's public charter spanish immersion school.

[Celebration]

33. At my daughter's high school

where she teaches, there is one Teach for America person, and she says that it is like having another kid at the school, that needs to be dealt with.

:rofl:

[proud2BlibKansan]

36. My number one (of many) problem with TFA:

Teaching isn't the Peace Corps. TFA recruits young kids and treats them like Peace Corps volunteers. They are told that not only will they earn a masters degree and get help paying off student loans but they will also gain experience that looks good on a law school or MBA application.

I would so much rather see lifelong educators entering the profession. Sigh.

[Blue_Tires]

38. i had a couple of ex-girlfriends who did TFA some years ago

and they didn't have any real complaints about it, and are still teaching today