Big expansion, big questions for Teach for America

[xchrom]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TEACH_FOR_AMERICA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-11-27-09-08-53

MIAMI (AP) -- In a distressed neighborhood north of Miami's gleaming downtown, a group of enthusiastic but inexperienced instructors from Teach for America is trying to make progress where more veteran teachers have had difficulty: raising students' reading and math scores.

"These are the lowest performing schools, so we need the strongest performing teachers," said Julian Davenport, an assistant principal at Holmes Elementary, where three-fifths of the staff this year are Teach for America corps members or graduates of the program.

By 2015, with the help of a $50 million federal grant, program recruits could make up one-quarter of all new teachers in 60 of the nation's highest need school districts. The program also is expanding internationally.

That growth comes as many districts try to make teachers more effective. But Teach for America has had mixed results.



*** i don't think the results are 'mixed' -- i think they are decidedly poor.
and 5 years they're out of the profession -- well that just speaks for it's self.

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. They're "mixed" 'cause they work cheap. That's pretty much the only "up" side. nt

[msongs]

2. there you go again criticizing race to the top...of corporate profits nt

[snappyturtle]

3. Part of the dumbing down of America is to do exactly what TPTB are doing.

Teach for America would be OK IF the candidates were assigned two year (?) internships under and along side an experienced teacher. Then we would be growing the ranks rather than sending in pitch hitters to replace experience. imho