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Teach for America Program Showing Gains, AAE Member Support
posted by: Alix | November 03, 2011, 09:33 PM   

Teach for America (TFA), a non-profit organization that recruits top college graduate to teach in high-need schools after an intensive training has been showing steady gains in student test scores for years in urban districts and states across the county. According to the state card on teacher training released earlier this week, Teach for America participants outperform veteran teachers in Tennessee and recent graduates from traditional colleges of education.

For example, in the urban Memphis area, TFA members make up just 3 percent of the city schools faculty, but demonstrated "statistically significant positive difference" in comparison to both veteran and new educators in the district. Additionally, the TFA members also ranked high in the top quintile of nearly all educators in Tennessee in the core subjects including, reading, science, and social studies.

The findings come on the heels of nine teacher training programs being cited for failing to compete with quality of new teachers from other programs, including Tennessee State University, and University of Tennessee-Martin. While traditional state colleges of education are struggling in preparing their students for the classroom, the Teach for America model seems to be making tremendous gains year after year.

While the Tennessee report is just a case study in the overarching national program, the results are extremely telling. In the next ten years, half of our current teacher workforce will retire. As we search for ways to attract top college graduates and other seasoned professionals to the classroom, alternative certification programs and reforming teacher preparation have been catching on as crucial components of creating a workforce for the 21st century.

Based on the results of the 2011 AAE Membership Survey, AAE teachers overwhelmingly support new policies and programs designed to develop, attract, and sustain effective teachers. While union officials have publically denounced programs such as Teach for America for "union busting" and "taking away jobs," 85 percent of AAE members support TFA and its mission.

Further, AAE members also recognize the need for better preparing new teachers for classroom challenges. Ninety-four percent agree with a report by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education that recommends improving teacher education via mentorships programs akin to those at medical schools.

As we look at the year ahead, teacher preparation will be at the forefront of the education reform debate. AAE members recognize that the key to a success education system is finding effective teachers. Part of that equation deals with recruiting and teacher preparation. If future teacher training programs are focused less on in-classroom lessons and more on training in the field like medical residencies, new teachers will certainly arrive to the classroom better prepared.

What do you think about the TFA model and the state of teacher preparation?
Comment below.

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