Cloaking Inequity

Why is TFA so incensed?

1–2 minutes

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ImageI was on vacation when the New York Times published my Teach For America (TFA) Op-Ed entitled “A Glorified Temp Agency” in their opinion pages online. Thus I never had an opportunity to discuss it here. Let me tell you, I had an avalanche of email in my inbox from incensed TFAers. I was also quite surprised that there was a huge flood of comments posted online (currently 250+) responding to my Op-Ed relative to the other Op-Eds written for the “Is Teach for America Working?” series.

A less-discussed aspect of TFA is their powerful network of former classroom teachers (mostly short-term). A former TFAer let me know recently that TFA called upon their network to flood the New York Times website with critical comments and feel good stories about TFA in response to my research based Op-Ed. Their vast network of former classroom teachers (mostly short-term) is on full-view on Capitol Hill, in the professoriate, in non-profits and district leadership positions— really everywhere but the classroom.

As a point of full-disclosure I should also say that I count many current and former TFAers among my closest friends. I am a policy analyst interested in equity. The work that I do on TFA is research based and focused on encouraging TFA to reform their reform. Why reformers are so incensed by calls for reform is a mystery to me. Sometimes reform needs reform.

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I was on vacation when the New York Times published my Teach For America (TFA) Op-Ed entitled “A Glorified Temp Agency” in their opinion pages online. Thus I never had an opportunity to discuss it here. Let me tell you, I had an avalanche of email in my inbox from incensed TFAers. I was also quite surprised…

10 responses to “Why is TFA so incensed?”

  1. New Teach For America study: What it really proves – The Washington Post

    […] many communities often approaches 80%— i likened TFA to a temp agency in the New York Times (See Why is TFA so incensed?). However, the Mathematica study’s findings run contrary to TFA’s rapid turnover as teacher […]

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    “Does Not Compute”: Teach For America Mathematica Study is Deceptive? | Cloaking Inequity

    […] See my piece on TFA in the New York Times. […]

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    […] many communities often approaches 80%— i likened TFA to a temp agency in the New York Times (See Why is TFA so incensed?). However, the Mathematica study’s findings run contrary to TFA’s rapid turnover as […]

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    […] TFA has been used to starve public schools of permanent high quality teachers— their alums are everywhere but the classroom.) TFA has been discussed extensively on Cloaking Inequity […]

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    […] There is a growing crescendo in support and opposition of Teach For America from its alumni base. For all of Cloaking Inequity’s posts on Teach For America go here. Also see my piece in the New York Times on Teach For America here. […]

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    Fold or Rethink: A Teach For America Civil War? | Cloaking Inequity

    […] I receive 1-2 calls per week from the media asking about TFA. The piece that drew the most heat was my editorial in the New York Times. Anyways, most of the stories have already been written when the conversations occur with […]

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    […] I wrote in the New York Times, Teach for America is a temp agency. There is no way around it— despite […]

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  8. Letter to a Friend: Teach For America Alabama | Cloaking Inequity Avatar
    Letter to a Friend: Teach For America Alabama | Cloaking Inequity

    […] have discussed Teach For America (TFA) previously in the New York Times and in widely-discussed brief for the NEPC. […]

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  9. jshore (@jshoreboston) Avatar
    jshore (@jshoreboston)

    Teach for America is just an ed reform Poverty Pimp on the stroll. The TFA’s are just hustling the urban streets for them because, in this economy, jobs in their field have tanked. When their commitment is up, their resume line earned, then it’s off to grad school to study “leadership and ed reform” so they can be Poverty Pimps too!

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  10. Dan McConnell (@DMaxMJ) Avatar
    Dan McConnell (@DMaxMJ)

    https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/cease-harmful-public-education-policies-relying-standardized-testing/w8ZrZwVT?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl This is a link to a petition to end over-reliance on standardized tests (profit-driven “reforms”). Please spread the word and get signatures.

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