Some of you have been peppering me with questions about the costs and benefits of Teach For America in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, concerns that have grown in urgency as CMS lays off teachers.
Here's an article on some of the costs, benefits and issues. For those who want more detail, CMS has produced a 64-page report on its Teach For America experience.
Read the report here.
The report, done by CMS's Center for Research and Evaluation, looks at test scores, classroom observations, principal assessments and interviews with TFA recruits who were in CMS in 2007-08 and 2008-09.
As some of you have noted, research can be used to argue almost any position. Sure enough, there's fodder here for TFA boosters and detractors alike.
My blog readers are as pesky as reporters, so I can anticipate your next question: If this came out in August 2009, why haven't I reported on it before?
Keeping up with CMS can be like drinking from a firehose, so it's possible I saw some reference to it that got washed from my brain in last year's back-to-school deluge. But I've also just discovered that CMS apparently "releases" some of its most intriguing research by quietly posting it on the CRE website. I've got some catching up to do -- while gearing up for back-to-school 2010.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
CMS Teach For America study
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58 comments:
Ann, after a quick scan you are right! A survey based on 16 TFA vs. 16 non TFA classroom observations, interviewing the principals and TFA teachers but not the non- TFA teachers? Do non-TFA teachers have no opinion? Based on the commentary from the contractor evaluators there are at least some negative comments about TFA but the assertion TFA teachers use "more real world examples" and we're the first one here and the last to leave is a classic based on too few numbers to label teachers in an entire school system slack. Also who paid for the study?
A chart of TFA/non-TFA retention numbers by month is nowhere to be seen. Maybe Pam Grundy can comment.
One of the real issues with TFA research is indeed sample size, and the fact that the teachers leave too quickly to really make a longitudinal study useful. (I just finished a grad school paper on them).
The math findings are consistent with other research, as is the fact that for the most part, math is the only place where measurable (albeit often minor) improvements can be found.
What distinguishes TFA is the nimbleness of its training program, which is able to respond to what is happening in the classroom and identify successful practices and spread them quickly. Admittedly most of that is aimed only at the standardized test assessment. They still suffer most of the same discipline issues that all new teachers have.
The real problem, apart from the absurdity of Gorman laying off teachers to make room for them, is that the future leaders within a school are being displaced by these well-meaning educational missionaries, the majority of whom leave education within three years.
No future in it.
Staying late and coming early is easily attributed to factors outside of being a TFA teacher. It is far more likely CAUSED by the AGE of these teachers. Most young, new teachers have the ability (and drive) to do this as they, compared to their experienced (read
'older') counterparts, have less outside committments (read 'family') and hence dedicate themselves to their career. The average teacher is a woman who has children at home for whom she is responsible. They might want to stay until 5 or 6 (or later) every night but they can't. INSTEAD, she goes home, takes care of the kids, and does 2-5 hours worth of work there.
TFA is great when you have a teacher shortage. But when there isn't one...
Let's not forget these are exactly the kind of teachers Judge Manning said we should not have, inexperienced short timers.
What, you did not expect a rah rah endorsement?
CMS wastes a lot of money on TFA. They spend all this money training them and in 2 years they are gone. They are not career teachers for the most part and just because you received great grades at a university some where doesn't mean you have what it takes to be an educator. CMS needes to recruit teachers not people who are looking for a stopping place between undergrad and masters...
I agree- data is what you want it to be. TFAs often are sheltered from the demands that other novice teachers endure. Their class rosters and teaching assignments are specially selected and they have an outside support system that conducts class observations on a regular basis and provides feedback to help improve their teaching. TFA teachers typically do not coach, serve on committees, or perform after school duties. Granted there are a few TFA teachers that stick around after their 2 years of service and obtain their teaching license, but for the most part, it's a "pay off my private school debt" program.
Students know TFA teachers aren't certified and aren't in it for the long haul.... so they survey findings about "respect" surprise me- but I guess an eight year-old has an opinion too!
Of course TFA teachers have accomplished success & growth with students. These teachers are assigned to low performing schools but they are typically given classes of students who are on grade level. So showing up everyday and providing decent instruction will result in gains. And as for math... let's not forget the standards for math seem to get lower and lower every year. And in many lower performing schools, math teachers don't last the entire year. If a student was without a math teacher in 7th grade and in 8th grade a TFA teacher taught him/her, I would hope there would be some improvement.
CMS is large enough to 'grow' a good portion of its own teachers. A healthey Teacher Cadet Program at the high school level is worth investigating. It would produce more benefits than the AVID money pit.
TFA teachers scramble all year and glean what they can from veteran teachers. Sure they can stay late and arrive early, but they don't have the experience to know what works in the classroom from what doesn't work.
As soon as they get a morsel of good information (from the vet), they think they know it all!
Veteran teachers are faced with a moral dilemma; either spend precious planning time helping the TFA succeed so that the students in his class will benefit or ignore him make higher gains than him, but at the risk of his students failing. Teachers want all students to do well.
This is what testing does. It pits one teacher against another, especially when the feeling is them against us. And the principals don't even say 'thank you' for training these TFAers.
I guess I shouldn't hate the players, but I do hate the game.
CMS is in vehement denial that 1)TFAs are more effective teachers and 2)staff support TFA. It is blatant disrespect and money hunger that CMS, specifically Gorman, continues to discount and not appreciate the work that teachers put in to a day's work. With the current economy the best place for a TFA "intern" is in the classroom of retiring educators to observe and gain experience. TFA "interns" should not be used as replacements of current educators who administrators, local and district-wide, have targeted as individuals they want to receive poor evaluations.
I agree with all the comments posted here- but let's remember these TFA teachers are young college graduates just trying to find a way to pay off tens of thousands of dollars of college debt. Most are headed to law school, med school, or corporate America and a stint in a low performing urban school look great on a resume.
Our issues and anger should be directed at CMS and Dr. Gorman- During these tough times, why are we paying $5,000 per TFA placement when there are hundreds of teachers desperate for jobs who would probably work for $5,000 less!
TFA has good intentions, but for CMS, it's a BAD investment!
Hysterical!
"not in it for the long haul"
"not a career teacher"
"off to other things"
Every teacher in my career that was a "lifer" was horrid. They were as boring, mundane, beaten down, and lifeless as could be!
I would have thought that was the experience "I" endured, but then I personally watched it with my own children. The pattern was repeated two decades later and in a different area of the country.
Give me the person with capabilities and desires to do other things in life that for a time, wants to give a little back, build up their resume, and get their experience over a "lifer" any time!
Sorry lifers...but you really are the ones that need to do a little more with your life, not just teach.
Interesting that posters here vehemently accuse Dr. Gorman and administration of not appreciating teachers, making jobs difficult, etc. However, what is the current national trend--blame everything on the teachers! Supporters of the Equity Committee might take a look at some of their reports and see that there was a lot of blaming of teachers coming from this group too--and they specifically blamed the administration for putting "bad" teachers at high poverty schools. What does that do for morale at our challenged schools?
Many states already "crash course" teachers in critical subject areas including science and math. In 1987, my brother was hire directly out of Yale (physics major) to teach physics at a wealthy high school in CT. The state certified him in 6 weeks. The process to be accepted into this program was highly competitive. My brother received excellent performance reviews. However, he did leave the teaching profession after 3 years to become a patent attorney.
Two years ago, Tennessee certified my sister-in-law in 4 weeks to teach science at a suburban school. She has a master's degree in environment science and home schooled both of her children. One is currently attending Brown Univ. which is why she decided to teach at a public school - for extra income. She's also received excellent performance reviews.
I'm a former adjunct assistant professor with a master's degree in a fine arts subject area who was hired as a lateral entry teacher in the state of MD. In my case, the state waived student teaching requirements. As a graduate student, I taught undergraduate non-major classes as a graduate teaching (TA) assistant. When I moved to NC, I was granted reciprocity certification for grades K-12. In MD, I was only certified to teach grades 6 - 12. In MD, I did have to pass a national teachers exam and complete a couple of courses within a year in order for the school system to renew my contract. After 6 months of teaching, I received an education award. The school system would have raised my salary once I passed the national teacher's exam (which I did including proving basic Algebra 1 proficiency and being able to identify the difference between a Chicano and a Latino student - I swear I'm not making this up) but I left to work as a professional artist and teach at Penn State in Nittany Lion territory.
My point is, most states have all sorts of ways to hire teachers without the need to jump through the usual hoops. Private schools hire teachers all the time who are not state certified. They also generally pay physics teachers more than P.E. teachers which public school teacher's unions would have a fit over. Private and charter schools can also fire teachers without having to worry about tenure lawsuits.
The nationally recognized KIPP charter school program won't hire anyone who can't pass one of their rigorous exams and isn't at the top of their class.
The sad and ugly truth is, most students in teacher education programs score lower on SAT and ACT exams than college students majoring in other subject areas. Some of the courses I had to take as a lateral entry teacher in order to become "certified" were downright stupid.
Go ahead, let me have it.
-A
I am very much a critic of TFA and think in its current form that it is a bunch of elitists who think they're doing the community (and students) a favor by "lowering themselves" or "doing their time" to help us poor, less fortunate types.
That being said: I believe that the concept of TFA could be very helpful in non-traditional, hands-on types of environments.
If you're teaching an automotive class, or certain math and science classes, to have students roll up their shirtsleeves and do a task, as opposed to opening a textbook and reading about it, might be helpful.
Of course, if regular classroom teachers had the same latitude and support that TFA teachers had, there might not be a need for TFA teachers at all.
Anon 10:46, don't you get it?
The 'lifers' are training the TFAs. If the the TFAs didn't receive in-house support, they really would be worse than horrible.
How far do you think these TFAs would get without collaboration with their peers and moral support from the 'lifers'?
They wouldn't make it past Labor Day.
Many states already "crash course" teachers in critical subject areas including science and math. In 1987, my brother was hire directly out of Yale (physics major) to teach physics at a wealthy high school in CT. The state certified him in 6 weeks. The process to be accepted into this program was highly competitive. My brother received excellent performance reviews. However, he did leave the teaching profession after 3 years to become a patent attorney.
Two years ago, TN certified my sister-in-law in 4 weeks to teach science at a suburban school. She has a master's degree in environment science and home schooled both of her children. One is currently attending Brown Univ. which is why she decided to teach at a public school - for extra income. She's received excellent performance reviews.
I'm a former adjunct professor with a master's degree in a fine arts subject area who was hired as a lateral entry teacher in the state of MD. In my case, the state waived student teaching requirements. As a graduate student, I taught undergraduate classes as a graduate teaching (TA) assistant. When I moved to NC, I was granted reciprocity certification for grades K-12. In MD, I was only certified to teach grades 6 - 12. In MD, I did have to pass a national teachers exam and complete a couple of courses within a year in order for the school system to renew my contract. After 6 months of teaching, I received an education award. I also passed the national teacher's exam proving basic proficiency in Algebra 1 and being able to identify the difference between a Chicano and Latino student - I swear I'm not making this up. I left this school system after a short period of time to work as a professional artist and teach at Penn State.
My point is, most states have all sorts of ways to hire teachers without the need to jump through the usual hoops. Private schools hire teachers all the time who are not state certified. They also generally pay physics teachers more than P.E. teachers which public school teacher's unions would have a fit over. Private and charter schools can also fire teachers without having to worry about tenure lawsuits.
The nationally recognized KIPP charter school program won't hire anyone who can't pass one of their rigorous exams and isn't at the top of their class.
The sad and ugly truth is, most students in teacher education programs score lower on SAT and ACT exams than college students majoring in other subject areas. Some of the courses I had to take as a lateral entry teacher in order to become "certified" were downright stupid.
Go ahead, let me have it. -A
-A, if you and your family are sooo smart and teachers are sooo stupid, why did you post your comments 3 times?
Sorry, I'm not sure why my post was posted 3 times! Site kept informing me my comments were not going through.
-A, oops I missed one...4.
To A, at 12:12 p.m.
I believe there are exceptions to every rule. I think there are people who can go an unconventional route to a job as a teacher.
I also believe there are infinitely more really intelligent critics of education who couldn't teach their way out of a paper bag. Unfortunately, most of them become college professors and spend their time in class criticizing the "shoddy" education kids got in high school. (trust me: I've been in multiple states and seen the same un-ergetic, deadbeat professors in a half-dozen colleges)
People who cite unions as issues (and I dislike unions) are clueless, at least as it pertains to CMS and North Carolina, which does not have any teacher unions. As for tenure and job security, without a union there is no job security.
And regarding private schools being able to can incompetent teachers: They can also get rid of highly competent teachers too. Imagine a great teacher losing a job because of a personality conflict with a principal. It happens a lot more than you think.
By the way, teachers don't have to get fired. They're all on 1-year contracts. Not renewing a contract is the same as firing someone (just calling it something else). School districts almost always take the high road and say nothing in these situations, enduring the public criticism of the incompetent teacher who was not retained. It's the main reason the turnover rate for teachers is so high.
CMS probably could hire a dozen teachers for what it costs to do this stupid study.
par for the course.
Wow, I'm just impressed that so many of you are spending your weekend reading a research report and intelligently debating the issues! I haven't even finished the Sudoku yet.
Ann, it's because those of us that grew up here and work in the system have seen the hard work of the past evaporate into mediocrity in many aspects of CMS. The reverse of "Esse Quam Videriis is appropriate. To seem rather than be fits the last four years.
Found "Outliers" under a pile of books at home. Read "Blink" but not this book. Skipped ahead to the chapter about KIPP. Fascinating. Also fascinating; the correlation between what children do over summer break and academic performance. TIME magazine has a featured article on this topic in it's most recent publication.
Hopefully, this won't be posted 4 times! I was on the phone with Time Warner Cable for over an hour yesterday dealing with personal computer problems.
Clearly, it's not likely I would pass a basic computer literacy test were I teaching in a school setting today. For those whom I've offended for supporting routes into the teaching profession that defy the educational establishment status quo, take heart in this personal shortcoming (along with a few others).
Yes, I am aware that NC does not have a teacher's union although teachers with more than 4 years experience are harder to fire with seniority coming into play as far as job vacancies. Any teacher with more than 4 years of experience will confirm this. Call it what you may, but the NC teacher's association has some clout.
Better teachers also tend to gravitate to better schools based on most research I've read. This is why TFA operates - to fill low performing schools with the best and brightest college graduates to work alongside good veteran teachers and, hopefully, competent principals. It is unfortunate most TFA teachers leave after 2 years but I still see this as a better alternative than having large concentrations of weak certified teachers in chronically low performing schools.
Research also suggests that the particular college a teacher attends also has some baring on their effectiveness in the classroom. NC State graduates have a higher teacher effectiveness rate than Elizabeth State graduates - keeping in mind there are always exceptions.
As a student in Elementary Education, I wonder if CMS would pay for my student loans? I have a 4.0 gpa and I am a member of KDP (the honor society for teachers) and I have over 30 years experience in other job fields including the Military and operating my own business. Instead I will be looking for a job outside of CMS and pay for my student loans myself. Having experienced the classes that are required to recieve a degree in education, I find it hard to believe that 4-6 weeks training will cover what the education major learns over the course of 2-3 yrs in the college of education classes and field experience that goes with it.
Anon 2:41, your 'voice' sounds like that of Dr. Gorman's, welcome!
Surely you are aware of the reasons 'better teachers...tend to gravitate to better schools.' They have BETTER administrators.
I have seen about 8 excellent teachers leave in one school year after a certain principal was transferred...and the decline began...
According to the US Department of Education--Institute of Educational Sciences, teacher satisfaction is associated with many working conditions such as: administrative support and leadership, student behavior, school atmosphere, and teacher autonomy.
Those working conditions can almost all be ameliorated by a good superintendent. How? He needs to recognize the need to place better, 'competent' principals in low performing schools. Why is that so hard? There are enough 'good' principals to go around.
Teachers that work in low performing schools know the population with which they're working. If the teachers feel supported by the admin and the working relations with their peers are good, then they will stay at that school...yes, even 'good' teachers.
And, I'm trying to figure out whether the teachers at low performing schools are 'weak certified' teachers or 'good veteran teachers'. Or is it a potpourri of sorts?
How does that work? Are you hoping that the TFA gets lucky enough to have a 'good veteran teacher' coach him? What if he gets stuck with one of the weaklings?
I hope all are listening to this.
Once again, folks are depending on hardworking teachers to carry the load of their classes, the TFA, and the TFAs' classes...let's not forget about bus duty, lunch duty, ball game duty, etc.
FIX THE PROBLEM and stop shuffling good administrators away from low performing schools.
And stop depending on 'good veteran teachers' to do everyone's job. We have families to raise too.
And yes, colleges and universities need to update their teacher programs to address teaching in urban settings.
A, I deleted two of the three triplicate posts, to make it easier to scan comments and to avoid any embarrassment about computer glitches.
To 33:33 PM from the 4 post technologically inept buffoon.
You're point on "field experience" is right on target!
After 4.5 years of college level teaching experience in a specific subject area, I thought I could easily transfer my skills as a lateral entry teacher into a public school setting. Nothing could have been further from the truth - at least at the mostly poor and minority public school system bordering Washington DC that hired me after waiving student teaching requirements. Teaching college students is a CAKE WALK compared to teaching public school students who are being shot and killed one block from campus and performing sexually explicit acts on volleyball poles while strung out on drugs. My only saving grace was feeling confident in knowing my specific subject area in depth and constantly reminding myself that if I was capable of teaching at the college level than possibly, by the grace of God, I might be able to be an effective teacher in an urban public school setting.
Although I was not a TFA teacher, there are probably similarities between my experience and those who are quickly indoctrinated into poor urban public school settings through less conventional routes.
In my case, the public high school I worked for (which was an absolute fiasco - and I don't mean this lightly) had an unusually tight-knit and gifted English Dept. with a recent graduate from Harvard Univ. who was basically a TFA pioneer before TFA existed. Although I did not fall under the English Dept. as a fine arts teacher, this department took me under their wing after attending a presentation I directed. Were it not for sturdy old "veteran" and young "lateral entry" teachers, I might have failed. The key for me was having both veteran and young teachers on board who supported my efforts despite massive teacher burnout, indifference and other obstacles that surrounded me.
My entire family including my husband and father, who is a retired public school superintendent, encouraged me to quit this job for the sake of my personal safety after visiting the school and reviewing it's statistics. For better and worse, "stubborn" is my middle name and I wouldn't take back my experiences at this school for anything in the world.
Would I send my own children to this school? Not in a million years.
My issue is not with the use of TFA cadets, it is with the use of TFA over veteran teachers who ARE effective and have demonstrated positive performance in the classroom. If you think it hasn't/doesn't happen then you are wrong. I have experienced it first hand. When there is a teacher shortage TFA is a GREAT solution. Otherwise, go with those who chose teaching and have shown themselves to be effective teachers.
TFAs are not the problem. The TFA program was created to help in areas where there are teacher shortages. CMS doesn't have a teacher shortage.
Don't hate the TFAs just because they have been given a way to pay off their student loans. I have supervised many fine TFAs and a few who were absolutely not fine. Who in their right mind would turn down thousands of dollars. Yes, they move on. That is the nature of civil service.
What should be done with the TFA study is to use all of the strategies and lessons learned to help ALL teachers get better. But that would make too much sense.
CMS does have a superintendent who is doing everything he can to feather his political ambitions and has repeatedly said so.
It is time to stop blaming the teachers, harassing, humiliating, berating and terrorizing them--administration are you listening? parents are you listening?
It is time to hold the parents and the children responsible for their own behavior and learning. Stop enabling and entitling them.
If the issue is teacher preparation, then hold the universities liable and change the teacher preparation program.
If "lifers" are failing to show relevance and rigor to students, help them to do so. But I guarantee that if you maintain the expectation of discipline (administration and central office and PARENTS) and are consistent with it—stop making excuses for them and enabling them, then all teachers will be more effective, all students will learn more and there will be less of a need for TSAs.
TFAs are not the problem. The TFA program was created to help in areas where there are teacher shortages. CMS doesn't have a teacher shortage.
Don't hate the TFAs just because they have been given a way to pay off their student loans. I have supervised many fine TFAs and a few who were absolutely not fine. Who in their right mind would turn down thousands of dollars. Yes, they move on. That is the nature of civil service.
What should be done with the TFA study is to use all of the strategies and lessons learned to help ALL teachers get better. But that would make too much sense.
CMS does have a superintendent who is doing everything he can to feather his political ambitions and has repeatedly said so.
It is time to stop blaming the teachers, harassing, humiliating, berating and terrorizing them--administration are you listening? parents are you listening?
It is time to hold the parents and the children responsible for their own behavior and learning. Stop enabling and entitling them.
If the issue is teacher preparation, then hold the universities liable and change the teacher preparation program.
If "lifers" are failing to show relevance and rigor to students, help them to do so. But I guarantee that if you maintain the expectation of discipline (administration and central office and PARENTS) and are consistent with it—stop making excuses for them and enabling them, then all teachers will be more effective, all students will learn more and there will be less of a need for TSAs.
Sorry for the double post. Obviously this system has its own issues. Ann, please feel free to delete one of the duplicates and this post.
For the studentwith a major in Education who wonders if CMS will pay for her loans. Only if you are willing to give Gorman a big chunk of it. It's all about the money through short term cheap labor.
Take your talents to another place.
I am surprised by the amount of misinformation being included in comments. Just to clarify a few points, CMS does not pay for student loans for TFA teachers. Even if they did, there are plenty of alternative methods for paying back these loans a lot faster. For example, a higher paying job outside of education. TFA teachers do receive nearly $5,000 a year from Americorp funding. That is funding that comes from the federal government and has nothing to do with CMS. Also, TFA teachers are not assigned on grade level classes or easier classes by any means. That is clearly a piece of misinformation or a generalization. Either of which is inaccurate.
I find it interesting all of the people who read one report and feel that they understand everything about TFA and CMS. First, TFA does not pay for all loans. It does not cancel everything out. In fact, TFA teachers are required to attend so many hours of extra professional development in order to be eligible for an educational grant. They are then granted around 4,500 a year by AmeriCorps, not the school system. In addition, TFA teachers are required to attend graudate school classes while serving. This has been paid for in the past, (just like CMS paid for all teacher's higher education) but this is not the case anymore. Therefore, TFA teachers are now having to use that education grant money to pay for graduate school.
Overall, there is going to be good and bad with TFA teachers, like all teachers. Straight out of college, there are effective and ineffective teachers, no matter how they become teachers. However, you cannot blame these young professionals for the layoffs.
When someone signs on to be TFA, he/she does not know about the layoffs in the area. He/she is simply assigned to a region and come to the region to do a job in which he/she is hired to do. In CMS's case, it is unfortunate that so many teachers had to lose their jobs, but TFA is not the reason.
Finally, working with TFA teachers, I can tell you from experience that students don't know that these teachers are TFA, new teachers, or anything of the like. So those who feel that the students know where the teacher comes from, you are incorrect. At my school (which is not 8-year olds, but high school) the TFA teachers are loved, respected, and are seen as teachers like the rest of us. In my experience the teachers do not gain knowledge from veteran teachers then think they know everything. Rather, they continue to learn in order to be more effective in the classroom.
I'd like for everyone to ask themselves, why would a recent graduate sign on to go to the inner city in order to boost a resume or receive enough money to pay for a graduate degree in education? It makes more sense to me that someone would join an organization like TFA in order to make a difference.
Veteran teachers would make better use of their time coaching education majors who plan to stay in the profession rather than wasting their precious time on itinerant workers.
Low performing schools need faculty stability more than any other schools. By placing TFAs in these schools undermine a faculty's ability to bond, build professional relationships, collaborate and create a coherent, fluent and strong academic program. Having a revolving door of employees like Wal-Mart is no way to educate children (if that's the intent).
Clearly, Gorman has not thought this through. I am trying to figure out whether he thinks using contract workers is a cost-saving measure or if he's just that incompetent and short-sighted.
If CMS had not signed a contract with TFA guaranteeing them a certain number of slots, there would be more jobs available for teachers. So yes, TFA IS part of the blame for CMS's teacher layoffs.
Didn't Gorman state a Master's degree meant very little? Did he also mean earning a Doctorate means very little in leading a school system? TFA is a cheaper way to place warm bodies into a classroom; nothing more, nothing less. Several years ago, we had two TFA's at our school. They were ineffective teachers. Their classrooms scored the lowest on the EOGs. But, that doesn't matter. TFA's save the system money so Gorman can hire more executive staff members. No wonder people have such a low opinion of teachers when Gorman has the same opinion.
Gorman loves to transfer principals to other schools. How lame. If a principal is successful at a school, that principal should be encouraged to stay there, not transfer to another school. Instead of the weekly/monthly/semi-annual/yearly chess game of transferring principals, find others to take on the new challenges. I resent the upheaval a change in a successful principal brings to a school. Our school had a change in leadership and now we are struggling.
Ann:
Great work on the TFA story, but the next thing you need to look at is Pay For Performance, the centerpiece of Gorman's 'reform' efforts. The vast majority of the research shows this does not work, yet Gorman continues to move forward. Why? Just look to his quotes from your story.
"A CMS study found mixed results when TFA cadets were compared with other teachers. Superintendent Peter Gorman says he remains convinced the program is part of a smart recruitment plan.
"We are pleased to have them with us," he said last week."
Not reality-based, but clearly seems to be from someone who wants to be Washington-based.
I've been a CMS teacher assistant for 10+ years and an elementary ed student. Can't help but wonder--if I have to take rigorous education classes and complete clinicals for every methods class, then why don't TFAs? There's no way they can learn everything they need to know to be successful and competent in a classroom in six weeks.
I'd also like to know why CMS takes no apparent interest in working with TAs who are in college or want to enroll to become licensed teachers. TAs have invaluable on-the-job training, which puts them at an advantage over the TFAs. Making an effort to "grow their own" teachers would be a win-win situation both academically and financially for CMS.
Anon 11:16, it's clear that Gorman has no intentions in helping CMS teachers, TAs or students.
He is drunk with the wine of egotism and pride. I hope he remembers that pride comes before the fall.
I have never commented before, but I have some comments, questions, and thoughts that I wish someone could answer...
..with the improved accountability department (much due to performance based pay) can we do a more conclusive (and more representative) study after this past school year?
... comparing apples to apples: what is the TFA success rate versus other lateral entry teachers in CMS? Within the same school? In my experience with a school that has placed TFA teachers almost every year since 2004, the majority of other first year teachers were lateral entry (we rarely, if ever had "traditionally trained" teachers)
... What is the national TFA rate for teachers remaining in the classroom past their two years? Is Charlotte above or below?
... What's the CMS retention rate for traditionally trained teachers past two years? past five? How does it compare to the national retention rate? How does it compare to TFA teachers in Charlotte?
... with teachers being laid off, how many are let go due to sub-standard performance? How many are let go due to lack of seniority? What are the differences between schools that place TFA versus non-TFA placing schools? How many are lateral entry versus traditionally trained?
... let's really look at the reason TFA places in Charlotte: the achievement gap. No achievement gap means TFA doesn't need to be here. Has the gap between those that "have" vs. "have not" closed at all since 2004? With the gaps that exist even within schools, whether it is a TFA or non-TFA teacher, what is CMS doing to really look to make sure that ALL students are achieving?
... with the amount of people on here with many intelligent (yet conflicting) things to say, how can we all start being a part of the difference, instead of putting the blame or waiting for someone else? (i.e. start volunteering in schools outside our neighborhoods)
I don't think there is a definitive side to the issue, but I sure do appreciate all the thoughtful dialogue!
An additional question that needs to be addressed is, "What does Pay for Performance measure--whether students make a year's growth or whether they are all on grade level at the end of the year?" There is a huge difference. A student who begins a year or more behind has much more to accomplish than those who begin on grade level. How do you hold teachers accountable for factors outside their classroom?
Also, to coment on another point, lateral entry teachers are only in middle and high schools. It's my understanding that you can no longer do lateral entry in elementary school.
Ann,
Thanks for doing this article. Since this is an anonymous forum, you would have no idea of my education and training, so the short of it is that besides living, teaching and attending school in several countries on multiple continents, I also have a doctorate of which 50% of my studies was devoted to research and statistics, so with that in mind, I have numerous reservations regarding this study. Here they are and some I’m sure are repeats of other posts:
1) This study was done by CMS, for CMS about people employed by CMS, with data given and collected by CMS. That fact alone makes me doubt the viability and accuracy of the study from the beginning. (Center for Research & Evaluation, Office of Accountability, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools)
2) The executive summary states that this study is the first of two annual reports for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on the local Teach For America (TFA) program. This study was in 2008. This is 2010. The key word here is annual.
3) Words such as “Significant, positive effects”, “No/Non-significant differences”, “collapsed into a single outcome to account for small sample sizes”, are all ways to obfuscate with statistics. Significant to what degree? 10% error? 5% error 1% error? 1 Standard deviation? Nothing spectacular in those figures.
4) “Although some CMS principals participating in this study expressed dissatisfaction”… Of course they aren’t going to say anything negative that can go back on them. Do you truly think that Dr. Gorman/or his cabinet didn’t know or handpick these principals? A blind survey developed by non-partisan observers and researchers should have been used if this study was something more than an attempt at fluffing the bull manure.
5) “only courses (at the high school level) with required End-Of-Course (EOC) tests were retained for analysis.” That isn’t a great deal of data. And something similar for middle school but so convoluted that I even had a hard time figuring out how they say they collected data.
6) Why only 8 principals? Why only 16 TFAs? Are there only 16 TFAs that teach the above courses? Why such a small sample size? It wasn’t necessary to do them all, but hey, it isn’t like they are hard to find. 25 to 30 of each would have been a good number.
7) And finally, since the results were less than stellar, why in the world would Dr. Gorman use it as a selling point to keep TFAs?
As a former graduate school TA at the most expensive university in the country (as of today), I can assure you my @ass would have been gr@ss if the classes I taught were not up to par. I was only allowed to teach non-major undergraduate classes but many students in the classes I taught had prior experience in my subject area and were required to evaluate me at the end of each semester. I also worked directly and indirectly with the department chair and professors who also regularly evaluated me. In addition, I had to teach 3 college level classes in front of a panel of professors before I was awarded a graduate teaching assistantship. Basically, part of an audition process for the job which is why I'm always amazed a principal would hire ANY teacher without seeing how they can handle themselves in front of a classroom before allowing them to sign a contract. Recommendations matter, but being a good student doesn't always translate into being a good teacher. Two separate "skill sets" (I hate this term) are required to be an effective teacher. I've seen Ivy League graduates who couldn't effectively teach their way out of a 2nd grade math class.
The person who asked why CMS and other school systems aren't recruiting TA's as lateral entry teachers in addition to TFA teachers makes an interesting point. Although, as I stated in a previous post, nothing really prepares a person to work in an inner city high school with serious problems no matter how experienced they are in a different setting or how high they score on a standardized test. The only way to navigate this beast is battle field boot camp field experience, Rambo-on-a-mission type determination combined with some level of good veteran teacher and principal support - if you're lucky.
Had I chosen to stay in the public school teaching profession, I would have eventually applied to a better school system in a different county taking my misspelled educator award, experience and good evaluations with me. This is not to imply I was a perfect teacher by any stretch of the imagination. There is no such thing as a perfect teacher. Being a teacher is an evolutionary process which is why I despise tenure in public schools and at the college level. Tenure allows teachers/professors to burn out and coast if they choose. The private sector does not operate in this fashion. You sink or swim based on yearly evaluations and merit.
People are free to attack Dr. Gorman but we ALL know incompetent teachers exist at every school regardless of it's socioeconomic makeup. While in CMS, my children had many outstanding teachers along with a few horrible teachers. The same holds true where they are now - at an expensive private school. The only difference between the two is private school parents will put enormous pressure on school administrators to remove teachers who are not meeting their high expectations. This is called cultural "entitlement" described favorably as it pertains to education and student achievement in the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Tuition money talks or donors walk.
Why did I have to go to school to get my teaching license when CMS keeps bringing in more and more unlicensed teachers. That's fine during a teacher shortage, but we are no longer having a teacher shortage. If doctors need a license to practice medicine, and lawyers need a license to practice law, shouldn't all teachers need a teaching license to teach? If not, why does the state even issue them?
Did I mention the Educational Psychology class I was required to take as a lateral-entry teacher in order to become "certified" to teach my subject area at the high school level after 4.5 years of graduate TA and assistant professor teaching experience?
When someone can explain to me the relevance of salivating Pavlovian dog experiments and their correlation to teaching teenagers in an inner-city public school environment, do let me know.
How many college professors in teacher education programs are licensed to teach? How many have actually taught in a variety of suburban and urban school settings in different states over a sufficient period of time? How many regularly visit public schools to evaluate their own graduates in real life classroom situations? In other words, how many universities research their own effectiveness in preparing teachers to teach? Why doesn't the U.S. have national licensing standards? Why do some states have reciprocity licensing agreements and others don't? I don't know the answers to these questions.
Re audition process: CMS is gearing up to do a "teacher camp," in which applicants must do some actual teaching in front of judges, who will screen for folks with classroom skills. Not sure when that will start, but I'm pretty sure it'll be as controversial as everything else related to teacher hiring.
"Camp"
They've been "planning" that in some form or another for decades.
A few questions come to mind:
Are the TFA's highly qualified; i.e., have they passed the PRAXIS II? If so, when does that have to happen--if not, why?
How many principals/administrators at the school level actually have substantial classroom experience that qualifies them to evaluate teachers?
Why do people assume that teaching at the college level gives one the necessary experience to teach at all other levels without any specialized training? College students and kindergarteners are very different. Would you want your OBGYN performing a knee replacement?
It is not an "achievement gap". It is a "parenting gap".
It sounds like the majority of people posting here have no direct experience with either TFA or classroom teaching. I taught in CMS for as a traditionally certified social studies teacher and my husband taught in Nash County as a TFA teacher. I chose the traditional route over TFA because I beleived that ed. classes would better prepare me. What a crock. Nothing prepares you for teaching other than being in a classroom. All first year teachers have a hard time no matter what kind of training they got. TFA teachers go through an intense 6 week summer program where they actually TEACH students---which is much more than I can say I was allowed to do during my student teaching at East Forsyth High School. My husband, as a TFA teacher, coached both baseball AND Soccer and was part of lots of school committees, just like all the other teachers. TFA teachers DO NOT get hand picked classrooms. Where did you get that information??? While we may not currently have a teaching shortage, we do have a shortage of teachers who are willing to teach in our most troubled schools, which is exactly where TFA teachers are sent. I happily took my cushy role at one of the "good" CMS schools and as a product of a traditional teacher ed. program I can honestly say that I was terribly ill prepared. I improved, but only with the help of other teachers and good administrators. TFA is not the culprit here...Find a TFA person and talk to them about education. Then find a non TFA teacher who has been in CMS for any amount of time and you tell me which one you would rather have teaching your child.
4:27, please, give it a break.
How about this, ask any TFA teacher who has supported them throughout the school year AND ask them how their year would have been without that support.
When you find the answers to those questions, post again.
TFA's have a place but they all aren't effective teachers. What they do have that non-TFA's don't is continuous support and training during the summer months and throughout the year from TFA and CMS. CMS had a similiar program for new hires from 4year colleges. It was a mentoring program run by the CMS Professional Development Dept. Principals gave this program high marks and accolades. It was extremely successful, but it wasn't created by Gorman. It was in place before he arrived so what did he do shortly thereafter called all of those who worked in the program to a meeting and told them the mentoring program would close in a few weeks.(A foreshadowing of the RIFT program now in place.) So now college trained 1st and 2nd year teachers have no systematic on-going training and support like TFA's. In addition to the ongoing support they recieve from the TFA organization, TFA's in effect get a "double dose" of support, training and mentoring from each school's in house professional development programs.
As for the "Aspiring Leaders Program" why wasn't it open to all 1st or 2nd year teachers? At least they should've have been allowd to apply. I personally know of 1 "Aspiring Leader" who had low test scores, I mean low, less than 45% passing rate, but because of her gift of gab and good interview skills learned as a result of the TFA's college experience in a Sociological field, this TFA is shadowing, rubbing elbows with Gorman, Ann Clark and Zone Supertindents.
The bottom line is that TFA's like all 1st and 2nd year teachers have some highly effective ones, some with the right mentoring and support that can become highly effective and others who shouldn't be in the profession at all.
Gorman and Ann Clark need to quit skewing data and studies so they get the BOE to continue to rubber stamp his programs without throughly studying them. The BOE needs to get a brain...how can Gorman and Clark still have jobs and not have been victims of "Strategic Staffing" when the district's rating has been below proficiency on State exams for at least the past two-three years and just reached the Proficient level this year? It's all about how you spin the data isn't it! Last note Dr. Gorman is a master PR person and I believe he's padding his resume on the backs of all CMS children? If not he'd give all schools freedom and flexibility and all 1st and 2nd year teachers the same opportunities TFA's by allowing them to apply for the Aspiring Leader's program and establishing a parallell mentoring support program for them. Then he'd be comparing apples to apples. But nothing will change it'll be business as usual and he'll ride off into the sunset to a more prestigious and higher paying job without looking back and leaving CMS in the proverbial mess!
...saying so long suckas!
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