The state of New York on April 20 approved a new pilot allowing programs such as Teach for America (TFA) to grant masters degrees in education, something that has long been the exclusive prerogative of universities and teaching colleges.
This decision continues the recent trend of both educators and graduates seeking out alternative paths to teaching certification. A record number of recent graduates are choosing to delve directly into classroom teaching after college through TFA, in lieu of pursuing the traditional path of education schools.
Harvard University this year hit a record high in terms of the percentage of the graduating class applying to join the TFA corps.
This trend of increasing interest in TFA was also seen at Tufts, according to TFA Regional Communications Director Kaitlin Gastrock. She said that there are currently 30 Tufts graduates working as TFA corps members, and over eight percent of the senior class applied to join TFA.
This trend is welcomed by proponents of alternative education training, who view it as a positive revival of the teaching profession, allowing students to apply their knowledge in a meaningful setting.
"TFA allows them to make an impact directly in the classroom," Gastrock told the Daily. "A lot of students are thinking more broadly about their career and are looking for what they think they can have the biggest impact doing."
Matthew Wilder, a spokesman for Boston Public Schools, welcomed the increase in the number of options for schools.
"We're looking to use all of the resources available to us to bring teachers into our classrooms," Wilder told the Daily. "We want teachers who are willing to be part of a team and who are excited to be in schools where there is a lot of room for growth. So we're excited to partner with these programs that are using innovative ways to bring teachers to the class."
TFA began as a program aimed at bringing high-quality, new teachers into low-income, urban school systems as a means of instigating reform in deteriorating classroom settings and providing genuine education to struggling students in poor communities.
The cornerstone methodology of TFA, which was unique and unfounded in the education community, was to plant teachers without certification and prior practice in classrooms.
"There are many great ways of training teachers," Gastrock said. "But we have found that our method of hands-on training has been very effective."
Others, however, have voiced reservations that TFA hinders the hiring of long-term, quality professionals.
Coming from the more traditional philosophy of training teachers, Lecturer of Education Steven Cohen believes that while having classroom responsibilities is needed to learn how to teach, a more pragmatic approach would be to undergo an extensive and prolonged period of training without simultaneously having to be the sole teacher for an entire class.
Cohen cited Tufts' Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree program, a one-academic year curriculum split between taking courses and student teaching at local partner schools, as a stronger model for teacher training.
"The year of doing the MAT really allows teachers to get experience while not being in charge of a classroom all the time," Cohen said. "They have time to reflect; they're not thrown in with all the responsibilities from day one. This makes a major difference."
Cohen said that TFA training is thorough, but he doubts that it can provide adequate preparation for interaction with students.
"What our students are doing over the course of 10 months is what Teach for America tries to do in just [five] weeks over the summer," Cohen said. "Over time, it's a real strength to work with a cohort for a year and realize if you are really committed to teaching."
Gastrock, however, highlighted TFA's extensive application process for college graduates interested in joining the corps, noting that TFA searches for very particular qualities in its applicants.
"We have a very rigorous selection process," she said. "We recruit college grads that show the traits that we have found over our years of experience and research that indicate success in the classroom."
To emphasize the effectiveness of TFA's recruitment strategy, Gastrock cited a 2008 study by the University of North Carolina Charlotte Urban Institute that examined seven years of data from high school exams in the state.
"Exam data found that Teach for America corps members were, on average, more effective than other teachers in all subject areas, especially in math and science, even when [TFA] teachers were compared with experienced, fully certified teachers," she said.
Despite statistics like these, educators like Cohen remain skeptical that successful teachers can be identified before they have any real exposure to teaching.
"I have been teaching for 35 years, and there are still only some days when I feel like I know what I'm doing," Cohen said. "It takes three to four years to really know how to teach in a classroom. A [TFA] teacher is only in a school for two years."
Ideal qualities in a teacher take time to develop and are difficult to predict in a person, according to Cohen.
"Just enthusiasm and straight A's in college doesn't mean you'll do well as a teacher," he said. "To create new teachers that will last in the profession, we see clearly that that's not the case."
Gastrock noted the program's surge in popularity and called it an indicator of growing public recognition of and familiarity with TFA's goals.
"First, there's a general increase in interest in service among college students," Gastrock said. "Second, TFA has gained a strong reputation for teaching students. We see any increase in the number of dedicated teachers as a positive thing."
