At the last weekend in Washington, a panel of some of the most recognizable names in the education reform movement discussed the need for a 鈥渞evolution鈥� to close the nation鈥檚 achievement gap.
Teach For America is the nonprofit organization that places high-achieving college graduates in under-resourced public schools around the country. Many education reformers have held the program up as a model because of its commitment to disadvantaged students and its emphasis on student and teacher performance.
The summit served as a call to action for the 11,000 attendees, largely current and former TFA corps members, gathered in the nation鈥檚 capitol.
Panelists in the conference鈥檚 opening session鈥攊ncluding former District of Columbia Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, Harlem Children鈥檚 Zone founder Geoffrey Canada, and former New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein鈥攚ere asked to compare the fight for educational equity to the uprising in Egypt that pressured President Hosni Mubarak to step down.
鈥淲e鈥檙e at a place I鈥檝e never seen before,鈥� said Rhee, who recently founded the nonprofit . 鈥淓ducation reform has now hit the mainstream with 鈥榃aiting for 鈥淪uperman鈥濃�� and NBC鈥檚 Education Nation. Normal people 鈥� are able to understand what鈥檚 at stake and what鈥檚 happening. ... Unless we鈥檙e aggressive right now, knowing that opposition and controversy might arise, we鈥檙e not going to be able to do this.鈥�
鈥淭his is America鈥檚 issue,鈥� Klein told the audience. 鈥淲hat will change it? Each one of you insists that each school in America is one you鈥檇 send your child to. Forget incremental change鈥攚e need radical change.鈥�
Canada asserted that the last time he had seen people assemble so passionately around an issue in this country was during the civil rights era. 鈥淚 never thought I鈥檇 see this moment. I thought we鈥檇 go down for the cause. 鈥� Now I鈥檓 thinking we could really win!鈥� However, Canada said, he fears the movement鈥檚 momentum could diminish. 鈥淲e have to understand as a nation that we鈥檝e become soft around fighting for what we believe in.鈥�
鈥淚 challenge you to make this our Egypt moment,鈥� said Klein.
Several panelists pointed to the network of Knowledge Is Power Program charter schools, which serve low-income communities and are some of the highest-performing schools in the nation, as evidence that it is possible to eradicate the achievement gap. KIPP was founded by two TFA alumni.
The Unions鈥� Role
One voice of dissent at the conference came from Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. Teachers鈥� unions have historically been critical of Teach for America鈥檚 five-week training program and two-year commitment, as well as school districts鈥� continued hiring of TFA corps members while veteran teachers are being laid off. In a breakout session moderated by Rick Hess, the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute and an 澳门跑狗论坛 blogger, Weingarten emphasized the problems associated with teacher turnover.
Both research and common sense point to the fact that teachers are better in their third and fourth years than their first and second years, said Weingarten. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want there to be churn in the first years,鈥� she explained. 鈥淵ou lose so much knowledge. This doesn鈥檛 happen in other professions. We need to create a knowledge base in terms of teaching.鈥�
For people who use teaching as a 鈥渟tepping stone,鈥� said Weingarten, referring to Teach for America corps members who go on to other professions after their two-year commitment ends, 鈥渇ine, they have a right. But in this economy, with these dollars, I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 the right thing.鈥� According to Weingarten, the country wastes $7 billion per year on teacher attrition.
鈥淲e have to make schools a stable environment for our kids,鈥� she said.
Outside that session, critiques of teachers鈥� unions peppered the discourse at the summit. 鈥淧art of the problem we have in this country is that the unions鈥� job is to stop innovation,鈥� said Canada. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about being anti-union. But if you have a history of blocking reform, you are part of the problem.鈥�
Klein warned against allowing unions to stand for the teacher voice. 鈥淒on鈥檛 buy into this notion that if all the adults collaborate [through the unions] it鈥檚 going to be OK for kids,鈥� he said. 鈥淎dults have been collaborating and kids are getting screwed.鈥�
Duncan, Obama Chime In
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan鈥攄onning casual attire, with no tie or jacket鈥攁lso gave a keynote address Saturday afternoon, praising TFA for 鈥渃hanging the face of public education in this nation.鈥�
TFA does more than just provide great teachers, said Duncan. He told a story about sitting down with Douglas Shulman, the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, to try to simplify the federal financial aid application鈥攁n effort that he said has since enabled 750,000 more young people to go to college. Duncan explained that when he expressed gratitude for Shulman鈥檚 eagerness to help, Shulman replied, 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know this about me. But I鈥檓 a Teach For America alum.鈥�
Even President Obama had a message for those at the summit. In a pre-recorded video, he congratulated the organization on its 20 years and thanked corps members for their dedication. 鈥淭hank you especially to those who鈥檝e stayed in the classroom after your two-year commitment,鈥� he said.
The summit coincided with the release of Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp鈥檚 new book, A Chance to Make History. Kopp鈥檚 keynote address focused on giving students a way out of poverty through 鈥渢ransformational education.鈥�
鈥淲e have not yet made a meaningful difference 鈥� in an aggregate sense,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he achievement gap remains the same as it was 20 years ago.鈥� For that reason, she said, 鈥淭each for America must continue to grow.鈥�
