Teach for America

Teach for America recruits

produce higher test scores, 

get better results

• By Jane Roberts
• Memphis Commercial Appeal
•  December 3, 2010 
•  
• The most effective new teachers in Tennessee are being trained by Teach for America, not colleges of education, with the exception of math teachers from Vanderbilt University.
  The University of Memphis, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, UT-Martin and several smaller colleges score in the bottom 20 percent for the quality of reading teachers they produce, according to the 2010 state report card on teacher training, released Wednesday.
  The ratings are based on the teachers' student test scores, not their own academic performance.
  Teach for America, which recruits high-performing college graduates to the classroom from all disciplines, racked up the highest student scores among new teachers in reading, science and social studies.
  Even compared to students of veteran teachers, students of TFA teachers had the highest test scores in reading. Vanderbilt teachers' students took top honors in math.
  "What I found really exciting is these results reflect the national studies," said Brad Leon, TFA vice president in Tennessee and Texas.
  "Our corps members are making an impact where they are needed the most."
  The report card, prepared annually by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, includes student test score data for public school teachers who have been on the job up to three years.
  Of the state's 42 teacher colleges or teacher accrediting agencies, eight show dismal results, including the U of M.
  "Some of the things that the report indicated needed changing have already been changed," said Curt Guenther, university spokesman.
  "To strengthen our graduates' skills in the areas of math, science, language arts and social studies, our students are now being required to take coursework in all four areas," he said.
  Under stricter requirements adopted by the Tennessee Board of Regents, education majors now must complete one year as a student teacher instead of a partial semester. They also must pass a series of tests that include being videotaped as they teach, and must prove mastery of elementary literacy, he said.
  The report does not include data on teachers who graduated from colleges outside Tennessee or who are teaching in private schools.
  "It is not as useful as it could be for program improvement or changes," said Emily Carter at the Higher Education Commission.
  Under revamping expected with federal Race to the Top funds, future reports will include growth measures for all teachers, not just those whose subjects are included in state tests, she said.
  Teach for America has been placing teachers in Memphis since 2006. With money from the Gates Foundation, Memphis City Schools has doubled to 100 the number of new TFA teachers it places each year.
  This year, TFA was approved to offer its own teacher accreditation program, bypassing the requirement that its members earn teaching credentials from U of M or Christian Brothers University, whose graduates also scored high in math.
  U of M is required to serve a wide variety of people with a wide variety of abilities, Guenther said.
  "That has a bearing on what they learn here and how well they perform when they leave.
  "We are exploring the possibility of raising the admission standards in our teacher-preparation programs, which is a current national trend, but we have to weigh that change against our public mission."
  The report can be found online at tn.gov/sbe/teacherreportcard2010.htm.