Teach for America Responds

The following is a letter to the editor in response to Chadwick Matlin's piece, "Teach for America Gets a Timeout":

To the Editor,

I want to follow up on a couple of points from Mr. Matlin’s commentary on Teach For America. By leaving out any mention of the education politics in Boston that long predate Teach For America’s arrival, he tells only part of the story. Teach For America corps members are teaching in the highest-need schools under the same collectively bargained teacher contract as everyone else.

Additionally, Mr. Matlin’s claim that corps members are “teaching in classrooms without any aid” is incorrect. Corps members receive intensive, individualized professional development for two years, focused on advancing their students’ academic achievement. Education Week recently reported on the evolution of our training and support program, noting that Teach For America “is now attracting attention for the rapidity with which it refines its professional-development system and its commitment to helping its recruits exhibit effective teaching practices.” 

The positive results of these efforts show in independent research, which consistently demonstrates that corps members have a strong impact on their students’ achievement.

With the Boston contract changes, corps members will get exactly the same deal as before and will continue to do what they are doing right now: working hard in a tough job next to other dedicated teachers who are collectively attempting to make kids’ lives better.

Respectfully,

Kevin Huffman
Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Teach For America