Negar Azimi's New York Times Magazine piece about Teach For America might be new, but her criticisms of the program are not. Take, for example, the idea that TFA is for college graduates a "résumé-burnishing pit stop before moving on to bigger things." That may be partly true--but so what? If a high-achieving 22-year-old works long hours in a needy school for two years before moving to Goldman Sachs, isn't that a good thing? TFA alumni are mostly an impressive bunch. Many are destined to become leaders in their professional fields, and if they take with them an up-close perspective of how bad public schools can be, and what it might take to fix them, so much the better. Plus, many TFA alumni never considered a career in education. But now, after their two-year stints in the classroom, some have become deeply involved in educational reform. TFA is changing the mold, and it can expect pushback and nitpicking from the "business as usual" crowd. It's too bad that Azimi gives such a platform to the naysayers.
"Why Teach for America," by Negar Azimi, New York Times, September 30, 2007