Two days ago, the Ohio legislature affirmed their commitment to low-income children, to turning around failing schools, and to education reform writ large: Both the state House and Senate passed legislation that paved the way for a Teach For America site in the Buckeye State while also making it easier for TFA alums to gain teacher certification. Even in a Republican-controlled state like Ohio, opening the state to TFA wasn’t a sure thing, and the House and Senate proceedings leading up to the vote were a stark reminder of an underlying hostility toward change. Pre-vote, heated claims about TFAers being little more than dramatically underprepared “white missionaries” echoed through the House gallery. They were followed by asserted fears that TFA teachers would steal jobs from more “qualified” education-school graduates. It was a long time coming, and there’s still a long ways to go, but after this week, the Buckeye State is one step closer to ensuring that that every child receives the excellent education he or she deserves.
This piece originally appeared (in a slightly different format) on Fordham’s Flypaper blog. To subscribe to Flypaper’s RSS feed, click here.
“House backs Teach for America plan,” by Jessica Alaimo, Zanesville TimesRecorder, March 24, 2011.
“School-choice options advocated at rally,” by Catherine Candisky, Columbus Dispatch, March 23, 2011.