For several weeks, lawmakers in the Ohio House Education Committee have debated HB 21 –legislation that would grant a resident educator license to Teach For America alums wanting to teach in Ohio and open up alternative licensure pathways so that the actual program could take root here. With a GOP-controlled House, HB 21 is likely to pass. (Read Terry’s testimony, as well as testimony by two teachers at Fordham-authorized charter schools, in support of the measure.)
Ohio’s battle to bring TFA here is a long one. If one thing is clear from the House hearings, it’s that many gross misperceptions about the Teach For America program persist. Should Teach For America-Ohio finally come to fruition, it’s important that the education community, policy makers, and laypersons alike can recognize the merits of the program and separate fiction from fact.
Teach For America is not new or untested. TFA has a 20-year track record and exists in 33 (soon to be 36) states in communities that need them most. Last year alone, 46,000 applicants applied, including 1,500 from Ohio alone. Ninety percent of corps members complete their two-year commitments (that’s higher retention that other teachers in similar schools); 60 percent stay after their two-year commitment, and two-thirds of alumni stay involved in education in some capacity. As Rep. Brenner asked a few weeks ago, “Would [TFA] be in business in 35 states for 20 years if your model didn’t work?” The clear answer is no.
Teach For America is not merely a solution to teacher shortages. Several lawmakers seemed to fixate on the notion that Ohio already has enough teachers. But TFA’s mission is “to build a movement of leaders committed to ending inequity,” and with Ohio’s brain drain problem, why in the world wouldn’t we want to retain top talent in urban and rural classrooms instead of letting other states siphon it away? Last year TFA was the top employer for the graduating senior class at Denison University, Kenyon, Oberlin, and College of Wooster.
The quality of research about Teach For America matters more than the “pile” of research. Andy Rotherham penned a must-read column in TIME that dispels a lot of common myths about TFA, among them that the research about its effectiveness is “mixed.” Kevin Kelley, dean of the education school at University of Dayton, argued that TFA teachers are less effective than traditionally-certified ones, especially in reading. But lawmakers should be reminded that the quality of research matters tremendously. Rotherham did a great write-up last year cautioning against “study laundering” and highlighting the studies of TFA with the most rigorous methodology. These are ones Ohio lawmakers should pay careful attention to. You can see a full list of research, including a grading of studies’ methodology (according to rigor) by Education Next, on TFA’s website.
 | Last year TFA was the top employer for the graduating senior class at Denison University, Kenyon, Oberlin, and College of Wooster. | |
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Teaching is not a jobs program. Along with wondering why TFA would want to place in non-shortage areas came the assertion (from several lawmakers) that this “could shortchange Ohio teachers” or be a threat to in-state grads of traditional teacher colleges who are currently facing “stiff competition.” But putting the most effective teachers in classrooms that need them, not providing jobs for adults, is paramount.
Creating new talent pipelines isn’t an incrimination of the rest of the education community. Ohio can always use more great teachers in high-need schools, and bringing in TFA doesn’t mean that the ones we currently have aren’t sufficient. TFA brings in talented individuals who are committed to teaching in low-income schools where many traditional educators don’t want to work. Ohio has committed to turning around the lowest five percent of its schools and should staff them with teachers who are committed to the challenge.
Teach For America produces not just great teachers, but leaders committed to closing achievement gaps – of which Ohio has plenty. In terms of achievement gaps, 42 percent of white eighth graders in Ohio scored proficient on the reading portion of NAEP, while just 13 percent of African American students did so. In math, the gap is worse – a 30-percentage point difference. Teach For America teachers across America are lifting achievement among poor and minority students, and with passage of this bill they could be in Ohio doing the same as early as this fall.
In short, Teach For America – along with hundreds of Ohio college students and alums of the program – are ready to begin working in some of Ohio’s toughest schools. It’s time that we let them.
