Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

41 GU Grads Join TFA Effort

Teach For America, one of the most popular post-graduation options for Georgetown students, won a $50 million grant this month, which will enable it to double the number of educators in its corps by 2014. Forty-one members of Georgetown’s Class of 2010 joined the TFA’s group of 4,500 instructors this year.

Although more graduating seniors joined TFA in the previous two years, with 53 joining in 2009 and 45 in 2008, Georgetown remains one of the biggest feeder schools to TFA. Georgetown has been involved with TFA since the onset of the organization in 1990, when six Hoyas joined its ranks. As of September of this year, an estimated 364 Georgetown alumni are involved with TFA or have completed the program.

“There is a strong commitment to service among the student body,” said Amanda Mills, senior recruitment director for Teach For America, in an email. “Georgetown students truly embrace `Men and Women for others’ and . they are seeking those opportunities to be truly challenged and work relentlessly to ensure opportunities for students across America.”

Brian Cook (COL ’10), who pursued a double major in sociology and English, joined TFA this fall and now teaches eighth-grade English at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Temple Hills, Md. Cook originally planned on going to law school upon graduation, but midway through senior year, he began to think about TFA.

“On campus, I’d been really passionate about social justice issues, and so issues of equity on campus [were] important [to me], and it was only natural that I was looking for something that I’d be able to work toward a national goal and make changes on a local level,” Cook said.

Despite the raving reviews TFA receives at Georgetown, recent articles in national media have criticized the impact of the organization. An article in The Washington Post noted concerns over the quality of educators produced by TFA. Critics of the program are mainly concerned that the five-week intensive summer training course all new teachers undergo before hitting the classrooms is not enough to transform recent graduates into quality educators. Indeed, educators like Cook sometimes have some experience in education before joining Teach For America. In 2009, Cook started Black Leadership Summer Experience, a summer camp that brought 10 students from Maryland’s Montgomery County public schools to Georgetown for one week of seminars taught by Georgetown professors, other student leaders and guest speakers. The camp focused on black leadership and heritage and college preparatory skills. Cook has been able to apply what he has learned from developing the camp now that he has joined TFA.

Cook recognized the concerns over the training at TFA, but said he believes that the TFA corps ultimately does more good than harm.

“The key word here is `urgency.’ The time is very limited to make the kind of gains to have [students] ready for high school and . have them college-ready,” Cook said. “It’s a serious challenge because the [overall] mission is to change hearts and minds, but the day-to-day challenge is to change behavior. The ultimate goal is to change their outlook and their families’ outlooks on education and what it can do for their lives.”

TFA officials said that the criticism was unwarranted. Kaitlin Gastrock, TFA’s regional spokeswoman, stressed that those five weeks are just the beginning of training for TFA teachers.

“[T]raining continues once the school year begins and throughout their two-year commitment with regular professional development from experienced mentors and coaches,” Gastrock said. “Generally, the model [of training] we have honed is making an impact.”

Despite these methods, some find it troubling that almost half of the instructors leave the organization upon completion of the mandatory two-year commitment, creating concern that instructors left before their participation can have a real impact on students.

A study conducted by the Urban Institute in 2008 found positive conclusions to TFA’s training method, however.

“The findings . suggest that programs like TFA that focus on recruiting and selecting academically talented recent college graduates and placing them in schools serving disadvantaged students can help reduce the achievement gap, even if teachers stay in teaching only a few years,” the study said.

Cook believes the biggest problem is getting enough teachers, whether they are a part of TFA or not, into schools.

“We need people who are willing to sprint as opposed to jog, and we need teachers who are willing to stay beyond their two years and use framework, use data – and adjust things to meet their goals . to make sure our students are reaching higher levels,” Cook said.

Steve de Man (COL ’04), who now does administrative work for TFA, mentioned the impact that Georgetown has had on TFA’s development over the years.

“We are all over the country, including the Teach For America Executive Directors in San Antonio, Indianapolis, Alabama. We have a strong presence of Hoyas on the recruitment team, marketing, alumni affairs and program,”Wde Man wrote in an email. “No other school represents staff like Georgetown.”

Cook was fully supportive of Georgetown’s active role in sending graduates on to join TFA.

“Georgetown creates the type of leader that can bring these things together, and we should absolutely [continue] trying to be leaders [in supporting Teach For America],” Cook said.”

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