TFA: Troubled Waters in Seattle
I had been waiting for this story to come out. It's just what I thought because it is the reality of TFA in the Puget Sound region. No real success at all. Districts? Just not interested or finding plenty of fully-qualified teachers right here in Washington State.
From Non-Profit Quarterly:
Maldonado was also feeling the conflict, but also noted that TFA’s national office had stumbled in dealing with the challenges in Seattle. Maldonado said that “TFA just hadn’t done the research” and “national staff came off as ‘arrogant…they were assigning the blame to everyone but themselves.’”
TFA’s original 38 approved applicants had been reduced to just 13, serving ten schools, only three of which addressed the high-needs population, a critical part of TFA’s mission. An official with TFA cited that the issues in Seattle were a “complete aberration” by the organization.
I found this statement funny:
TFA in Seattle has made adjustments following the backlash. Lindsay Hill, the Seattle TFA Director, has eliminated all district fees, stating, “We have to make sure that our vision and our strategy meet our context.”
Meaning, if we don't end fees, we may end up with NO districts hiring because no one is seeing the value of TFA and the bottom line to their budgets.
From Non-Profit Quarterly:
Maldonado was also feeling the conflict, but also noted that TFA’s national office had stumbled in dealing with the challenges in Seattle. Maldonado said that “TFA just hadn’t done the research” and “national staff came off as ‘arrogant…they were assigning the blame to everyone but themselves.’”
TFA’s original 38 approved applicants had been reduced to just 13, serving ten schools, only three of which addressed the high-needs population, a critical part of TFA’s mission. An official with TFA cited that the issues in Seattle were a “complete aberration” by the organization.
I found this statement funny:
TFA in Seattle has made adjustments following the backlash. Lindsay Hill, the Seattle TFA Director, has eliminated all district fees, stating, “We have to make sure that our vision and our strategy meet our context.”
Meaning, if we don't end fees, we may end up with NO districts hiring because no one is seeing the value of TFA and the bottom line to their budgets.
Comments
I can't imagine with the current board that it would be renewed.
It seems a key point to have been left out, especially since contract renewal will theoretically trigger a new round of TFA critiques front and center in Seattle.
EdVoter
CT
Any chance Stritikus doesn't want to close down the program because Gates et. al need a pipeline of TfA recruits for charter schools?
No happy Edu Cocktail events for Stritikus et al without the program in place. I mean this literally as well as figuratively.
DistrictWatcher
DistrictWatcher
Teach for America has their own response to the Nation story. I don't recognize the Seattle they describe.
Although the agreement says that it is for three years and covers the 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-2014 academic years, it doesn't terminate until August 31, 2014. That means that Teach for America corps members can be hired for the 2014 school year - if they are hired before August 31. Of course, after that date the Board is no longer obligated to approve their request for a conditional certificate, but the Board has never rejected such as request. So by making the agreement end on August 31 instead of June 30, it really covers four academic years instead of three.
"..we met a unique level of resistance from a small but vocal group of individuals in the area.."
Not true. There were many, many parents, teachers and community members who learned about TFA and spoke out. This kind of marginalization is still part of TFAs playbook.
I also note that TFA Washington continues to use old test data on RBHS and Aki Kurose to say that they have poor outcomes. That is wrong.
CT
Amused by Mr. DeBell's quote - "political optics" - what the heck does that mean?
reader47
Here's the NonProfit Quarterly link again.
DistrictWatcher
"Colleagues in the Highline School District (and a couple from Renton) were at the school board meeting to speak against Susan Enfield's agenda of pushing a contract with TFA in Highline. The board backed Enfield, and friends who stayed late were disgusted to see Enfield giving her TFA friends HUGS all around after the meeting let out."
Again, the author of the article knew the scoop on Tom "8x10 glossy headshot" Stritikus, and the PESB/TFA canoodling.
TFA got off lucky.
You would know better than I whether SPS's official school year is different than the state's official school year.
If it is not, the TFA contract would end following this school year 2013-14.
--- swk
We should get Rita Green and the RBHS crew to give TFA a talking to regarding their out of date mischaracterizations of RBHS.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/26/us/a-walmart-fortune-spreading-charter-schools.html?src=me&module=Ribbon&version=origin®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Most%20Emailed&pgtype=article
-- Dan Dempsey