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EDUCATION

Lessons From Locke

The author spent a year embedded with Teach For America. Can its recruits really remake education?

By Donna Foote | NEWSWEEK
Published Aug 2, 2008
From the magazine issue dated Aug 11, 2008

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  • Posted By: texas kid @ 08/14/2008 11:52:11 PM

    Comment: It seems to be open season on teachers, led by the likes of Michelle Rhee, who think the problem in education is poor teachers. This is tantamount to blaming a physics professor for failing a student that took advanced physics, regardless of it being their first time in a physics classroom. Gauging teachers on the outcome of a standardized test would be the same as gauging the physics professor on that one student. Teachers do not have the luxury of picking their students, and as the article stated the school Wendy Locke was embedded in had only 11 percent of students who read on their grade level. How is a teacher suppose to have these students proficient enough to pass state tests if less time is spent on teaching the material and more time is spent on remedial studies?

    The real solution is not to fire every teacher and try to find ???perfect??? replacements, but to get these kids into head-start programs. Study after study shows that the sooner a child is read to and their mind is engaged in intellectual activities the better they will do in school. So it is not the ???stupid teacher,??? it is the home life and living environment of the student, many of which come from an environment where education is not highly regarded. States and school districts need to focus less on piling on test after test and rather move needed resources to programs and daycares that engage the child at the earliest possible.

    Finally, I take issue with the author stating that many teachers come from ???diploma mills.??? What exactly is she implying? If you did not attend a college with ivy growing on the buildings you came from a so called diploma mill. I attended a state college and now teach and believe that my education and training was top notch. I also believe I know my subject area well and I am an effective teacher.

  • Posted By: hey mista @ 08/14/2008 4:06:28 PM

    Comment: One last bit, continued from my post below...

    I left teaching in a middle school after two years, but not because I couldn???t handle it. I made many strides that I am very proud of in the classroom, both personally/professionally and for my students. I didn???t leave because of worsening school behavior or because of the pay situation. I left because I did not feel respected by my administrators. I was fortunate that I created other options for myself in order to fulfill my dreams of becoming a doctor. But never will I speak negatively about my experience in the classroom because it did open my eyes to another side of education that will carry on with me. What was sad to me, though, was having a parent comment I was too smart to teach her child (when she was upset about him failing). Even more distressing to me, I had students and colleagues who told me that I didn???t deserve the stuff I put up with from being a teacher, that I needed to leave the school immediately, and that I need to go fulfill my dreams of becoming a doctor. It still is shocking to me to think about those conversations because if these people do not value this profession, why would anyone else?

  • Posted By: hey mista @ 08/14/2008 4:05:46 PM

    Comment: I came into teaching with the possibility of a long-term career. At the same time, I had aspirations of becoming a doctor, which I put on hold because of the high importance of education to me. I did not go to school for a teaching career, but rather for one in the sciences. I did, however, spent a majority of my activity time working with tutoring programs and the school of education to ensure that I had the foundation for success in the classroom. The first year, like for almost all new teachers, was rough. From the 200 new students I had to meet and teach (middle school science) to overcoming judgmental looks from parents/administration/teachers/students, the challenges were all there. Sure, the pay was low, but as a single guy without a family, I could deal with it. The biggest challenge, like many others have pointed out, is not as one-sided and simple as the author presents. There are amazing teachers in buildings who are often underutilized. There should be structures in schools for discipline and academic support that are sometimes neglected by those in charge or not present at all due to lack of funds. There are administrators who either should not be in the posts or have simply forgot about what it means to be a teacher, possibly due to the extra stresses they take on in their side of education. There are parents who are sending students to class unprepared, but there are also students who are not held accountable for themselves since they see everyone else placing the blame elsewhere. The problems are there, but it is not an easy problem that can be fixed with a few new tests and some dollars here and there.
    Now, as a TFA alum and a graduate of Stanford, I can understand the frustration many people have with the TFA program. In fact, the Stanford School of Education is one of the biggest critics of alternate certification programs. TFA does not replace teachers; it helps fill a need in schools. I will admit that I know of TFA teachers who are not involved for the right reasons, ie a bigger boost to their future. But it is offensive to me and others to make the broad generalizations about the program and our ability in the classroom, just as it is offensive to make comments about the level of intelligence of life-long educators and the neglect of their experiences. While it can be detrimental to students in having teachers who come in and out like hurricanes, it is just as harmful to them to not have an educated body in the classroom. Unfortunately, there is not an overwhelming desire for people to stay in teaching through the first five years (TFA and non-TFA alike), which leaves us with many more openings than newly regular-certified teachers can occupy. TFA does not proclaim to be the solution to the problem. Like someone mentioned, the program is a band-aid for a bullet hole.

  • Posted By: insurgente @ 08/10/2008 10:04:53 AM

    Comment: It is important to note that the way that 'success' and 'achievement' are actually defined quite narrowly: standardized tests. These single snapshots tell us very little about what is actually going on in schools. I have no problem with using these single assessments (which are more often about student buy-in and other nonacademic conditions) as a data source, as long as a variety of assessments are being used on a continuous basis. Secondly, 'A Nation at Risk' is an alarmist Chicken Little report that assesses children on a narrow set of criteria. I'm not saying there isn't a crisis in education; but we (I am a teacher entering year 10) aren't treating the right symptoms.
    Finally, if I am the most important presence in my classroom, then doesn't it follow that the principal is the single most important presence in the school? What about school leaders with no classroom experience? Leaders who refuse to hold their teachers accountable? Leaders who make two to four times what their teachers make and yet very rarely observe and support their teachers? To be sure, there are some bad teachers out here, but what is being done to help them improve? And what is being done to show them the door IF they are underperforming?
    I have always argued that we teachers must be the professionals that we profess ourselves to be. So should the folks charged with evaluating us and holding us accountable..

  • Posted By: Ashli0509 @ 08/09/2008 5:18:48 PM

    Comment: Ahem. Parents. Parents. Parents. Parents. Parents. Parents. PARENTS ARE THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.

    Only my husband and I can make sure our girls are loved, nurtured, rested, well-fed, bathed and groomed and sent off to school in a manner in which they can be taught. And then, then when the teacher has the opportunity to teach them, it is only my husband and I who can work with them to make sure the knowledge they learn during the day takes hold ??? that it is studied, memorized, given context, culture and meaning so that it sinks in and shapes their lives.

    Give a teacher a child who has no love, is not well-rested or well-fed, who has no one to help him with his homework, no one to read him bed-time stories, or take him to museums and on trips to bring alive the concepts he is learning in the classroom. And that child is a child who the teacher will in almost all cases not be able to help.

    I am outraged on behalf of both parents and teachers to have someone suggest that teachers alone bear the burden of a child's achievement. Teachers are like gold. They are an amazingly valuable tool to a parent in the rearing of a child (and don't under-estimate the damage a bad one can do to your child. Been there, done that.) But teachers don't do what they do in a vacuum. It's not fair to suggest that America's educational system would be in better shape if we just had better teachers.

    American's educational system ??? and all of American's "systems" for that matter ??? would be in better shape if we had better parents in America, not if we had better teachers in America.

    My daughters go back to school in less than two weeks. They may have exceptional teachers, or they may have mediocre teachers. Either way they will learn and grow and prosper this year, because their dad and I are committed to investing all we have in their lives and their education. That is what makes the difference. That, my friends, is the single most important factor in student achievement.

  • Posted By: TeachFor.Us @ 08/08/2008 6:01:39 PM

    Comment: <a href="http://TeachFor.Us">TeachFor.Us</a>

  • Posted By: TeachFor.Us @ 08/08/2008 6:00:17 PM

    Comment: This is the perspective of someone on the outside. To read about teaching in the words of the Teach For America teachers, visit TeachFor.Us (http://teachfor.us). TeachFor.Us is the blogging community about and by Teach For America corps members.

  • Posted By: pch72 @ 08/08/2008 12:18:28 PM

    Comment: As a long time teacher, I applaud any practical efforts to improve education in this country. However, I question Wendy Kopp's strategy. It bothers me that she thinks the program's money is best spent on young, untried graduates. Why is she neglecting one of our schools' best resources--outstanding veteran teachers?Most of her "best and brightest" abandon their students after two years. Then these ex-teachers are supposed to go out and work for change in the system? After two years? I think one of the biggest problems in education today is that the people who make policy at the state and national level are clueless about the realities of the classroom, either because they have minimal experience (like TFA alumni); they have no experience (like legislators); or they have been out of the classroom so long that they have no idea what the 21st century classroom is like. I have been trying to find a reference to Ms. Kopp's teaching experience, but I can't find any. How much time has she actually spent in the classroom?
    Why doesn't TFA redirect some of its considerable resources at more practical initiatives such as internship programs? Every new teacher flounders a little in the first year. Why not come up with money to fund a program that has first year teachers working in a classroom with committed, qualified, veteran teachers? Why doesn't TFA help fund community initiatives that bring parents back into the education equation? At the very least, TFA should extend the commitment it expects from its participants. That way it would attract graduates who are truly interested in teaching and help eliminate those who do it to fill in a blank in their lives.
    One more thing--shame on Ms. Foote for "It's the teachers, stupid!" And shame on Newsweek's editors for allowing it! The statement shows a complete lack of understanding of problems with education today. Has the magazine ever made such a comment about any profession? A full-page apology would be nice!

  • Posted By: Boomer46 @ 08/08/2008 9:10:23 AM

    Comment: As long as articles that continue to blame teachers for the woes of public schools appear in magazines, newspapers, and other media, you will find fewer and fewer college graduates entering teaching. Who wants to enter a profession where the pay is low, the working conditions are abysmal in far too many school divisions, the responsibility is overwhelming, and the respect is non-existent? If teachers, who are at the bottom of the food chain in public education, bear so much of the responsibility, then why aren't salary scales reversed...teachers being the highest paid employees and administrators, the lowest.
    The finger should be pointing at the decison-makers, the politicians, and parents. And there comes a time when students, too, need to be held accountable for what they learn or don't learn. I started teaching in 1970...if I had a dollar for each new idea, or strategy, or curriculum model that I have seen over the years, I could have retired a long time ago. Many of these strategies look good on paper and to the public, but to those in the trenches...they just don't work...but, teachers are expected to magically turn them into successful programs with few materials, little support, and more children in their class than than they have space for.
    We do a lousy job of selling the importance of beng educated in this country and articles like this cheapen the hard work and dedication of those who are truly committed to public education and to helping children learn. What is wrong with the TFA program...arrogance and lack of committment.

  • Posted By: willowcup @ 08/06/2008 10:28:42 PM

    Comment: Some people posting seem to believe that TFA teachers are replacing good teachers in the work force in their attempt to change the system. My daughter taught high school for 5 years in Compton, two with TFA, and each year she taught, there were unbelievable vacancies in all areas throughout the school year! Some students interested in taking higher level math could not because there were no teachers available. Some classes had substitutes for much of the year. TFA teachers go where they are invited, where there is a great need for motivated people who are willing to do the job. My daughter worked incredibly hard against unbelievable odds. Teachers for TFA teach with temporary credentials in CA while working on permanent certification. She took education courses at night while she was teaching and did receive CA certification. What frustrated her the most was the system at large. I have been teaching for almost 30 years (the last 20 in the Southeast in an upscale school district, the first ten in an underresourced district in a lower socio economic area in a large midwestern city) and what she described in her school can only be described as chaos. I agree with many posters that Ms. Foote unfairly puts the blame for our educational woes primarily on teachers. I have worked with many dedicated educators who put more passion, time and energy into their jobs than most Americans do. But, working conditions and salary do make a difference, and few can do the job well in a school like she was in for very long without losing their spirit. Where is she now? In law school ??? planning to work in public interest law and hoping to make some systemic changes in education, exactly what TFA hoped for when they recruited her.

  • Posted By: elop2 @ 08/06/2008 8:46:42 PM

    Comment: If great the TFA "ALUMNI" are "leaders" in education and not teachers, otherwise they would have been only two years in the system just as their TFA teachers were.

  • Posted By: Kristin12381 @ 08/06/2008 8:01:05 PM

    Comment: "It's the teachers, stupid?" As a high school teacher, I am offended by this comment. It's not the teachers. I made it through grad school with a 4.0, I know my subject area inside and out, and 96% of my students pass the state mandated tests every year. It's the PARENTS, stupid. They'd rather be their kid's BFF than a parent. I've seen parents help their kids cheat--I've even seen parents LIE to cover up for something their kid did wrong. Whatever happened to personal responsibility? It's completely missing in the youth of today and it's causing public education to fail. All the responsibility has been taken away from the students, taken away from the parents, and now it's all on the teacher. Teachers should be equally accountable, not fully accountable. A child's education starts at home.

  • Posted By: k_jarrett @ 08/06/2008 7:26:32 PM

    Comment: Unions ARE the problem. They ensure that no workers are held accountable, which makes people lazy and actions without consequence. Why are these unionized workers refusing to be held to standards like the rest of us? Parents are also a major problem. Kids will only perform to the standard to which they are held.

  • Posted By: TFA Alum and Proud of it @ 08/06/2008 6:21:46 PM

    Comment: As a TFA Alum who left the teaching profession entirely, I can say that the problem is not just pay, or status, or co-workers...it is a combination of all of the above and then some. My biggest complaint? The parents, quickly followed by inept administration. As to "having my loans paid off"...how ignorant. These are the "best and brightest" and the loan repayment is quite small...I could have earned 5x what I was earning with my degree had I not joined TFA...I had no loans to begin with. To think that the "best" give up 2+ years of their careers to do this for the money is insane. We all do it because we believe in the greater vision that maybe we can change the world for the better...not just for a better paycheck. Now why did I leave? A) I'm smart enough to know when I'm beating my head against the wall and the wall ain't gonna budge. B) I started a family and wanted to commit my time and energy to my own children. C) By working from outside the system, in some ways I have the opportunity to have more influence because my new position in the community carries a lot more prestige and respect than I'd have ever gotten as a teacher.

    TFA has it right, whether their alums stay in education forever or not. They take the nation's best and make them advocates for better education for all, and they have the authority that comes with first hand experience to make people listen.

  • Posted By: att50 @ 08/06/2008 6:07:44 PM

    Comment: Foote contradicts herself. She says "it's the teachers, stupid", yet something drives "the best and brightest" teachers away from teaching. What could it be? It's not the low salary and prestige, for the TFA teachers knew this from the outset - they ARE the brightest, after all, so they would have figured this out early. What could be the reasons for the low job satisfaction? My guess is that their inferior colleagues will be blamed.

  • Posted By: HappyTeacher @ 08/06/2008 5:44:56 PM

    Comment: As a teacher, I agree that TFA is not that great. Most who complete their program do not stay in education and that's one of the problems. We need teachers who are willing to stay for more than two years, so they can get their loans paid off.

    By the way, we are not overpaid. Well, I know I'm not overpaid. I generally find that most people who gripe about teachers and the days off are people who have never been teachers. Imagine being in a classroom everyday with 160 different personalities. That's what I have in middle school, but I'm actually not complaining. I love teaching. It's what I've wanted to do since I was four-years-old. That's probably why I've been doing it for the last seven years. That's probably why I go to school in the evening and during the summer, so I can keep my credential up-to-date.

    To the person who posted with the name "overpaid", I invite you to spend a week teaching. I guarantee that negative attitude about teachers will change.

  • Posted By: overpaid @ 08/06/2008 4:52:16 PM

    Comment: mOST TEACHERS ARE LAZY, HAVE THE SUMMERS OFF AND EARLY DISMISSALS, SNOW DAYS, EVERY HOLIDAY KNOWN TO MAN AND HAVE BENEFITS GALORE AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE. THEY ARE OVERPAID NOW . IF THEY CAN'T TEACH THE KIDS TO READ AND WRITE NOW ARE WE GOING TO GET BETTER RESULTS IF WE PAY THEM MORE? THE SCHOOL YEAR IS A JOKE AND THE TEACHERS KNOW IT.

  • Posted By: cakinli @ 08/06/2008 3:58:33 PM

    Comment: The student, not the teacher, is the most important factor in student achievement.

    The students, sometimes through fault of their own, but more often not, show up for class without the equipment to learn. As a volunteer for an inner-city after-school program, the most steadfast conviction I have acquired is that the deficiencies in many children's home lives (and those of all of the children in our program) leave them horrendously under-equipped to participate in the learning process. The rest of us take for granted just how much we already had when we showed up for our first day of Kindergarten. Kids show up for their first day of Kindergarten, at age 4 or 5, already 3 or 4 years behind! What prayer do they have?

    And when I say behind, I don't mean in knowledge. That would be an easy fix, especially at that level. No, the far more fundamental needs of children (love, safety, and support) are not met by the home lives I'm contemplating.

    How does a school, classroom, or teacher offer a substitute for the first 5 years of a life being spent in a loving, safe, and supportive environment? How can the public education system ever address such a question? Should it even try?

    Or should we be looking for a more holistic approach? It's tempting to presume that the solution to a problem whose symptoms appear in your realm must also rest in your realm. Immersed in the world of teaching and primary education, she presumes that its failures must necessarily be fixable by better teaching.

    What if they can't? Then what? I promise you that if you took the kids from our neighborhood and dropped them into the best prep schools in the country, they would fail miserably without the support we offer them. Likewise, if you took happy, healthy, well-adjusted middle-class kids and put them in our school system (among the worst in the country), they'd do fine and get into whatever college they wanted to.

    A super-teacher could probably reach a few of our kids, and a super-parent could DEFINITELY make sure that his/her child could get a fine education in any school in this country (I know, the worst are right here). But so long as we devise plans that only address one side of this problem, we are REQUIRING super-teachers and super-parents to step forward? Then, we cite the rare examples where super-teachers do their thing as validation of the idea. But is it reasonable to think that you could apply that to the masses?

    If a plan can guarantee success, if only it had 475,000 super-teachers, it's a terrible plan.

    The educational failures we see before us are a final result of a long chain of failures. Any attempt, at a system level, to treat them directly amounts to merely treating the symptoms, not the disease, and is ultimately destined to fail.

  • Posted By: kappamansam @ 08/06/2008 3:27:23 PM

    Comment: The teacher is a very import part of what I like to refer to as the Three-Legged Stool. The Teacher (representing the school), the Parent representing the value system displayed at home, and the student (bringing a willingness to learn) form this stool. Without a competent teacher, not much will be possible. Without a parent showing their student to respect and value both teachers and education, very little learning may be accomplished. Without the student understanding the value and importance of learning to learn, the bulk of the work falls to his or her intrinsic motivation. If parents are active in the school, better results will be made manifest. Think of it like this "If I as a principal, have to face large groups angry parents everyday, the press, the school board, and the super, will have to act.

  • Posted By: bono71 @ 08/06/2008 3:25:35 PM

    Comment: Oh my, what a piece this article is. "It's the teachers, stupid." Really? Could it possibly be the parents? How does having 70% of a certian demographic in this country born out of wedlock affect education? How does a single parent home affect the time a parent spends with the child/children affect education? How does teen pregnancy (kids raising kids) affect education? America spends more money per student than any other country on earth. I am sorry, but it is waaaay more than the teachers, stupid.

  • Posted By: mathycakes @ 08/06/2008 3:14:40 PM

    Comment: What the author fails to mention is the large percentage of TFA alums who leave teaching after their commitment ends, not to mention those who fail to complete their assignment.

    This is only a bandaid on a crack in the Hoover Dam. Until we completely revamp public education, the problem will continue.

  • Posted By: ea1973 @ 08/06/2008 2:52:32 PM

    Comment: If it's really "the teachers, stupid", then why do schools with children who come from middle or upper class homes do so much better than students in poor homes?
    Just curious

  • Posted By: blmyoung @ 08/06/2008 2:09:54 PM

    Comment: It seems my passion for the subject has been mistaken as hostility. Foote's article discusses the pitfalls of our education system, and very directly places blame on teachers. Regardless of the overall purpose of her article, it only perpetuates the ignorant belief that teachers are incompetent and the sole reason for the downfall of the educational system. Yes, teachers are the most important part of a student's success, but no, they are not the only reason students are failing. A simple reference to this fact would only make the article more fully informative, not derail its purpose.

  • Posted By: thynec10 @ 08/06/2008 1:48:20 PM

    Comment: blmyoung - The jist of your comment is correct, but your hostility towards the author seems misplaced. The 2nd half of the article notes how TFA alumns are working on systemic problems. Foote doesn't directly address the problems generated by NCLB, but that's not the purpose of her article. She is correct in noting that teachers are the single most important factor in a child's educational success.

    Also, while I share your distain of standardized testing, there are ways for teachers to be creative within the constraints of NCLB. Standardized tests just add to the pile of (unfair) challenges to the teacher. And, yes, I am TFA alumn - fighting the good fight at the university level now.

  • Posted By: blmyoung @ 08/06/2008 1:18:24 PM

    Comment: "Its the teachers, stupid." Interesting how solving the educational system in America is seemly so easy. Just throw some more money at the teachers, make it a little more competitive, problem solved. While these things would definitely help, they are far from the entire solution. How can a teacher be responsible in a school system which tells him or her what to teach, how to teach and when to teach it, down to the minute? There is no room for the teacher to prove competence, let alone the fact that creativity along, with the students' excitement of discovery in learning, is completely taken away. How can the teacher be solely responsible for a failing student in an educational system based on standardized testing alone? Classrooms are devoted to learning the tests, not to learning for life. That kind of learning creates stress and pressures not only for the teacher but the students as well. On top of that, the standardized test used to measure students' knowledge is based on percentiles, meaning that students' scores are compared in such a way that a certain percent MUST FAIL. So while President Bush totes his No Child Left Behind propoganda, saying that no child should be failing after a certain number of years, the standardized test is scored in these percentiles which require failure. Donna Foote, consider looking into the subject more thoroughly before pointing the finger.

  • Posted By: crp3501 @ 08/06/2008 1:11:33 PM

    Comment: Note to Obama and McCain: do the math!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Posted By: crp3501 @ 08/06/2008 1:11:11 PM

    Comment: Note to Obama and McCain: do the math!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Posted By: petermchurch @ 08/06/2008 1:05:45 PM

    Comment: It says something about a society's priorities when 19-year-olds who can't read and write get $100 million to put a ball in a basket, but our teachers generally make under $100,000 a year. Ultimately, who adds more value? And anything that's established by a government - be it federal or state - is bound to fail. Look at how private school thrive in this country. Vouchers, not a handful of do-gooders who are looking for another line on their resumes, go further toward solving this problem. You want to fix public education? If you've received scholarships or grants to attend college, give out the money with strings attached: Two years in an inner-city or down-in-the-mouth school. After that, offer $125,000-$250,000 a head, and you'll get the best teachers to show up, even if it's in a school in the middle of gangland hell. We have many dedicated teachers in this country, but also too many who keep their jobs because they don't know what else to do, have nowhere else to go and are protected by unions. Make teaching a primo job and you'll attract primo talent.

  • Posted By: Jane Q. Teacher @ 08/06/2008 12:40:14 PM

    Comment: How could I possibly disagree more with the statement that it's the teacher's fault!? If you will track the decline, it began when teachers were no longer allowed to discipline students. Excuse me, before that, it was when prayer was taken out of the schools. Now we have a generation of parents that were not disciplined themselves raising children with even less disciplne.

    Teachers are regarded as targets, not role models. We must reclaim our children and their respect before any positive changes wil take place.

  • Posted By: trudypac @ 08/06/2008 11:52:03 AM

    Comment: "It's the teachers, stupid"? Are you kidding me? Blaming the teachers, as usual, is not helping but hurting the cause. Saying that teachers are low scoring, low achieving and that it's their fault that the students are not doing well really hurts the people who are teaching. I am a former Ph. D. student (biology) who went to work in South Los Angeles after grad school (not with TFA). I have been teaching ever since, but am so tired of being blamed for all of society's ills. Teachers can't be retained because they BURN OUT. Charter schools aren't helping retain good teachers. Teachers need things like job security, and the ability to say NO when they are being asked to do too much. When I try to talk up teaching to my students or to my kids, they say they can't imagine working so much and dealing with all of the stress of the classroom. Anyone who knows a good teacher can attest to the fact that they work a lot and have to put up with a lot.
    But it's easy to exploit young idealists that don't have families to raise. Once you have kids and a family to take care of, you can't work constantly any more. Are you then a "bad teacher"? Or do you just recruit more youngsters to do the job for a couple of years to be replaced by the next cohort.
    Why would anyone choose this as a career?

  • Posted By: esljoy @ 08/06/2008 8:07:19 AM

    Comment: It is not only the teachers, it is the school system, the community, the parents, and the child. Basically it is everyone! The teachers are responsible for how they teacher, some are bad, most are Ok, and then there is those of us that are great. THe school system is responsible for who it hires and the assistance it gives the teachers that it teach. The community needs to step and value education for what it is, the key to the future and the only profession that influences the lives of everyone. The parents have to support the school and the teachers. The child is responsible for their own learning at any age. If everyone else does their job then why shouldn't the child do his or hers, learn? Teachers can teach but if the child doesn't want to learn than no learning will take place. There is no one reason why the education system is failing. Teach for America is good as in it puts future business people, doctors, lawyers, etc. in the classroom for them to experience what it is like in the real world (verus the privledged world of Harvard, Yale, etc.). Maybe some will stay and most will go, but they have been there and those lessons that they learn in the classroom will stay with them forever. As a teacher I am offended but the phrase "It's the teachers, stupid!". The author needs to look at the other parts of the picture.

  • Posted By: iowateacher @ 08/06/2008 12:32:28 AM

    Comment: "It's the teachers, stupid"? The single most important factor for student achievement is not the teacher, it is socioeconomic status. Not that the teacher isn't an integral part of the education system, but when students don't show up to school, don't have enough to eat, and belong to a gang and expect to be dead by the age of 25, a teacher can do little to motivate these students. Also, when parents value athletic achievement over academic achievement, that doesn't help. But it is much easier for media and politicians to rant about "improving teacher quality" because criticizing teachers is much easier than trying to tackle the problems of poverty, gang violence, and juvenile crime. Many teachers I know are highly qualified not only to be teachers, but to be professional writers, scientists, and even doctors, but chose to teach because they believe in what they are doing.

  • Posted By: UrbanTeacher @ 08/05/2008 10:54:01 PM

    Comment: Teach for America teachers are certified by the state in which they teach. If they only had the courses in high school, it is the fault of the state for certifying them, not Teach for America. Or possibly the fault of the school for having the TFA teacher in a course they are not certified for. Certification requirements usually have to do with how many credits were taken in college, not necessarily what the final degree is.

  • Posted By: wmm51 @ 08/05/2008 10:04:10 PM

    Comment: What happened to the "Highly Qualified Teacher" requirement? Does a TFA "teacher" that has a degree in business or sociology that comes to a high school and gets to teach English or science to our students have any kind of qualification to teach these subjects? We have TFA teachers at our school that have no training in the subjects they are teaching other than what they learned in high school. It would make more sense if this organization put someone with at least a degree in the subject they were teaching in the classroom. Don't hold these people up as examples of a good teacher -most have no idea of how to teach a subject. They think if they open a book and read to the students or lecture them, the kids will learn. However, many of them do not understand that each child learns in a different way and you have to know if the child is a reader or needs hands on examples to understand the subject. Let's start finding out what success full teachers are doing in the classrooms and share that with the community at large so they can be emulated. Also, you have teachers who will never make a big income but choose to teach anyway. I know of a teacher who has 20 + years of Chemisty and Physics teaching experience but gets paid the same as a teacher with only 6 years experience because he chose to move to another state. He will never make up the $20,000 difference in income but he is still teaching in a lower income area and tries very hard to get each child to learn something by year end. He spends his vacation time attending classes and learning new methods in hopes of reaching each child. Money isn't the reason he teachs, but shouldn't we compensate someone who choose to dedicate their lives to teach better than we do?

    Let's start a movement to recognize teachers who actually know the subjects they teach and care about their students - which is probably about 80% of the real teachers - not the TFA's.

  • Posted By: UrbanTeacher @ 08/05/2008 10:03:40 PM

    Comment: So for those of you who think it is only the parents not the teachers... what do you make of a situation in which a child has extremely motivated and involved parents who are committed to education, but also has a teacher who has no content knowledge, no skills to manage a classroom, or has low expectations for students and "dumbs down" the course? Is this child set up to be successful in their future?
    Or conversely, what about a child who has no parental involvement and a messed up home life, but has a teacher who is so motivating and inspiring and teaches at a rigorous so that the child not only wants to learn and succeed but makes so much progress in a year that the child is getting closer to being on par with his or her peers in the more affluent suburban disctricts?

    How can you say it is only the parents? Teachers can make all the difference in the world by taking responsibility for their role as a teacher and no longer making excuses for the children.

  • Posted By: SociallyConcerned @ 08/05/2008 9:15:49 PM

    Comment: As a dedicated teacher (with a Mensa-level IQ, FYI) in a low-income, high-risk high school, I resent the implication that TFA teachers are "better" just because they are Ivy League graduates. Being a talented teacher has nothing to do with IQ. Being a teacher requires understanding, patience, love, sweat, tears, and strength, not necessarily book smarts. To me, the TFA program paints the image of smug, know it all kids who come in and expect to "rescue" the educational system in two years. If ANYONE thinks that that is the solution--replacing solid, dedicated teachers who are "in the trenches" for years on end with hotshots who blow in and out like smarty-pants hurricanes--they truly are victims of an uneducated society. I love how these Ivy Leaguers are celebrated for "slumming it" in schools, and then patted on the back for hightailing it out as soon as their "tour of duty" is up (presumably to go get a "real job"), while teachers who devote their lives to the ins and outs of between 30 and (in my case) 200 kids a day are belittled and insulted by the insinuations that they teach because they can't do anything else. It's the teachers? Try "It's your attitude", Stupid.

  • Posted By: topteacher @ 08/05/2008 8:43:40 PM

    Comment: I am highly offended by the remark "It's the teachers, stupid!" I didn't quit after two years. I taught in the public schools for 10 years. I was there as, year after year, students became more and more unruly and neither parents nor administration did anything to help stem this tide of misbehavior. Students could not only refuse to do any work, they could refuse to stop talking or refuse to sit down ...any number of beligerent behaviors...and the teachers got NO support from the home front or the front office. When we TRULY have a system where students are held accountable for their behavior, we will have schools that work. And PLEASE, don't let me hear any comments that I was just a teacher who couldn't control the class. I also taught in a private Catholic school...not full of rich kids...but full of students whose parents were poor and mostly minorities...parents who did without so that they could pay this school's meager tuition...but they also were parents who insisted that their children behave both at home AND at school...parents who not only insisted that their kids do their homework but also took the time to help them with it...parents who showed up at PTA meetings and parent-teacher conferences after long days at work. I didn't take a job teaching because I couldn't do anything else...I was on the Dean's List at college. I went into teaching because I wanted to teach. But until there's discipline back in the schools, you won't see test scores getting any better. Administrations that enforce rules and parents that support teachers are the KEYS to success.

  • Posted By: sweetchuckd @ 08/05/2008 8:40:36 PM

    Comment: The education system needs fixed. Check out http://detentionslip.org for the daily headlines that will shock you. It's a leader for crazy school house news.

  • Posted By: topteacher @ 08/05/2008 8:32:55 PM

    Comment: I am highly offended by the remark "It's the teachers, stupid!" I didn't quit after two years. I taught in the public schools for 10 years. I was there as, year after year, students became more and more unruly and neither parents nor administration did anything to help stem this tide of misbehavior. Students could not only refuse to do any work, they could refuse to stop talking or refuse to sit down ...any number of beligerent behaviors...and the teachers got NO support from the home front or the front office. When we TRULY have a system where students are held accountable for their behavior, we will have schools that work. And PLEASE, don't let me hear any comments that I was just a teacher who couldn't control the class. I also taught in a private Catholic school...not full of rich kids...but full of students whose parents were poor and mostly minorities...parents who did without so that they could pay this school's meager tuition...but they also were parents who insisted that their children behave both at home AND at school...parents who not only insisted that their kids do their homework but also took the time to help them with it...parents who showed up at PTA meetings and parent-teacher conferences after long days at work. I didn't take a job teaching because I couldn't do anything else...I was on the Dean's List at college. I went into teaching because I wanted to teach. But until there's discipline back in the schools, you won't see test scores getting any better. Administrations that enforce rules and parents that support teachers are the KEYS to success.

  • Posted By: luzma_del @ 08/05/2008 8:28:40 PM

    Comment: The author implies that only TFA teachers are qualified, since "Today's teachers score in the lowest quartile of college grads and too many of the schools that train them are diploma mills". The author fails to state what exactly makes TFA teachers more qualified. I do not believe a teacher with an Ivy League degree in business plus a 5-week crash course in classroom management is any more qualified than a graduate with a 4 or 5 year degree in education. If anything they are less qualified, and putting these teachers into impoverished classrooms where the kids NEED stability and then leaving after two years (assuming they make it) is only doing more harm than good. I commend those TFA alums that do decide to stay in education, but according to the article 2/3 do not. America's kids deserve better, so please give teachers the respect they deserve and work to figure out a way to attract teachers that want to stay.

  • Posted By: ron24 @ 08/05/2008 7:08:31 PM

    Comment: I guess you get what you pay for. Increase wages and attract the quality you speak of. Being a teacher , who teaches in a poverty sticken area, I find that the we have lost many teachers to business and inducstry where there is less confrontation with kids. parents and administration. Just a thought from someone with 38 years in.

  • Posted By: ron24 @ 08/05/2008 7:07:28 PM

    Comment: I guess you get what you pay for. Increase wages and attract the quality you speak of. Being a teacher , who teaches in a poverty sticken area, I find that the we have lost many teachers to business and inducstry where there is less confrontation with kids. parents and administration. Just a thought from someone with 38 years in.

  • Posted By: ron24 @ 08/05/2008 7:06:53 PM

    Comment: I guess you get what you pay for. Increase wages and attract the quality you speak of. Being a teacher , who teaches in a poverty sticken area, I find that the we have lost many teachers to business and inducstry where there is less confrontation with kids. parents and administration. Just a thought from someone with 38 years in.

  • Posted By: historyguy @ 08/05/2008 6:01:23 PM

    Comment: As a teacher I resent comments like, "It's the teachers stupid". Teachers work very hard, and in some cases teachers are the ones that truly care. It's time for the media to stop blaming teachers, we do the best we can with what we are given to work with. Have you read a textbook, It's no wouder students will not read them. If a student causes trouble in the classroom, its your problem not the office. If you send the out, they come right back and laugh in your face. During all of this you are suppose to teach. You try it!!

  • Posted By: historyguy @ 08/05/2008 5:47:31 PM

    Comment: "It's the teachers Stupid!!! ?" The people that talk that way are the ones that have not been in the classroom. Teachers work very hard ,and in some cases are the only ones who truly care. If I could have gone to a 5 week course why did I have to take all those education classes? It's time to stop blaming teachers, We do the best we can with what we have to work with.

  • Posted By: goroos06 @ 08/05/2008 5:18:22 PM

    Comment: Teach For America is a good program in theory, but you can not teach a recruit 2-3 years of material in five weeks. I've had several friends who have been in TFA, and unfortunately did not complete their 2 years. They just weren't prepared for the hardships, and the lack of support systems. They were sent into some of the toughest schools with 5 weeks of teacher preparation training. You just can't do that. Teaching is a tough profession, and I am insulted that people would say teachers score in the lowest quartile of college grads. Statements like these are the reasons why there is a lack of college graduates going into teaching. Teachers do not get the respect doctors, lawyers, athletes, and other professions get. Maybe we need to look at reforms in teacher preparation programs, and the way we view teachers.

  • Posted By: yoteach @ 08/05/2008 4:48:36 PM

    Comment: "Today's teachers score in the lowest quartile of college grads and too many of the schools that train them are diploma mills."
    I???d love to know where this statistic came from. One of the biggest problems with the teaching profession is the fact that we constantly have to defend ourselves because of blanket statements such as this one. How can the public respect teachers when the media paints a picture that the vast majority of teachers are apparently morons. I think TFA is a great program, but it is terribly arrogant to think you have the magic key to fix all of our educational problems. It is really counterproductive to point the finger and say, ???It???s your fault,??? to anyone. Are there bad teachers out there? Sure. Are there lousy parents? Sure. Children???s success is dependent on so many factors. Each child is a complicated puzzle and if one little piece is missing it can have a tremendous impact on their success. Each day, on top of being prepared for my lessons, I have to navigate each child???s personal baggage. Did ???Sally???s??? divorcing parents have another blowout fight again last night? Last time it happened, she had a hard time concentrating. Is ???John???s??? mother doing better with her chemotherapy treatments this time around? He???s been so worried and his grades have gone down. I wonder how ???Mark??? handled saying goodbye to his dad who has been deployed to Baghdad for a year? I better make sure I have cash just in case ???Mary??? has no lunch money again. These are all true stories of scenarios of which I have no control. I could be the best teacher ever, and that will only make a dent when kids have other issues weighing on them. Instead of highlighting every negative story, I???d like to see the media in general start to celebrate what teachers are doing well. I guarantee there would be more stories than Newsweek could handle.

  • Posted By: srdphdtx @ 08/05/2008 10:55:43 AM

    Comment: As a veteran of a low performing school that was recently closed by our state education agency and scientist who made a midlife career switch to public education, I would like to offer my view on this subject. Until the parent (family) support system cares enough to get their students to school on time everyday and act as partners in completing homework assignments and maintaining classroom discipline, then the system will remain in peril.

    Our school system also needs to realize that not all kids are going to college. Students should be encouraged and have that opportunity, but they should also be offered good vocational programs that will emphasize good high school education coupled with marketable skills applicable to different trades.

    • Posted By: EE7011 @ 08/05/2008 12:04:29 PM

      Comment: srdphdtx, I do agree that the family unit can have an incredible impact on the drive for children to succeed academically, but what is not mentioned is the important role the community plays as well. We as people cannot and should not get through life alone. We should be able to turn to our neighbors,community leaders, teachers, coaches, elders etc. for support and guidance so we can become responsible and respectable adults. I would imagine that a child growing up in a community where adults are not supported and cared for the way they need/deserve is at risk for not being being supported in the same manner.

  • Posted By: sdshakti @ 08/05/2008 8:55:17 AM

    Comment: I agree that it is really the big picture that we need to keep in mind and that planting the seeds is a great way to begin moving out of the educational deficit. I believe that no matter what the intentions it is going to happen organically. Teachers and students will all go their own unique ways. We can't just pin our hopes on a cause or organization and then forget about it. But one thing is for sure, the human spirit will prevail and if it is one individual or 20,000 making a difference we are sure to see changes if we are honest with ourselves and do our best. I applaud everyone who is taking the risk of pulling their heads out of the proverbial sand. Let's keep going.

  • Posted By: EE7011 @ 08/05/2008 8:46:29 AM

    Comment: Not to discredit the teachers involved with TFA, but underpriviledged students across this country deserve to have more than two years access to top knotch college graduates. They deserve to be taught by teachers who are motivated, supported and well paid throughout their entire grade school education.

  • Posted By: Lenore101 @ 08/05/2008 6:13:17 AM

    Comment: I???m the first person to say that TFA is an amazing program. It gives underprivileged children access to highly educated motivated teachers. While at the same time giving recent college grads valuable work experience, a chance to give back the community, as well as an inside look at the discrepancies of out education system. Based own my own experiences and those of my friends I???d say that a majority of the participates in the TFA program have no intention of making a career a teaching, and money isn???t the only reason why. All my friends who went did TFA did so for two reasons. First they had no idea what to go to grad school for and second to give back.

    You want to make teachers stay? Then lower the class size. I???ll take a lower salary, 18-20 students to a class and June, July, August any day.

    • Posted By: Kristin12381 @ 08/06/2008 8:12:15 PM

      Comment: No kidding. I struggle with classes of 30-35 students. It takes half my time just trying to keep them on task! And if one misbehaves, where do I put him? Can't move him--he'll find another friend within a two-foot radius to talk to.

  • Posted By: Lenore101 @ 08/05/2008 6:12:59 AM

    Comment: I???m the first person to say that TFA is an amazing program. It gives underprivileged children access to highly educated motivated teachers. While at the same time giving recent college grads valuable work experience, a chance to give back the community, as well as an inside look at the discrepancies of out education system. Based own my own experiences and those of my friends I???d say that a majority of the participates in the TFA program have no intention of making a career a teaching, and money isn???t the only reason why. All my friends who went did TFA did so for two reasons. First they had no idea what to go to grad school for and second to give back.

    You want to make teachers stay? Then lower the class size. I???ll take a lower salary, 18-20 students to a class and June, July, August any day.

  • Posted By: jsmith1029834765 @ 08/05/2008 2:26:21 AM

    Comment: As a TFA alum still involved in the education spectrum, I can both completely understand where many of you are coming from with your comments about the larger issue being the parents, but I can also say - very matter of factly - that you are simply mistaken. Students in the most impoverished areas of our country often do not even have family support, let alone parents that care yet they are some of the most successful in the classrooms. I understand for those of you not familiar with these settings, but it is ignorant to think that it is the parents who have the power to make a difference. Students can rely on good teachers, good leaders, and good communities as substitutes for poor or neglectful parents

    • Posted By: highlyeducatedteacheraz @ 08/05/2008 9:35:41 PM

      Comment: Really? Students can rely on good teachers, good leaders and good communities as substitutes for poor or neglectful parents? Interesting concept seeing as how teachers are not allowed to talk to students about personal matters or issues that involve decision making or able to be alone in a classroom with less than a handful of kids for fear of crazy accusations or because of administrative guidelines, in fact it is nearly impossible to find a comprehensive sex ed course in a public school, yet the number of sexually active students is mind blowing. Our high school students are regularly engaging in drinking and driving, drugs and sex. How is a teacher going to replace the influence a parent has over the decisions a kid makes regarding these things? If a parent is okay with their minor staying out until midnight; engaging in risky behaviors; ditching school and earning bad grades, a teacher they have for one hour a day telling them they are worth more than that isn't going to make the difference. Really the thought that education can be fixed by highly educated, highly motivated individuals who only slightly more often than rarely "buy in" to their schools or students or the giant mess that is American education is nothing more than a fantasy.

  • Posted By: atticus67 @ 08/03/2008 9:30:49 PM

    Comment: As a high school teacher for the past 8 years at a few different schools, I have come to this conclusion: there are really no good teachers or bad teachers, good schools or bad schools. There are simply good parents and bad parent. If a parent supports his/her child's education, that child will do well regardless of the school or the teachers. If a parent doesn't, there isn't much a teacher or school can do. The best indicator of the success or failure of any student is how much there parents push them to succeed. Yes, there are exceptions to this rule, but it is true for 95 percent of all the kids I have ever taught.

  • Posted By: teachwithhope @ 08/03/2008 4:11:57 PM

    Comment: I am a teacher in an impoverished school. I have sunken my heart, soul and considerable passion in helping children see their potential, thus raising test scores. If TFA can teach me something I don't already know, BRING IT ON. That is not meant to be arrogant. But, if you think teachers are the only answer, you are arrogant, desparate, and deluding yourself. We must all work together. For children suffering abuse and tragedy, learning they even have a potential must first be understood, before they can attempt the middle class value of succeeding on a state/national test. There is no "Wall Street Model" that can help children in this way. Love, passion, committment, and oh yeah, love are the answers.

  • Posted By: EffYou @ 08/03/2008 1:47:52 AM

    Comment: "It's the teachers, stupid!"

    No, it's the parents. The parents have to care about education before the kids will. That commitment makes it easier to attract good teachers. Do you think it's a coincidence home values are higher near good schools? Committed parents will up and move to get their children a good education (if they can afford to).

  • Posted By: sukesb1 @ 08/02/2008 11:53:08 PM

    Comment: I have to wonder what parents are doing about this. It amazes me that a child will spend about 990 hours in school during a given year but about 2600 waking hours after school at home. Now by my calculations the most effective teacher will be outside the school. Reading aloud is the most important activity one can do with a child. It is enjoyable at any age really. There are books with only pictures for illiterate parents that give that parent a chance to interact with their child. Books are free to use at public libraries. There really is no excuse monetarily why more reading cant be done in the home. That being said many children will not get the chance to be read to so why not do it more in school. "The more you read the more you learn and thus the more your earn" (Jim Trealease, The Read Aloud Hand Book.)
    We spend more money on ineffective worksheets that could go towards more books in school. Elementary teachers should make it a priority to read out loud in class everyday and give time for silent reading also. In Junior High and High School reading both aloud and silently should be half of the English class and writing the other. Reading is the only effective way of learning vocabulary, punctuation, and grammer. If a child can read well they can do well in every other aspect of education. How can they read a math text book or biology or any other subject if they cant read.
    Our education system needs to focus on creating lovers of reading. That should be our number one priority. Read, read and read. For an excellent book on the studies of reading and others read, The Read Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease. It also has an excellent treasury in the back with wonderful books for different ages that are appropriate for reading aloud.

  • Posted By: sukesb1 @ 08/02/2008 11:51:38 PM

    Comment: I have to wonder what parents are doing about this. It amazes me that a child will spend about 990 hours in school during a given year but about 2600 waking hours after school at home. Now by my calculations the most effective teach will be outside the school. Reading aloud is the most important activity one can do with a child. It is enjoyable at any age really. There are books with only pictures for illiterate parents that give that parent a chance to interact with their child. Books are free to use at public libraries. There really is no excuse monetarily why more reading cant be done in the home. That being said many children will not get the chance to be read to so why not do it more in school. "The more you read the more you learn and thus the more your earn" (Jim Trealease, The Read Aloud Hand Book.)
    We spend more money on ineffective worksheets that could go towards more books in school. Elementary teachers should make it a priority to read out loud in class everyday and give time for silent reading also. In Junior High and High School reading both aloud and silently should be half of the English class and writing the other. Reading is the only effective way of learning vocabulary, punctuation, and grammer. If a child can read well they can do well in every other aspect of education. How can they read a math text book or biology or any other subject if they cant read.
    Our education system needs to focus on creating lovers of reading. That should be our number one priority. Read, read and read. For an excellent book on the studies of reading and others read, The Read Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease. It also has an excellent treasury in the back with wonderful books for different ages that are appropriate for reading aloud.

  • Posted By: ikie12pts @ 08/02/2008 11:08:52 PM

    Comment: The big reform in our public schools (No Child Left Behind BS) etc was simply a ploy by book companies to put pressure on schools to buy new $80 textbooks every five years. There is so much paperwork for teachers now that they have no time to grade their students' work!!! There are hundreds of pages of "goals" for students, teachers and schools to meet that it's ludicrous. AND, it 's absolutely meaningless. MEANINGLESS. When high school students cannot read (a lot of them can't), but they are pressured into expressing themselves on a NCLB assessment, It's just a racket and schools have bought into it.
    If the average parent knew what their kids "don't know", they would rise up and demand better. Their students cannot read, write a sentence, add, subtract or multiply. If they fail, there are countless state and federal after -school programs where teachers spoon feed students trying to get them caught up. Then, there are summer schools, which are jokes. A student cannot learn an entire class in 2-6 weeks, especially if he didn't learn it in one whole year.
    One year, one school in our state was put on "probation" because of low test scores when in reality, the tests had never been scored because the truck carrying them to New Jersey or wherever, wrecked and the tests were destroyed. Yet, before someone dug into the facts of that case, the school lost state and federal funds for the next year and some teachers lost their jobs.

  • Posted By: ikie12pts @ 08/02/2008 10:56:14 PM

    Comment: Attracting the "best and the brightest" is an age-old adage that has NEVER been true for the teaching profession. I am a teacher and a lot of our younger ones are not prepared for this vocation. They don't have a command of the English language, they are ignorant of their particular area and they don't set a good example for their students in or out of school.
    With the advent of "teaching to the test", or "teaching THE test", our teachers are simply trying to keep their jobs. The "scores" are the THING, not the students' welfare or advancement . If a teacher's students' scores don't increase every year, his/her job may be in jeopardy. It's the most insane thing ever! Students are tested only in specific grades and never while they have the same teacher, so what are the scores supposed to be measured against? They ARE MEASURED AGAINST OTHER STUDENTS' SCORES THE YEAR BEFORE. How are students supposed to improve their scores when they are never tested again on those specific subjects? Yet, teachers lose their jobs and schools lose money because their scores don't improve. If you want to see where our education system stands, watch JAY WALKING on the Tonight Show. Our kids cannot find the US on a world map and neither can their parents. All of this is due to the GREAT REFORM of the early nineties. Since that time, our children have become more and more illiterate. I teach high school and my students don't know the four directions on a simple map....I had them stand up with their arms outstretched to point to east, west and then nod their head forward for north etc. They had no clue, even though the sun was just coming up outside our classroom window at 8:00 A.M. I reiterated...the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Most of them looked puzzled. When one of my seniors said that he wanted a Volkswagen Van for his birthday so that he and some of his friends could DRIVE to Africa,(we live in Nebraska) NO ONE LAUGHED EXCEPT ME. We are in big trouble, people! Big Trouble!!!!!!!!

 
 
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