Teach For America is Vulnerable to Union Protests But Can Provide Unique Teachers

Getting college graduates to teach in high-need classrooms has long been criticized for a way to replacing costly and experienced teacher with younger, cheaper, under-prepared teachers. The Boston Teachers Union recently filed a complaint that their contract deal has few of the benefits that Teach For America teachers enjoy (though some TFA teachers are in the union.)

The superintendent of Boston schools agreed that the preferential contract for TFA teachers was unfair. But that's not the end of it explains Chadwick Matlin, he says "The Boston union’s victory is a potential bellwether for the rest of the country." With teacher unions keen to protect jobs it's expected that similar complaints will be filed nationwide. But TFA continues to grow, filling 10-30 percent of new teacher positions, with its program hugely oversubscribed — 35,000 applications for 4,100 positions. Stimulus funds won't last for ever, and TFA may continue to come into indirect conflict with the unions as the money runs out and cheaper teachers are sought.

But of course, TFA students aren't always college graduates who's lack of experience is a problem. We recently heard of a Navy submarine commander now working in Indianapolis. And this week the Times featured a profile of Tom Dunn who went from working with death-row inmates (Troy Davis was one of his former clients) to teaching at Martin Luther King Jr School in Atlanta, explaining “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

Some explain that teachers who go through TFA programs struggle to deal with more complicated problems in the classroom such as learning difficulties, but Tom Dunn chose to specialize in helping these exact students. Though he's likely the exception to the rule, he and the program should be applauded. And the more applications TFA can attract, the better.

Photo credit: Carnavalet