Teach for America is the US embodiment of a phenomenon that’s being carried all over the world
Briefly, TFA is the US embodiment of a phenomenon that’s being carried all over the world, virtually eliminating teacher education except for those people who will teach in schools serving children of the wealthy and powerful. Though it sounds like a conspiracy, it’s not, because the reasons for replacing career teachers with “fast track” candidates who have little or no preparation to teach were spelled out in World Bank documents at least ten years ago. The plans were imposed on developing countries as the political price for receiving loans and aid. So all over the world we see TFA equivalents. In El Salvador it’s a World Bank project called EDUCO that puts less educated teachers into rural schools. The World Bank cites Benin as a fine example of how a government can bring down the cost of teacher salaries: Fire teachers (civil service employees) when they ask for a salary increase, place an ad in the paper, and hire the folks who show up although they have no preparation to teach. All over the world, teachers and researchers tell the same story, which I document in my new book – see www.teachersolidarity.com
Teach for America teachers are encouraged to think of inner city students as stepping stones. Its recruitment sounds a lot like a cult.