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We are providing information only. Both proponents and opponents have reached out to SCPTSA board members. There is a controversy, and it seems to center around certification and stability in high-poverty schools. The argument for Teach for America is that while candidates are not certificated, they are screened for success and they get ongoing support from Teach for America. Candidates also become certificated during their placement. Teach for America is committed to closing the achievement gap and recruits with that in mind. The argument against is that while TFA candidates may show promise, five-week training does not qualify TFA candidates to lead classrooms. Moreover, candidates do not necessarily offer specialized skills or expertise, or backgrounds that are otherwise hard to find among the existing applicant pool. Suggested reading:School board action report (includes statement/rationale in support) Prosposed actionSEA's testimony (includes statement/rationale against) Union opposition
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| | | Assignment plan |
Capacity issues remain a concern for many members, especially those north of downtown and those in the Garfield HS area. Please watch for a separate SCPTSA eNews Bulletin on assignment issues and related community meetings.
Assign/capacity
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| | State of the District address TUESDAY
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Families are invited to attend the Superintendent's State of the District address on November 9, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Mercer Middle School. This will be an opportunity to hear about progress and persistent challenges, and to talk informally with the Superintendent and other district leaders. For additional information,
News release
School Reports will be available at the schools and online after 10 a.m. Nov. 9. Please watch for related SCPTSA eNews Bulletin. Check www.seattleschools.org
for information after 10 a.m. Tuesday.
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DEBATE: TEACH FOR AMERICA
DISPUTE CENTERS ON CERTIFICATION, CHURN, NEED
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Teach for America is a national group that recruits, screens and supports promising teaching candidates who commit to closing the achievement gap.
The Seattle School Board is considering contracting with the group to place 20-25 Teach for America recruits into Seattle's highest-poverty schools, ideally in cohorts of at least 2.
Candidates will be supplied for math, science, special education, English language learner, elementary, middle and high school positions.
Plus-side: - Program offers intensive, ongoing training and development for recruits. One technique used is goal-setting around student achievement (this complements focus of SPS-SEA contract goals).
Downside: - Unlike other new teachers, recruits are not certificated and have not understudied as student teachers. They are recent graduates with bachelor degrees. Teach for America recruits go through a five-week boot camp, then earn their certification while working as classroom teachers. The contract specifically prohibits their placement as student teachers or instructional assistants.
- There are costs associated with using Teach for America; districts commit to paying an annual fee per TFA teacher to help defray costs associated with recruiting, training and professional development. In the proposed contract with Seattle, that has been set at $4,000 per TFA teacher. HOWEVER, the district has pursued private funds to pick up those costs for this contract.
Action:
The Seattle School Board will vote Nov. 17 on whether to agree to the contract. Education advocates have lined up on both sides, and the Seattle Education Association has testified against the contract.
If you wish to comment or testify, you can do so via email to board members or via public testimony on Nov. 17.
Email all board members
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CONTRACTUAL BENEFITS UNCLEAR
As worded in the proposed contract, the specific benefits to Seattle Public Schools are unclear.
There is no incentive in the contract for recruits to stay in Seattle Public Schools after 2 years- While recruits placed in other areas appear to be high-caliber candidates, once these recruits are trained and certificated, they move on. According to Teach for America, 67 percent of alumni are in education-related fields. According to figures supplied by the Seattle Education Association, only 34 percent of TFA recruits stay in the classroom after 2 years; only 20 percent stay in the classroom after 3 years.
It's not clear whether recruits would supplant other qualified applicants.- SPS would agree to hire 20-25 recruits. This year (according to SEA) there were 800 certificated applicants for 4 positions at West Seattle Elementary (a potential targeted placement for TFA recruits). There's no guarantee those 4 hired will stay longer than 2 years; HOWEVER, those 4 hired are already certificated.
No niche recruits- There are no commitments in the contract to screen candidates for desired qualifications - i.e. recruit bilingual or minority candidates, especially from Hispanic, Vietnamese, Pacific Islander, African-American and African immigrant populations.
- The contract specifically says TFA recruits will be hired for vacancies across the full range of grades and subject matters and not restricted to so-called "critical" or "shortage" subjects or grade-level vacancies.
Temporary placements could exacerbate churn- High-poverty schools tend to have higher staff turnover. It is unclear what affect built-in, 2-year turnover would have on team-building in those schools. (Developing professional learning communities is a goal of SPS-SEA contract.)
Professional development appears to stay separate- The ongoing support that TFA recruits get is lauded by many, but it is separate from professional development that the rest of Seattle's certificated staff would get. There doesn't appear to be any built-in mechanism to share the expertise or make sure the system as a whole benefits from the partnership.
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OTHER ISSUES RAISED
- SPS agrees to share student-identiable data with Teach for America for the purposes of professional development. Normally, this would be protected information.
- The contract uses a loose interpretation of conditional certification. In Washington, teachers must be certificated. HOWEVER, if they teach a subject where there are shortages of candidates, or the candidate is unusually talented, then teachers can be granted conditional certification. The state requirements are specific: WAC 181-79A-231
Seattle Public Schools would request conditional certificates for Teach for America candidates on grounds of "circumstances." Yet the contract specifically says TFA candidates will not be limited to critical or shortage areas, and it is not clear what unique talents the candidates will offer.
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MORE INFO:
Teach for America
Proposed contract
Sincerely,
Ramona Hattendorf
Seattle Council PTSA
eNews Bulletins do NOT go out to all members. They are sent to PTA/PTSA leaders, school leaders and community subscribers. Please share as appropriate.
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