Teach for America Study Reports Some Gains, but Obscures Failed Teaching Policies

31 Barnett Berry 2004 Teach for America Study Reports Some Gains, but Obscures Failed Teaching Policies <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">A recent study compared the performance of students taught by Teach for <o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">America (TFA) teachers with the performance of students taught by a <o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">comparison group of novice and veteran colleagues in the same schools. <o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">The study found that students of the TFA teachers matched the other students'<o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">performance in reading -- and performed slightly better in math. While <o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">the study's authors viewed the results as evidence of TFA success, teaching <o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">quality expert Barnett Berry believes the findings "illustrate the failed <o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">teaching policies that plague our nation's urban schools."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </span><o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">Berry's analysis of the TFA study reveals that the student achievement <o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">gains of both TFA teachers and the control group were "abysmal" and the <o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">novice-teacher control group "actually had less teacher preparation than <o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">their TFA counterparts in the study." He cites other studies supporting the<o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">premise that more extensive teacher education can lead to substantial student <o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">achievement gains. <o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Read Berry's complete review of the TFA study at:<o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">http://www.teachingquality.org/tqresources/mathematicaresponse.htm<o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">To view the TFA study, visit:<o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><a href="http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/PDFs/teach.pdf"><u><font color="#0000ff">http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/PDFs/teach.pdf</font></u></a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000"><o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><font color="#000000">Citation: Berry, B. (2004). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Teach for America study reports some gains, but obscures failed teaching policies in urban schools. </i>Retrieved from the Center for Teachign Quality on March 10, 2008. Website: </font><a href="http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/PDFs/teach.pdf"><u><font color="#0000ff">http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/PDFs/teach.pdf</font></u></a><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Georgia","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p> http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/PDFs/teach.pdf