Section III: TFA's Approach to Criticism and Critics -- The Grandfather of Alumni TFA Critics / Gary Rubinstein. The Blip on the Resume or the Seed of Social Justice?: The Eight-Year Impact of Eight Months with Teach For America / Erin M. Nolan -- Productive Mistakes: Teacher Mentorship and Teach For America / Brendon Jobs -- Ignoring the Ghost of Horace Mann: A Reflective Critique of Teach For America's Solipsistic Pedagogy / Michael J. Steudeman -- What Is an Excellent Education? The Role of Theory in Teach For America / Laura Taylor -- Teach for Ambivalence, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love to Teach / Matthew Lynde Chesnut -- Teach For America, Neoliberalism, and the Effect on Special Education / Ian Scott -- Section II: TFA's Approach to Diversity -- Dysconscious Racism, Class Privilege, and TFA / Sarah Ishmael -- Perpetuating, Committing, and Cultivating Racism: The Real Movement Behind TFA / Amber Kim -- Teach For (Whose?) America / Jay Saper -- Elite by Association, but at What Expense? Teach For America, Colonizing Perspectives, and a Personal Evolution / Anne Martin -- "I Always Finish Everything": The Challenge of Living Up to My TFA Commitment / Monica Chen -- The Gaps Between You and Me: Being Gay in TFA / Summer Pennell -- Section III: TFA's Approach to Criticism and Critics -- Good Intentions Gone Bad: Teach For America's Transformation from a Small, Humble Nonprofit into an Elitist Corporate Behemoth / Wendy Chovnick -- "I Confess, I Am a TFA Supporter. But ..." / Walt Ecton -- From 106th to 41st, One Chicagoan's Experience with Teach For America and Chicago Public Schools / Ryan Garza -- Can We Change? Reflections on TFA's Ongoing Internal Criticism / Derrick Houck -- Beyond Dupes, Disciples, and Dilettantes: Ideological Struggles of TFA Corps Members / Terrenda White -- Voices of Revitalization: Challenging the Singularity of Teach For America's "Echo Chamber" / Barbara Torre Veltri -- The Grandfather of Alumni TFA Critics / Gary Rubinstein.
Summary:
"In its twenty-five years of existence, Teach For America (TFA) has transformed from an organization based on a perceived need to ameliorate a national teacher shortage to an organization that seeks to systematically replace traditional fully-certified teachers while simultaneously producing alumni who are interested in facilitating neoliberal education reform through elected political positions. From its inception, TFA has had its share of critics; yet criticism of the organization by its own members and alumni has largely been silenced and relegated to the margins. This book -- the first of its kind -- provides alumni of TFA with the opportunity to share their insight on the organization. And perhaps more importantly, this collection of counter-narratives serves as a testament that many of the claims made by TFA are, in fact, myths that ultimately hurt teachers and students. No longer will alumni voices be silenced in the name of corporate and neoliberal education reform."--Publisher's description.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.