June 8, 2009Calling all Baltimore teachers
Baltimore schools have asked the Teach for America program to nearly double the number of college graduates they intend to send to city classrooms over the next two years. The proposal would place 150 first-year teachers in Baltimore-area classrooms next fall, up from 90 this school year.
School officials say Teach for America's reach extends beyond the two years the program's teachers are contracted in the classroom. Some graduates-turn-teachers who began in the 1990s are now principals, administrators, and community leaders, while others now work in education nonprofit groups.
The program has received some criticism for placing college graduates using the program as a stepping-stone into low-income urban schools, where students might respond better to more seasoned professionals; research indicates students with first-year teachers may not learn as much.
Baltimore school officials would welcome the assistance, though, as Teach for America participants come from some of the nation's most competitive colleges. This year, approximately 35,000 college seniors applied for more than 4,000 teaching jobs — making it almost as difficult to get into the program as it was to get into their chosen universities.
Source: The Baltimore Sun