Teach For America Counter-Narratives; Alumni Speak Up and Speak Out

231 Pages·2015·0.954 MB·English

by  T. Jameson Brewer, Kathleen B. deMarrais

9
In its twenty-five years of existence, Teach For America (TFA) has transformed from an organi-
zation 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 T
E
political positions. From its inception, TFA has had its share of critics; yet criticism of the orga- A
C
nization by its own members and alumni has largely been silenced and relegated to the mar- H

gins. This book—the first of its kind—provides alumni of TFA with the opportunity to share their F
O
insight on the organization. And perhaps more importantly, this collection of counter-narratives R
serves as a testament that many of the claims made by TFA are, in fact, myths that ultimately A
M
hurt teachers and students. No longer will alumni voices be silenced in the name of corporate
E
and neoliberal education reform. R
I
C
A

“I love the concept for this text and think it will be a significant contribution to the literature. C
O
It is crucial...crucial...that policy makers in particular hear from former TFA members about
U
their experiences in America’s classrooms. The experiences of the authors lend a credibility to N
T
their arguments and concerns about TFA’s continued presence that has been largely absent
E
R
in previous scholarship.”
-
N
Philip Kovacs, Associate Professor of Education, University of Alabama in Huntsville
A
R
R
T. Jameson Brewer is an advanced Ph.D. student of educational policy A
T
studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned a I
V
M.S. in social foundations of education from Georgia State University E
S
and a B.S.Ed. in secondary education from Valdosta State University.

His research focuses on the impact(s) of privatization/marketization of

B
public schools by way of charters, vouchers, and Teach For America. r
e
w
e
r
Kathleen deMarrais is Professor of Qualitative Research Methodolo- &

gies in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy d
e
M
at the University of Georgia. Her current research tracks the network
a
r
of philanthropic funding for educational non-profits and its impact on ra
is
educational policy in the U.S. ,
E
d
s
.
www.peterlang.com
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
9
In its twenty-five years of existence, Teach For America (TFA) has transformed from an organi-
zation 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 T
E
political positions. From its inception, TFA has had its share of critics; yet criticism of the orga- A
C
nization by its own members and alumni has largely been silenced and relegated to the mar- H

gins. This book—the first of its kind—provides alumni of TFA with the opportunity to share their F
O
insight on the organization. And perhaps more importantly, this collection of counter-narratives R
serves as a testament that many of the claims made by TFA are, in fact, myths that ultimately A
M
hurt teachers and students. No longer will alumni voices be silenced in the name of corporate
E
and neoliberal education reform. R
I
C
A

“I love the concept for this text and think it will be a significant contribution to the literature. C
O
It is crucial...crucial...that policy makers in particular hear from former TFA members about
U
their experiences in America’s classrooms. The experiences of the authors lend a credibility to N
T
their arguments and concerns about TFA’s continued presence that has been largely absent
E
R
in previous scholarship.”
-
N
Philip Kovacs, Associate Professor of Education, University of Alabama in Huntsville
A
R
R
T. Jameson Brewer is an advanced Ph.D. student of educational policy A
T
studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned a I
V
M.S. in social foundations of education from Georgia State University E
S
and a B.S.Ed. in secondary education from Valdosta State University.
His research focuses on the impact(s) of privatization/marketization of
B
public schools by way of charters, vouchers, and Teach For America. r
e
w
e
r
Kathleen deMarrais is Professor of Qualitative Research Methodolo- &

gies in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy d
e
M
at the University of Georgia. Her current research tracks the network
a
r
of philanthropic funding for educational non-profits and its impact on ra
is
educational policy in the U.S. ,
E
d
s
.
www.peterlang.com
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
Teach For America Counter-Narratives
PRAISE FOR

“Finally, a detailed indictment of one of the most nefarious organizations to attack teachers
and public education in over a generation. TFA has long enjoyed support from corporations
and politicians (and a duped public) who know little to nothing about the intricacies and
nuances of good teaching and quality education. This volume peels back the arrogant veneer
of assumption and misinformation that characterizes the real TFA. For anyone interested in
understanding the importance of critical scholarship in public life, this work is a long-overdue,
much-needed, and insightful counter-narrative to the lies TFA continues to propagate. It’s a
must-read for anyone who cares about public schooling in the U.S.”
Deron Boyles, Professor of Philosophy of Education, Georgia State University

“This collection provides a timely and much-needed critical analysis of Teach For America
(TFA) from the perspective of a diverse set of former corps members. For those seeking to
move beyond narratives that are distilled through TFA’s public relations arm, or the often
simplistic, back-and-forth debates about TFA, this book provides first-person, nuanced, and
thoughtful analyses and reflections of teaching and education reform. Readers will walk away
with a more complex understanding of TFA’s role in teaching, educational policy, and
educational leadership.”
Janelle Scott, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Education &
African American Studies Department, University of California at Berkeley

Teach For America
Counter-Narratives
Rochelle Brock and Richard Greggory Johnson III
Executive Editors

Vol. 9

The Black Studies and Critical Thinking series
is part of the Peter Lang Education list.
Every volume is peer reviewed and meets
the highest quality standards for content and production.

PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Frankfurt  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
Teach For America
Counter-Narratives

ALUMNI SPEAK UP AND SPEAK OUT

Edited by T. Jameson Brewer and Kathleen deMarrais

PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Frankfurt  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Teach for America counter-narratives: alumni speak up and speak out /
edited by T. Jameson Brewer, Kathleen deMarrais.
pages cm. — (Black studies and critical thinking; vol. 9)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Educational equalization—United States.
2. People with social disabilities—Education—United States.
3. Teach for America (Project) I. Brewer, T. Jameson. II. deMarrais, Kathleen.
LC213.2.T43 379.2’6—dc23 2015008441
ISBN 978-1-4331-2877-6 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4331-2876-9 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4539-1556-1 (e-book)
ISSN 1947-5985

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data are available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.

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Dedication
TJB: for Mallory
KD: for Jamie