Blogging Assignment for April 29
Teach for America, Incorporated, is an organization that provides an alternative path toward teacher licensure by recruiting the “best” of the nation’s college graduates, providing them with a five-week intensive teacher training, and then places these students into troubled urban and rural districts. Knowledge is Power (KIPP) schools are charter schools that have developed a track record of success. According to their web site, KIPP has “66 KIPP schools in 19 states and the District of Columbia serving over 16,000 students.” Both of them have garnered their share of criticism over the years, but before one can criticize, one must learn about the two organizations.
First, read these web pages:
Teach for America, “About Us”
Teach for America, “The Corps Experience”
Teach for America, “Becoming an Exceptional Teacher”
KIPP’s Home Page
KIPP, “About KIPP”
KIPP, “What is a KIPP School?”
“What ‘Yes, We Can’ Should Mean for Our Schools”, an op-ed piece written by KIPP’s founders
If you are interested, by all means check the other related sites to learn more about these two organizations. Then, respond to these questions: Are there qualities about TFA and KIPP that you think are positive and constructive? What are they? Explain. Are there qualities about TFA and KIPP that you think are negative or destructive? What are they? Explain. Why do you think either of these programs would be controversial? Your writing should be 150-200 words long. I encourage you to read and respond to the postings of your peers as well.
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There were alot of things to like about both programs. Anytime you can quantify success is a good thing. These schools are boasting an eighty percent graduation mark, that's pretty successful.
ReplyDeleteTFA boasts a ninety six percent attendance rate. These are feats that can not be taken lightly. If there was progress like this in the public school districts I highly doubt there would be as many conversations of our educational system.
I think the long schedule the KIPP school uses could be seen as a negative. 7:30-5:00 daily and then every other saturday. Add that to the three weeks in summer that makes for a long year. I think this can be seen as less than positive from the teacher standpoint. There's more being asked of the teacher and less time given them to prepare. Yet the teachers must produce because the standards have been set pretty high.
I find it to be very positive that America is looking for different methods to teach with; change is a great way to grow and develop. I think that both groups have different positives.
ReplyDeleteTFA sounds awesome because they are focused on sending the most elite to where they are needed most, however, 7 weeks is a very short amount of time to train someone in. KIPP's approach to teaching is very intriguing to me. I like the idea of "tough love" in the classroom. I feel as though my most productive years in school growing up were when I was taught this way. Although I didn't ended up favoring the teacher much.
I think that both are moving in the right direction, which is to help educate American children better than we have been doing. I do, however, believe that both have parts that I am not too fond of. For TFA, it's that the teachers are SO young, with little experience, and then they are thrown into very different environments. For KIPP, I think that experienced staff is always a good thing, but Corporate America? Really? I'm not so sure if those are the people who should be educating our youth.
Allie.
ReplyDeleteI feel your apprehension. However, I feel that all skills are transferrable. Having said that, if you can run a business for years, i think you can teach (or motivate) young students to be good employee's. I like what KIPP is doing.
TFA on the other end. I think they are on to something with sending the top 5%. I don't have a problem with the age, cuz it takes ALOT of energy to deal with the youth of today. Where I have a problem is in the boot camp training. I realize they are trying to prepare the teacher for the demands, however, perhaps the teacher will be organized and won't live in the chaos? 7 weeks isn't enough, but neither is 5 years.
I like 'em both. They have changed the way we look at education. I think that is important. We'll have to see how they do in time.
TFA and KIPP both seem to be onto something. I doubt even private schools have success rates like theirs.
ReplyDeleteI kind of wonder what people like me will do if this is the new wave of teaching. I know that this way of teaching isn't going to take over the nation in a matter of a year or two, but eventually it could. I don't see myself getting any younger or going off to work in corporate america. Where do I fit in the equation? Is there going to be less need for passionate hardworking people that opt not to do TFA because its designed for the young and is extremely intense? And there is no teaching education that can land you a job in KIPP unless you are older and have experience in corp.am.?HMMM...that's my main concern with TFA and KIPP
I like that these programs are fresh, new, and successful. If it works, I say work it. And if it doesn't work, change it. That's the problem with our system, people are too set in their ways to try something new, or maybe they're too stubborn to admit they are wrong. Idk? Anyhow, I feel that if they can make as big of a difference as they are making in undeserved communities, they can probably be successful anywhere they go.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea that they have, but I question the methods. Is a summer course going to be able to turn people from Bachelor's degree holders into educators? The fact that they don't seek licensed teachers kind of shocks me. While I can understand the concept behind specifically training people to teach with THEIR methodology and curriculum, and that the less stuff they have to de-brainwash out of these teachers' heads the better, I don't see why anyone would turn down talent. There aren't any of these schools in Minnesota. Perhaps that is because of our stringent licensing requirements. I think that is a good thing: I am working my ass off to learn this teaching stuff, and it kind of cheapens what I do when some Art History major or something can get the same job as me based on some crash course.
ReplyDeleteLindsey:
I agree when you say "If it works, I say work it. And if it doesn't work, change it." But what about "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," or "If it's broke, don't break it more by trying to fix it wrong"? You say "I kind of wonder what people like me will do if this is the new wave of teaching," and I wonder the same thing. Is some Journalism major going to be able to displace someone specifically trained to teach children's writing? It's not the subject that is being taught that matters: it is the pedagogical method of TEACHING the stuff that matters. I know that I am a teacher - I can teach anything as long as I can stay one lesson ahead of my students. How many of these KIPP teachers can say that? I think that I have to get a lot more info on this stuff before I make any final judgments.
There is an article about a local KIPP school in the Star Tribune today:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.startribune.com/local/44679817.html
Zack beat me to the bunch - here's the web site for the KIPP school in Minneapolis: www.kippminnesota.org.
ReplyDelete