Teach for America Jax has gone on a charm offensive #don'tletthedoorhitya

and that's offensive.

First they spoke at the school board meeting and then they had editorials published in Florida Politics, The Times Union and on Folio's Flog (since taken down).

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/columnists/2017-05-05/guest-column-partnership-teach-america-benefits-duval-students

http://floridapolitics.com/archives/237454-dave-chauncey-teach-america-jacksonville-not-billboards-better-way-recruit-teachers 

Expect more in the near future that predict doom and gloom if they are shown the door,

Here is the thing, We should applaud the school district for ending its partnership with Teach for America.

If you didn’t know, Teach for America takes non education majors, puts them through a six week teacher boot camp and then places them in our neediest schools where they are supposed to serve just two years. This assures our most vulnerable students have an ever revolving door of novice teachers.  

As bad as that is, it gets worse. The district in addition to paying TFA members’ salaries, benefits and training has paid an additional five million in finder’s fees. 

Then the QEA, the initiative funded by philanthropists to help our schools, has given TFA Jax an additional 6.25 million dollars, money that never saw a DCPS classroom. What would have happened if we spent that money to hire and recruit professional teachers? My bet is we would be in a much better place.

Finally, of the initial 580 recruits over six years, only sixty stayed beyond their two year commitment that is about 12 percent.  

Teach for America may be able to point to this random stat or that indicating effectiveness but they cannot dispute any of above.

The bottom line is this program is not only incredibly expensive and exacerbates the teacher turnover problem but it gives it puts our most vulnerable students in a hole.

Don’t our children and city deserve a district that strives to put professional teachers and people that will grow in the profession in our classrooms? I think it does while TFA Jax doesn't.