Program scores some victories amid struggles in MPS
Rick Wood
Martha Elson works on counting with her young students at Kluge Elementary School. Elson works as part of the Teach For America program, which recruits bright college graduates to teach in urban schools for two years.
Teach For America puts the best and brightest grads into urban and rural classrooms. The program shows encouraging progress but challenges remain
Rick Wood
Rodney Lynk Jr., 23, works through an equation with student Nick McCoy during an algebra class for freshmen at Custer High School.
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Last year about this time, Kelly Sweeney couldn't wait to start teaching.
As one of about 40 Teach For America members in Milwaukee's inaugural corps, Sweeney completed summer training in Chicago and then was assigned a 5-year-old kindergarten class at Pierce Elementary School, 2765 N. Fratney St.
But the 23-year-old from Fox Point struggled to control classroom behavior. When learning didn't improve to the standard she had set, she fell into despair, taking a week off from school at one point to assess how to carry on as an educator, and how to uphold the mission of Teach For America in Milwaukee.
The nonprofit that recruits bright college graduates to teach in urban and rural schools has faced challenges in its first year in Milwaukee. But as the academic year winds to a close, data shows that 70% of Milwaukee's TFA teachers are on track to attain a year or more of academic growth with their students. Disadvantaged students often make a half-year of progress or less.
In addition, the children in 30% of TFA teachers' classrooms had passed the 80% mark for collective mastery of the grade-level material by April.
"Both of these numbers are above the national average for first-year corps members," said Garrett Bucks, executive director of TFA in Milwaukee.
TFA also is helping local institutions see the power of using research data to make sound decisions on everything from recruiting teachers to monitoring student progress.
Recently, Bucks, 29, sat with Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent William Andrekopoulos to describe the work and results of each TFA corps member.
It was, Andrekopoulos said, one of the few times he'd had such a detailed discussion about teaching in the district.
"We are a very process-oriented organization, and Teach For America is very results-driven," Andrekopoulos said. "That's a new thing for us."
First-year struggles
Halfway through their Peace Corps-style commitment, many TFA members say nothing can be as difficult as the first year.
For Sweeney, things got better in February when she started visiting the homes of her families and participating in weekend activities with her students.
"I've learned to be patient with myself," she said.
Devised by founder and CEO Wendy Kopp 20 years ago, Teach For America has been applauded for its relentless commitment to higher results for underserved students. It placed teachers in 35 disadvantaged regions this school year.
TFA has also been criticized for putting formidable challenges in front of young, inexperienced teachers, contributing to the revolving door of educators in poor-performing schools, and undermining traditional teacher-preparation programs.
Each year, the organization combs through thousands of applicants -