Teach for America peer reviewed research FAILS to match TfA public relations:

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Straight from the mouths of TfA corp members:
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From the amazing research by Barbara Torre-Veltri on interviews with hundreds of TfA corp members, it's clear the organization exploits well meaning young graduates.

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The study Townes cited by the NCEERA showed a 2 month difference in math scores. Since the analysis was done on multiple choice tests, a 2 month difference meant students could have gotten ONE more question correct than the comparison group. NOT much to brag about in the real world. But for TfA PR flacks it's a 'miracle'!

Thanks, Pam for this article. The public needs to understand what TfA is behind its curtain of marketing.

"District's chief accountability officer?"

Besides being an oxymoron, as far as thisdistrict is concerned, why in the hell isn't it McIntyre?

Thanks y'all for bringing it to my attention. It was enlightening to talk with Ms. Towns.

It was also enlightening to hear from a couple of teachers who have dealt with her personally on other matters. She doesn't have very many fans. Today at the SPJ legislative pre-session event, one Karns Middle School teacher flatly told me that Ms. Towns needs to go because "she doesn't have the best interest of the district in heart." I'd never heard of Ms. Towns before this week. I'll be keeping an eye out for her now.

Yes, I had to look up the names of the other of those first two Broad "fellows" in that very early/lengthy/astonished KV conversation we had on Broad and TN reforms back in 2011, "Bad news for public education."

Here's what I shared then (from the Broad Foundation's September 8, 2010 press release):

Ginnae Harley, our new Deputy Director of Federal Programs, brings to her task an MBA from Washington University and her work experience as a brand manager with Taco Bell and product manager with Pfizer.

T. Nakia Towns, our new Director of Human Capital Strategy, brings to her task an MBA from Duke University and her experience as a VP with Wachovia Bank and "associate in debt capital markets" for Bank of America.

Both women's names still appear in the News-Sentinel's pay rate database for KCS employees (find the databases at bottom of the KNS home page).

Tiffanie N. (Nakia) Towns is reflected as Chief Accountability Officer at a salary of $97,894.10 and Ginnae N. Harley is reflected as Director of Federal Programs at a salary of $92,610.90.

According to that same Broad press release, the Foundation was to have paid 50% of their salaries in 2010 and 25% in 2011, but so far as I know KCS has borne their salaries in full since that time.

As to the third Broad "fellow," I never knew that person's name. It seems like it was Cathy McCaughn who first alerted us to this third party (and apologies, Cathy, if I misremember)?

So including Dr. McIntyre, there are at least three--if not four--Broad Foundation alumni in the Central Office now.

Oops...I was researching my post immediately above this one and didn't see your comment to me until I'd posted the above.

No doubt, it's by design that the Broad Foundation's program requires its matriculating supers to bring along a couple of "fellows" to their new workplaces.

I can honestly say I've had it with the innocuous-sounding titles given to the footsoldiers of the corporate reform movement.

"Fellows"...

Makes me want to go brush my teeth after saying it.

That term Human Capital slays me. It reminds me of several years ago when the hospital I was working in brought in a bunch of MBAs as administrators and our patients became Product Lines overnight.

...but I was not aware that (TfA) awarded actual degrees or was associated with degree awarding institutions.

I'm still plowing through Joan's above multiple links to commentary and peer-reviewed studies of TfA, but the very first one, from the National Education Policy Center just this month, cited their attempts to partner with universities' programs of studies.

It said that a proposed partnership between TfA and the University of Minnesota is drawing objections from faculty and students alike and that an existing partnership between TfA and Arizona State University came about only after a private donor gave $19 million to their teachers' college with the stipulation that the partnership be formed.

(Not entirely unrelated: Arizona is the only other state in the nation to employ this teacher evaluation model Tennessee employs, that links "test-less" teachers' evaluations to the test scores of other teachers' students. Pretty expedient way to get rid of qualified teachers and open the gate to TfA, is my thought.)

I meant to ask earlier, how is Towns pursuing a doctorate from Nashville's Vanderbilt University when she lives and works in Knoxville?

I'm aware of the growing prevalence of online courses, but is it now possible to complete an advanced degree from Vanderbilt and in its entirety this way?

Hmm. I just looked at two or three TfA webpages and came across one I haven't seen before.

It reflects a list of TfA's 2013 summer institutes that were held in 11 cities.

Of the 11, eight were five weeks long and the last three were longer, around seven weeks long.

It may be, then, that they're moving toward a longer training program...but the majority of last summer's institutes were still just the five week ones.

Anyway, in contrast to what both Broad's and TfA's websites say, it sounds like Towns exaggerated a bit.

n/t