Full disclosure: I had never heard of Teach for America (TFA) before some of my college friends applied for the program. Two years later I've shared some of the triumphs and trials of my friends as they adjust to their lives as new teachers. While these shared experiences do not make me an expert, I have become acquainted with the fundamental functions and goals of the program. TFA is an educational initiative that recruits motivated, passionate individuals to become teachers in low-income districts for at least two years. The program aims to mold these individuals into leaders in education, either as teachers or administrators, in an effort to help alleviate educational disparities. Mr. Manning's depiction of this program ("Rely on insta-teachers? Idahoans say no thanks") does not accurately describe my friends as teachers, nor TFA as a whole.

First, he describes the organization as a profit-driven entity that is designed to "lobby for corporate welfare." While Mr. Manning cites the Wikipedia article on TFA in his piece, he must have glossed over the introduction, which classifies the organization as nonprofit. I was under the impression that nonprofits, you know... do not make a profit. Just to be sure I consulted Wikipedia, which assured me that nonprofits use surplus revenue to achieve their institutional goals, rather than distributing dividends to shareholders (1).

Second, the characterization of TFA corps members as "Ivy League graduates" intent on "resume padding" for two years before "moving on to be hedge fund managers" is misinformed at best and malicious at worst. First off, a list of the top five universities contributing the most applicants to TFA in 2011 did not include an Ivy League institution (2). More importantly, judging from personal experience - and the results of several longitudinal studies - TFA recruits compassionate, creative young professionals who make a positive impact in the lives of low-income students. Mr. Manning's condescending use of quotation marks when referring to TFA teachers leads me to believe that he does not think they deserve the title. However, studies conducted by the Urban Institute (a nonpartisan economic and social policy research center) indicate that TFA teachers "have a positive effect on high school student test scores relative to non-TFA teachers, including those who are certified in-field", especially in math and science courses (3). Further, TFA teachers' effect on student achievement was nearly three times greater than non-TFA teachers with three years of experience (3). Again, for emphasis, students who learn from a TFA corps member often score HIGHER than students learning from non-TFA teachers, even when compared to students taught by more experienced teachers. Test scores are not the only metric for educational achievement, but those results are difficult to ignore.

Lastly, Mr. Manning laments the retention rate of corps members, claiming that "the vast majority of TFA 'teachers' do not go on to teach for a career," but jump ship after their commitment is fulfilled. However, according to the 2011 TFA Annual Report, 64 percent of all alumni are currently working in education or studying in a related field (4). Plus just under 44 percent of corps members remain in their original placement site beyond the two-year requirement (5). Would low-income students be better served by a more permanent presence? Probably. But retention problems are not unique to TFA. Teaching is an incredibly difficult profession and as such has a relatively high turnover. According to a study published by Richard Ingersoll and Thomas Smith, one third of all new teachers will leave their post within three years and nearly half will quit before the five year mark (6).

Although Mr. Manning's inaccurate description of the TFA organization and its members is disheartening, it is not entirely surprising. Public education has become a sinking ship and some of those going down refuse to accept the need for change, even as they struggle to keep their heads above water. The achievement gap is formidable, and perpetuating a "business as usual" strategy will do nothing to close it. Innovative programs that achieve positive results should be supported, not indicted. The available data suggests Teach for America is one such initiative, and I would encourage anyone invested in education to learn more about it.

1. "Nonprofit organization," last modified July 9, 2013, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonprofit_organization.

2. Teach for America. "Enlisting Committed Individuals." Accessed July 10, 2013. http://www.teachforamerica.org/our-mission/enlisting-committed-individuals

3. Xu, Zeyu, Jane Hannaway, and Colin Taylor. "Making a difference? The effects of Teach For America in high school," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 30 (2011): 447 - 469. Accessed July 10, 2013. doi: 10.1002/pam.20585.

4. Wendy Kopp. "Teach for America, 2011 Annual Letter." Accessed July 10, 2013. http://www.teachforamerica.org/sites/default/files/Annual.Report.FINAL_.pdf.

5. "Study finds Teach for America teachers stay in classroom past initial commitment." Accesed July 10, 2013. http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2008/05/21_project.php.

6. Ingersoll, Richard M., and Thomas M. Smith. "The Wrong Solution to the Teacher Shortage," Educational Leadership 60 (2003): 30 - 33. Accessed July 10, 2013. http://www.gse.upenn.edu/pdf/rmi/EL_TheWrongSolution_to_theTeacherShortage.pdf.

Chris Shaw is a Coeur d'Alene resident.