The University of Minnesota and Teach for America say a possible partnership at the center of ongoing talks could break new ground in teacher preparation. But a vocal group of opponents on campus and beyond is not convinced.
Teach for America, the 20-year-old nonprofit that deploys recent college graduates to low-income schools, approached the university's College of Education and Human Development this year.
The two sides say they are discussing a Teach for America program that would offer beefed-up coaching and training beyond the five-week "summer institute" recruits attend before entering the classroom. Now, Teach for America teachers can participate in a certification program at St. Paul's Hamline University during their two-year commitment to the nonprofit.
"I'm very excited about the possibility of doing something new that builds upon what we've learned over time at Teach for America," said Crystal Brakke, the group's Twin Cities executive director.
But some of the college's graduate students balk at the idea. They say a U partnership with Teach for America would cheapen the years of study and training traditional education students invest in their careers.
"It would be a slap in the face of the students in the teacher education program who are pursing their licenses," said Erin Dyke, a doctoral student.
Some students are working to promote broader pushback. A group of Minneapolis teachers has joined in by urging colleagues to boycott the U's teacher prep program if it signs on with Teach for America.
SEEKING PARTNER
The nonprofit has already met some resistance in Minnesota. At the urging of the state teacher's union, Gov. Mark Dayton this year vetoed money the Legislature earmarked to expand the program. This summer, the state's Board of Teaching denied a group license waiver for this fall's crop of Teach for America recruits.
On Friday, the board meets to consider individual license waivers for 14 Teach for America participants and the nonprofit's partnership with Hamline, considered an experimental program subject to annual review.
Some high-profile Teach for America supporters, such as state Sen. Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka, have decried what they see as a push to block motivated would-be teachers. Since coming to Minnesota in 2009, Teach for America has placed 72 members in the Minneapolis district and Twin Cities charter schools.
Teach for America began considering a partnership with traditional Minnesota teacher education programs after the approval of a 2011 bill to explore alternative paths to teacher licensure. Brakke said the organization is also talking with other public and private teacher prep programs in the state, although she would not name them.
The U's education dean, Jean Quam, hosted two forums for college students and faculty. She has met or spoken with some 80 people about the proposed partnership, including representatives from Education Minnesota, the state teacher's union.
"She wants to make sure she makes the most informed decision possible," said U spokesman Steven Henneberry.
The reaction has not been uniformly negative. Kevin Dorn, a U doctoral student and alumnus of Teach for America and the College of Education, wrote to the campus newspaper in support of the partnership. He argues it would bring innovation and a more diverse group of students to the teacher prep program.
"The unfortunate reality is that the current system is failing many students in Minnesota," he said.
Quam has also consulted with colleagues at the University of Michigan and University of Washington, which have launched Teach for America programs.
Since 2010, the University of Michigan has hosted a two-year interim certification program for Teach for America recruits teaching in Detroit, mostly at charter schools struggling to hire qualified teachers. Participants take evening coursework and get guidance from a Teach for America coach and a university instructor.
Kendra Hearn, the university coordinator of the program, said the extra support for Teach for America teachers has paid off in better retention: Of the 72 recruits in the first class, 85 percent completed the program, and 67 percent stayed for a third year of study, though a larger percentage likely remain in the classroom.
VOCAL OPPOSITION
To some graduate students at the University of Minnesota, such a partnership would endorse the idea that weeks of training and the two-year commitment Teach for America requires are sufficient.
Minnesota does not suffer from a teacher shortage, students say, and its low-income students more than anyone need educators with extensive preparation dedicated to the profession long-term.
"People with very little training being dropped into vulnerable communities of color seems like a very dangerous model," said Angela Coffee, a doctoral candidate.
The students penned a petition opposing a Teach for America program on campus. It has garnered more than 300 signatures. The group is also working to elicit commitments from faculty and fellow grad students that they would keep Teach for America recruiters out of their classrooms this coming academic year.
Now, Coffee says, "Our movement is growing beyond graduate students."
A group of Minneapolis teachers have their own online petition, urging colleagues to refuse to mentor all U student-teachers if the university signs on with Teach for America. The teachers met with Quam to argue a Teach for America alliance would undermine the university's traditional degree programs, said Robert Panning-Miller, a veteran teacher and former president of the district's educator union.
Those opposed also plan to appeal to U President Eric Kaler, its Board of Regents and College of Education donors.
"If we want to build a strong teaching force in Minnesota, the last thing we need is a shortcut to the classroom," Panning-Miller said.
Brakke says about 50 percent of teachers in Minnesota's first Teach for America cohort remain in the classroom five years later. She rejects the idea that Teach for America sends its recruits into Twin Cities schools unprepared: She points to the 300 hours of training the program packs in five weeks of summer institute and three weeks of local training before schools starts, in addition to ongoing mentoring.
It is not clear how partnering with the U would affect its relationship with Hamline. If an agreement with the U is reached, Brakke said, Teach for America would determine whether to keep both programs going.
Henneberry said the U hopes to wrap up negotiations before the start of the academic year, but there is no set timeline.
The graduate students and Panning-Miller said their efforts won't cease if a deal is reached. But, Panning-Miller said, "Our hope is to stop it before it happens."
Mila Koumpilova can be reached at 651-228-2171. Follow her at twitter.com/MilaPiPress.
ON THE WEB
Learn more about Teach for America in the Twin Cities at teachforamerica.org/where-we-work/twin-cities.
Read the University of Minnesota graduate student petition opposing a partnership with the nonprofit at notfaattheu.wordpress.com. To read a related petition by Minneapolis teachers, go to bit.ly/15wvHmU.
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