Teachers College Press Schooling Teachers: Teach for America and the Future of Teacher Education

Schooling Teachers tackles the perennial and pressing issue of how this nation will attract, prepare, and retain high-quality teachers for all students, particularly those in our most challenging classrooms. Drawing on participant voices from the inaugural 1990 cohort of Teach For America, this book situates their experiences within the larger context of teacher education and reform of the last three decades. Through an investigation of one of the more influential departures from traditional teacher preparation during this period, the authors examine the "teacher problem" and illustrate why solutions remain elusive and limited. This book moves beyond the purported dichotomy between university-based teacher education and alternatives such as Teach For America to consider their common challenges, suggesting a starting place from which to create a future of more effective teacher preparation. Book Features: Illuminates persistent issues associated with conventional practices of teacher recruitment, education, and teaching. Explores the early assumptions and experiences associated with a key reform effort designed to challenge traditional practices. Highlights why traditional teacher education and TFA have struggled to solve the problem of preparing teachers to be ready for to the contemporary demands of education. Shares important stories about individuals' personal experiences and actions that reveal the broader collective and social forces at work. Uses richly detailed qualitative data to draw insights that address larger issues of staffing and supporting urban schools.