Earlier this year, the RAND Corporation surveyed the 3,338 principals with current Teach For America (TFA) corps members at their schools. These principals are, on average, slightly less experienced and more racially diverse than American principals at large—and far more likely to run a charter school (27 percent work at charters).
In general, the survey’s results suggest that most principals who work with TFA corps members view them positively. Eighty percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the corps members at their schools; 86 percent said they would be willing to hire another corps member; and 66 percent would “definitely recommend” doing so. Moreover, a majority of respondents said corps members were at least as proficient as other novice teachers across a range of skills, including developing positive relationships with colleagues and administrators, having high expectations for students, and improving student performance. And 87 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the support TFA provides, which three-quarters agreed complemented their school’s induction or training.
Despite these generally positive findings, the survey identified two areas of concern: First, half of the respondents identified weak classroom management as a reason not to hire additional TFA corps members. Second, 57 percent said that TFA’s short two-year commitment was a disincentive to hire.
Interestingly, both TFA alumni and principals of charter schools viewed corps members and the program more negatively than other principals. For example, both groups were less satisfied with the supports provided by the program, and both also reported that corps members had less subject matter expertise than other novice teachers. Nevertheless, charter school principals were more likely to say they would hire additional corps members than other principals—perhaps because they face tighter budgets and fewer hiring restrictions.
Some of the differences in perception captured by the survey may reflect respondents’ expectations rather than teachers’ skills. For example, charter leaders and TFA alumni may expect more of corps members than other principals, leading them to view their performance more negatively. Then again, there could be real differences between teachers hired by these groups and other teachers. Perhaps, for one reason or another, the best corps members are unlikely to be assigned to charter schools. Or perhaps novice teachers in charters are more knowledgeable than their conventional public school peers, making corps members assigned to charters comparatively less so.
Regardless of the true explanation, two things seem clear from the survey. First, despite all the fuss, principals don’t hate TFA. And second, they’re nobody’s fools. Pretty much everyone knows that many of these talented young folks will flee the classroom when the overwhelming challenges of the job become apparent. Unfortunately, what nobody has really figured out (still) is how to convince them to stay.
SOURCE: Mollie Rudnick, Amanda F Edelman, Ujwal Kharel, and Matthew W. Lewis, "Results from the Teach For America 2015 National Principal Survey," RAND Corporation (October 2015).
