One of the leading arguments from the Educational Industrial Complex is that people who homeschool just aren’t qualified to teach. They have not had the training, the education, the whatever to handle a job as important as indoctrinating educating a child in America. Never mind the fact that homeschoolers outperform government schoolers in nearly every category, parents just are not qualified.
It seems there is another side to this story. According to the Wall Street Journal, Teach for America is giving educators another track to helping teach in America’s school.
It seems that Teach for America offers smart young people something even better than money – the chance to avoid the vast education bureaucracy. Participants need only pass academic muster and attend the summer training before entering a classroom. If they took the traditional route into teaching, they would have to endure years of “education” courses to be certified.
The American Federation of Teachers commonly derides Teach for America as a “band-aid.” One of its arguments is that the program only lasts two years, barely enough time, they say, to get a handle on managing a classroom.
So, according to this group of “professional educators,” TFA members do not have the training and education necessary to manage a classroom. Before we look at this next quote, I want to make it clear that these teachers are not going to upscale schools. These folks do “two-year stints at the nation’s worst public schools.” So how are they doing?
“On average, high school students taught by TFA corps members performed significantly better on state-required end-of-course exams, especially in math and science, than peers taught by far more experienced instructors. The TFA teachers’ effect on student achievement in core classroom subjects was nearly three times the effect of teachers with three or more years of experience.”
The people the unions say are not capable of educating are educating better than the sanctioned educators. How can that be?
Jane Hannaway, one of the study’s co-authors, says Teach for America participants may be more motivated than their traditional teacher peers. Second, they may receive better support during their experience. But, above all, Teach for America volunteers tend to have much better academic qualifications. They come from more competitive schools and they know more about the subjects they teach. Ms. Hannaway notes, “Students are better off being exposed to teachers with a high level of skill.”
The strong performance in math and science seems to confirm that the more specialized the knowledge, the more important it is that teachers be well versed in it. (Imagine that.)
What sticks out to me in that quote is “participants may be more motivated than their traditional teacher peers.” Replace “participants” with “homeschool parents” and it is just as, if not more, true. Who is more motivated than a parent who makes the effort to educate their child?
Another point that rings true for homeschoolers is “they may receive better support during their experience.” I continue to be amazed at the homeschool community’s support of each other. There are community, regional and national organizations, all dedicated to helping homeschool parents do the best they can for their child.
Regardless of what the teachers unions tell you, the Educational Industrial Complex is not the best way for your child to be educated. Private schools and homeschools routinely outperform the government schools, for far less money. It comes down to motivation. Whether it is a bottom line, or a love for your child, the government just can’t keep up.
