Teach For America (TFA), a prominent alternative teacher certification program, has evolved substantially since it began in 1989. However, most studies ignore this potential variation when evaluating TFA's effects on student outcomes. Using 12 years of administrative data, I test whether TFA's effects on achievement differ over time, focusing on a…

Since its founding 34 years ago, Teach For America has prepared nearly 70,000 recent college graduates and career-changers to teach in high-poverty schools across the United States. Unlike traditional teacher-preparation programs, it places "corps members" in short-staffed public schools after an intensive summer seminar, before they are…

This research investigated the teaching experiences of alternative route special education teachers working in urban Title I schools with a high population of students from a culturally and linguistically diverse background. Five alternative route special education teachers along with five school-based administrators who supervise ARL special…

This paper examines the impact of Teach For America (TFA) on following-year student test and non-test outcomes in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. This paper measures the extent to which exposure to TFA is followed by improved student outcomes in the future. In particular, this paper measures days missed due to absences or suspensions, course…

The purpose of this research study was to examine the dynamics that exist among the teacher preparation program (TPP), student achievement, and teacher performance. This study included a review of data collected from archived data derived from the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA), the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR)…

Background: Over the past 20 years, much has been written about the merits and limitations of matching methods, particularly propensity score matching (see, e.g., Stuart, 2010 for a review of matching approaches), and the myriad ways matching can be implemented to identify a comparison group that is similar to the treatment group on observable…

While teacher preparation in the United States continues a long period of decline, the largest-producing state, Texas, is experiencing substantial changes in how it prepares teachers. The number of teachers prepared by traditional university pathways continues to decline, and the number from alternative pathways is rising. Using extensive da ta…

Much recent debate among policymakers and policy advocates focuses on whether states should reduce teacher licensure requirements to ease the burdens of recruiting high quality teachers to the workforce. We examine the effectiveness of individuals who entered the teacher workforce in Massachusetts during the pandemic by obtaining an emergency…

In 2010, Teach For America (TFA) launched a major expansion effort, funded in part by a five-year Investing in Innovation scale-up grant from the U.S. Department of Education. To examine the effectiveness of TFA elementary school teachers in the second year of the scale-up, we recruited thirty-six schools from ten states and randomly assigned…

This paper explores the experiences of practicing bilingual (English/Spanish, English/Portuguese, and English/Haitian Creole) and English as a Second Language teachers after completing a Bilingual Bicultural Education Certification program. It highlights how teachers defined success when working with their emergent bilingual students and names the…

Teach For America (TFA) is an organization that aims to address educational inequity in part through a program of training and placing teachers in U.S. K-12 public schools that have the highest proportions of high-poverty students. In this report, the authors quantify the impacts of Teach For America Indianapolis (TFA Indy) on student and school…

This study investigated the effectiveness of alternative routes to teacher certification programs in three small rural school districts in South Carolina Public Schools. The need for teachers across the United States is anticipated to increase as a result of turnover. Specifically, this research analyzed the existing data in the three districts,…

Supporting cultural and linguistic differences through literacy education fosters inclusive, diverse learning environments where students thrive. By recognizing and valuing students' unique cultural backgrounds and languages, literacy education can be tailored to bridge gaps and promote comprehension, communication, and critical thinking.…

America's public schools are in a crisis. Despite investing more money in K-12 education than most other countries (nearly $15,000 per student annually), educational performance levels are stagnant. One source of the problem is a rigid and deficient process for selecting and employing teachers. Teacher certification laws, intended to ensure good…

For many years, schools in the Bronx have faced challenges related to teacher recruitment and retention, as well as student achievement. In 2017, to address these issues, the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) launched the Teacher and School Leaders Bronx Human Capital Initiative (TSL). TSL was designed to help build a "highly…