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Relentless Pursuit: A Year in the Trenches with Teach for America

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The Hero Teacher Story is an important American myth, known through such movies as "To Sir With Love", "Stand and Deliver", "The Hobarth Shakespearians" and "The Ron Howard Story". Like all good myths, they are used by different people to prop up different ideologies; often it is used to support a claim that poorly performing schools are not caused by a lack of money, just by a lack of expectations. Thus we should not be tempted fix the problems by "throwing money at the school districts which will just waste it like they have wasted all we have given them in the past".

A more reasonable interpretation may be that an excellent teacher with strong motivation can sometimes (often?) achieve what seems like miraculous results in a surprisingly short time with an almost superhuman work effort under even the worst of circumstances. But absent a systemic change, these results will probably only last for as long as the hero keeps up the superhuman effort. After he or she gives up, and leaves the field to "ordinary" successors, the disaster returns to the status quo ante. Thus, American urban schools have often turned into permanent disaster areas.

Thus, the must can promote both hope and hopelessness:
- on one hand, there is hope for a solution *IF* we can attract more of the very best teachers to address the problem
- on the other hand, this seems unlikely. The people that make extraordinary teachers tend to be all-around competent, intelligent, hardworking people with charismatic leadership abilities. Why would these people, who would be an asset to *any* organization, and who are often well recognized and given many well-paying job offers right out of college *EVER* take an underpaid job in what looks like a war-zone and work themselves half to death in a place that gives them no respect, where their supervisors give them no help (often directly sabotaging them) with a high risk of failure and give up their guaranteed career opportunities to go on this death march?
There are pockets of excellence dispersed throughout the often dismal American "system" of public education, but we should not be surprised that they occur far more often in the comfortable suburban neighborhoods than in the inner city or on the Indian reservations.

There the problem sat until Wendy Kopp's senior year at Princeton University, where she wrote a thesis proposing a radical experiment:
Bribe a few hundred of the most promising university graduates to take on this challenge and give them all the support you can. Amazingly, she got funding to try this experiment, now called Teach For America (TFA). It has been operating for 17 years, and the new book "Relentless Pursuit" is the story of 4 of its teachers, assigned to Locke High School in Watts, Los Angeles from 2005 to 2007.

The Atlantic Magazine has written about TFA from time to time, and my daughter Katherine wants to apply when she graduates.

I heard about the book on NPR's Fresh Air, and ordered it the next day. When it arrived from Amazon I could not put it down. One of the young teachers in the book, Taylor Rifkin, is from Santa Barbara (where I live), and as I read about her challenges and triumphs, I kept seeing my own daughter, and I wanted to know how the story ends.

Applying to Teach For America has become very popular among seniors at some of America's elite colleges. In its first year, TFA placed only 500 teachers. In 2007, the organization received applications from "11 percent of the senior classes at Amherst and Spelman; 10 percent of those at University of Chicago and Duke; and more than eight percent of the graduating seniors at Notre Dame, Princeton and Wellesley." Close to 18,000 individuals applied for an incoming corps of 2,900.

So how *does* the story end? Given that these kids are thrown into battle at schools that have a very hard time finding *anyone* to hire, and where most of the teachers they do hire often defect to better schools at the first opportunity, it is testament to an extremely effective selection policy that almost all of them serve out their two year commitment, and about a third of them stay for a third year at the same school. Despite their lack of experience - or maybe *because* they do not know that the job they are doing is basically impossible - they do very well; almost as well as the average teacher. And those TFA'ers that stay with teaching
have gone on to become leaders in education reform in such movements as KIPP and Green Dot.


Next on my reading list is another book about TFA called "Lessons to Learn".

With the opening disclaimer that author Donna Foote is a friend, I want to say I believe this is a well-written and important book about the difficult task educators face. The book has the page-turner momentum of a John Grisham novel and will open the eyes of those who have never ventured inside a stark urban high school. In addition to providing a fascinating history of Teach for America, Donna offers up a compelling recap of education and race relations in Los Angeles, told from within the walls of Locke High School, one of the most challenged schools in America. This is must reading for educators, parents and government officials.

As a young teacher in an inner city school district, I found this book informative, accurate, and extremely compelling. The book precisely portrays the conditions of inner city schools and the difficulties that the students, as well as the teachers, face. The author, Donna Foote, weaves together an incredible story of four inner city school teachers with factual and informative details about our educational system as a whole. A book I picked up and couldn't put down until the end, I would recommend this book to any reader!

I decided to read this book because I am currently in the process of applying to Teach for America and wanted to find out the truth about what it's like to teach in a challenging public school in America as a corps member. What I found out were those things and more. I didn't expect such a detailed account of what it takes to make TFA work as an organization nor did I expect to read stories from school administrators and especially not a corps member who quit. He believed that TFA "trumpeted the success of teachers making `significant gains,' and because the corps members are all psycho, and because they have always been told they can do anything they set their minds to, they chase this impossible goal, running themselves ragged to change the world."

I don't know what it's like to teach in a school like Locke, but I think Donna Foote tells it like it is. She reminded me how important the quality of a teacher is to a child's education and how dedicated corps members are to their cause no matter how overwhelming it might be. The four corps members depicted approached their teaching in different ways but each seemed to make a difference in their students' lives by the year's end. Reading this book made my heart sink and then rise again. Wendy Kopp's story alone is inspiring, but I felt like I actually knew the characters in this book while reading. I couldn't put it down.

This is a must read for anyone thinking about applying to Teach for America or anyone who has a negative view of teaching as a profession. For me, it reaffirmed my dedication to the cause of education reform and reassured me that TFA is a place I belong. For others it might do just the opposite.

This is a good and valuable book. It has some limitations that prevent it from being a great book.

The book's strengths are its detailed depiction of the challenges and triumphs of 4 Teach for America teachers in a troubled high school in LA, Locke High School. The book gives a real feeling of the challenges these teachers face because of neighborhood gang problems, the poor academic preparation of many students, and issues with classroom discipline, educational bureaucracy, and the overall atmosphere of the school.

The book also gives a thumbnail depiction of the history and current operations of TFA. This includes a detailed view of how TFA selects "corps members", TFA's philosophy of "teaching as leadership", TFA's developing approach to assessment and curriculum, and TFA's expansion plans. There is also a detailed depiction of the work of the TFA program director who is overseeing the four TFA "CMs" at Locke.

This book would be useful in anyone wanting to understand some of the challenges in the very toughest urban high schools. The book would also be of interest in anyone wanting to understand TFA as an educational reform organization.

The limitation of the book is that it doesn't really explore the broader implications of TFA within American education. For example, the book mentions perceptions by the Locke high school principal, and some of the CMs, that much of the teaching at Locke High School is not good. However, none of this "bad teaching" is shown or explored. The focus is narrowly on the challenges and triumphs of the TFA teachers.

As another example, the book does not explore whether it is possible for TFA to really be the way to radically transform American education, and how. TFA currently selects relatively few applications from a highly select group of idealistic college students. It then does a unique boot camp kind of training. To what extent is any of this replicable on a broad scale? This is unclear, and is not adequately explored in the book. Perhaps TFA's most important future role in American education will be as a way of getting some highly talented people into education, where they can play a key role as educational leaders.

As a second-year Teach for America corps members, this book is the perfect answer to an experience that can not truly be understood by anyone outside the TFA community. After years of trying to explain the experience to family and friends (and failing, time and time again), I was amazed after only one chapter how right on Donna Foote got it. It was like someone was right there with me starting at Institute and then heading into the classroom in the fall. For any corps member who needs validation their feelings of failure and defeat, needs a reminder as to why they signed up for this in the first place, or just needs a sense of who else is going through what they're going through, this book is for you. HIGHLY recommended!

Outstanding book! Couldn't put it down! "Relentless Pursuit" combines an intelligent analysis of the most important issue of our day -- the educational achievement gap that exists in America -- with an engrossing narrative of four Teach For America corps members in their first year teaching. After reading this book, you come away with a profound appreciation for teaching as a profession -- its triumphs and heartaches -- and the dedication it requires. You also realize that this is an issue that can no longer be ignored if we are to remain competitive on the world stage. The four CMs portrayed are fascinating, sympathetic individuals who undergo a baptism of fire as they transition from leafy, ivied undergraduate schools to a gritty, urban, underperforming high school. Think "Friends" meets "Stand and Deliver." It's the type of school where a student doesn't show up one morning because she was stabbed to death by her sister -- with a pair of scissors -- and the daily school routine doesn't miss a beat. The four CMs portrayed meet the challenges with grace, perseverance, and an overarching love for their students that is inspiring and will bring a tear to your eye. Look for everyone reading this book on the beach this summer.

As a former Teach for America teacher who taught in Los Angeles, I could perhaps be the target audience for this book. Aptly named "Relentless Pursuit" follows the lives of four first year teachers and other young education reformers associated with Teach for America. Donna Foote captures many of the challenges, absurdities, and emotional highs and lows that come from teaching in an under-resourced school district. Reading about these teachers took me back and helped me to reflect on my own first year of teaching. I found myself nodding in agreement and reminiscing as the teachers shared their thoughts on teaching. Foote also addresses many of the criticisms faced by Teach for America. For the most part, I believe the teachers handle themselves well, and criticism comes easily from those not teaching in an urban school district. After the teachers, Locke High School is an overwhelming presence. For those interested in the challenges of teaching in an urban high school, or if your interest is for the lives of the students of Los Angeles, this book is an amazing eye-opener. Much like Jonathon Kozol's work, it exposes the disparity and challenges faced by children in school districts we pass by every day. Although the book combs over some of the inner workings of Teach for America (which is also interesting), its true value comes from its emotionally raw recounting of teaching your first year in a difficult environment. It heartened me to see Teach for America represented by such able teachers. Any teacher undertaking the challenges of urban education is a hero, and this chronicle further cements the need for energetic and committed individuals to enter the classroom.

I read a blurb about this book in Newsweek since Donna used to write for Newsweek. Thought it might be worth a shot. Was a whole lot better than I expected. It's a story of four teachers--Rachael, Phillip, Hrag, and Taylor. They teach at Locke High School in South L.A. It is mostly black and Latino kids and what they go through during their first year at the school. I have to tell you, I gained a whole lot more respect for teachers after reading this book. Why anybody would want to do this job, I don't know! It's a good read. You get into it right away. If you are a teacher or know a teacher, read this book, but I think anybody would enjoy this inside look at this remarkable school.

I read an excerpt of this book on NPR's website, and it caught my attention. The book itself then caught the rest of me. Extremely well researched and written, I could hardly put it down. Capturing the human side of TFA and the vast challenges of our education system, this book - and its subject, the "Corps Members" of TFA - give me hope for the future.