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Teach for America Losing Top Recruits

Exact causes for the drop in Teach for America applicants are unknown, but the decline in the program's popularity has sparked debate over whether participants are doing more harm than good inside classrooms.

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Bayless Elementary teacher Holly Guillmen identifies and explains the use of the contents of the Waterwise home water conservation kit provided to students by the High Plains Underground Water District in Lubbock, Texas, Oct. 17, 2012.
Credit: Jerod Foster

While exact causes for the precipitous drop in Teach for America applicants are unknown, the decline in the program's popularity has sparked debate about whether participants are doing more harm than good inside classrooms. The program’s close ties to charter schools, its higher-than-average turnover rate and its short five-week training have left skeptics wondering if it is a viable solution to the national teacher shortage. (The New York Times)

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