cmulroe:

I would gladly receive treatment from a "Doctor for America" if he were better than his peers who graduated med school. Unfortunately, that is the state of the profession of teaching, at least in the under served schools that TFA sends its people to. Nobody has a gun to principals' heads forcing them to hire TFA instead of "actual" teachers - they are free to choose the candidate they feel is most qualified. The traditional Ed schools could use the competition because for the most part they are sorely lacking. I am curious which schools you have experience with that offer such rich teacher preparation - perhaps I will enroll.

Or could it be because hiring a TFA participant is a lot cheaper for a school district than hiring an actual teacher? I don't think its about qualifications. No schoold district would happily hire an uncredentialed teacher who had never gone through practicum. But they'll do it if they can save a buck and keep class sizes under mandated maximums.

And I highly recommend the Brandeis University Education Program. You should enroll, I'm sure you'll love it.