In Teach For America’s quest to become “bigger and better,” leaders of the organization on Monday said they also recognize the need to make the alternative teacher preparation program more diverse.
“When we think about getting bigger and better, there’s no more crucial aspect of our work than becoming more diverse and representative of the communities that we’re serving,” said Wendy Kopp, CEO and founder of Teach For America, an organization that secures two-year commitments from recent college graduates to teach in “high-need” urban and rural public schools.
Kopp—joined by other members of her management team and board member Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund—made her remarks Monday during a conference call with reporters.
No one on the call mentioned any specific criticism of Teach for America and its success—or lack thereof—in diversifying America’s teacher ranks. But the fact that the organization is cognizant of certain perceptual challenges it faces was reflected in the themes included in materials that announced the event, such as “Setting the Record Straight” and “National Leaders to Share the Truth about Teach For America.”
The conference was bereft of any groundbreaking study or report that shows Teach for America has embarked upon some sort of elixir for the country’s overall lack of teacher diversity—a problem that has persistently plagued public education in the United States since the era of desegregation.
The phone conference largely consisted of facts and figures that could be gleaned from the Teach For America web site.
Like public education itself, Teach For America is predominantly made up of White teachers.
