Teachers union executives in Seattle had a bad day yesterday.  They failed in their effort to ban Teach for America from Seattle classrooms.  Teach for America (TFA) is a nationally-recognized training program that provides highly motivated, talented teachers to schools nationwide, especially helping poor and minority children in inner city communities.  The union supported the election of two new board members, Sharon Peaslee and Marty McLaren, who then moved to cancel the Teach for America contract and ban these talented teachers from Seattle.  

The Seattle School Board voted narrowly, 4-3, to continue TFA’s three-year contract.  The Board’s decision represents a rare defeat for the powerful teachers union. 

I was at the meeting last night in the John Stanford Building.  It was packed full of members of the public.  Twenty people testified to the School Board, expressing their views about Teach for America, with the clear majority speaking in support of TFA.  

Two parents testified that their students were thriving under the instruction provided by their TFA teacher.  Dawn Mason, former state Representative from the 37th District in southeast Seattle, spoke out in strong support of TFA.  She told the Board that, through her extensive volunteer work in the Seattle Public Schools, she has learned that TFA teachers are doing very good work with their students at Aki Kurose Middle School and South Shore K-8.   

Speaking in favor of the ban, Jonathan Knapp, Vice President of the local teachers union, expressed strong opposition to Teach for America.  He spoke of feeling affronted and insulted by the idea that the district would hire teachers from an alternate training program.  

The Seattle Times reported the decision as follows:

"Board Vice President Kay Smith-Blum, considered the swing vote on the issue, declared her support for the [TFA] partnership by saying she didn’t want to limit a program that some principals like."

The vote demonstrates strength and leadership and deserves to be celebrated.  It is a refreshing change from the usual pattern in which the union's position prevails.  

For a summary of the research showing Teach for America teachers perform as well as or better than officially certified teachers, see my blog post here.  For the editorial we released Monday in support of Teach for America, go here.  King 5 TV wrote an article here.  For the Seattle Times article, go here.