Teach For America and the U of MN

Now this was a fairly interesting Q and A.  It seems there is a chance of alternative licensing coming a school near you.  MinnPost Prepping Teacher for Challenging Classroom  There were only 2 comments entered, I am hoping we can generate more.

"Color me Skeptical:  Several bits of Ms. Dillon's enthusiastic response beg for further explanation, but I'll just pick 3 that got my attention right away.

The whole notion of "alternative pathways" is interesting. I can easily think of circumstances when it might well be a more effective approach, but it also strikes me as an approach that could just as easily be LESS effective than the model usually followed, and more importantly, it's interesting to me that the approach is aimed at only classroom teachers. I look forward to the U's involvement, for example, in "alternative pathways" to school administrative certificates, and while we're at it – especially given the stated presumption of ineffectiveness of the current model – there seems sufficient grounds to develop "alternative pathways" to doctoral degrees in education, as well as tenured positions at state universities in the field of education.

A 60% retention rate beyond the 2-year TFA commitment is… um… nothing to write home about.

“they work side-by-side with an experienced classroom teacher who is very effective and provides strong mentoring that we mutually value. The K-12 students they work with recognize them both equally as teachers. They plan together."

Really?

Students recognize a college sophomore (or perhaps it's a college freshman – it's not entirely clear in the interview) who doesn't know a whole lot more than a 12th grade high school student as a legitimate teacher? Equal to the experienced and effective career teacher with whom they've been partnered? This suggests to me that high school students in Minnesota are quite a bit less discerning than the high school students with whom I worked in another state – who would never have considered a college freshman or sophomore the "equal" of the "real" teacher in the room unless the former were extraordinarily mature and well-prepared, and the latter was the personification of ineptitude.

Even then, they'd be skeptical. So am I." Ray

"TFA Prerequisites:  Apparently all of these candidates are already college graduates with at least a 2.5 GPA. So hopefully all of them are more knowledgeable than most HS Seniors.  TFA Prerequisites

I have friends who got teaching degrees and much of their curriculum was typical of other liberal arts college degrees. Not sure why you are skeptical." G2A

Thoughts?

Teach For America Twin Cities
UMN and TFA agree to develop
Star Tribune: ED MN Why They are Against TFA  (ironically Mr Dooher stated "According a review of the national research on TFA by the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado, “studies indicate that the students of novice TFA teachers perform significantly less well in reading and mathematics than those of credentialed beginning teachers.”"  Which makes little or no sense since ED MN keeps saying that teaching results can not be accurately measured or used for Teacher Evaluations...  Go figure...)
Star Tribune: ED MN Blocks TFA  (I knew there was a reason I voted for the Democrat... "“I believe that we are an outlier in our opposition to TFA,” state Sen. Terry Bonoff, DFL-Plymouth, who worked to bring TFA to the state.")