ELECTION.

>> THANKS VERY MUCH.

THE TIMING COULD BE INTERESTING.

http://upload.youtube.com/clos_7

>> COULD BE.

RECRUITING COLLEGE GRADUATES IN

TO THE PROGRAM TEACH FOR AMERICA

ISN'T AS EASY AS IT USED TO BE.

THE TEACHER LICENSING PROGRAM

STARTED IN 1990 WITH A CORE OF

500 COLLEGE GARAGE WHEREATS.

SINCE THEN THAT CORE HAS SENT

MORE THAN 33,000 PARTICIPANTS IN

CLASSROOMS AN LOWER INCOME

COMMUNITIES.

BUT THE ORGANIZATIONS SAYS THIS

YEAR IT'S HAVING A HARD TIME

RECRUITING ENOUGH NEW TEACHERS

TO MEET THE NEED.

THE CHAPEL HILL GRADUATE

RECENTLY FINISHED THE TEACH FOR

AMERICA FELLOWSHIP.

HE'S NOW ONE ONE OF 950 WORKING

IN CHICAGO'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THE FULL

FLEDGEED TEACHER AT THIS CHARTER

SCHOOL BUTLER COLLEGE PREP.

FOR YEARS TEACH FOR AMERICA HAS

BAN TOP CHOICE FOR TOP GRADS.

>> I DO CONSIDER MYSELF A

SUCCESS STORY BECAUSE I HAD

STRONG TEACHERS AND IT'S VERY

THOUGHT PROVOKING JUST TO THINK

IF I HAD NOT HAD THOSE TEACHERS

WHERE MY LIFE WOULD HAVE ENDED

UP.

I WANT TO BE A CATALYSTS FOR

MAKING SURE THAT ALL LEADERS NO

MATTER WHERE THEY ARE FROM OR NO

MATTER WHAT THE ECONOMIC

BACKGROUND IS ANY SITUATION THAT

THAT THEY COME FROM.

THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO

OBTAIN A QUALITY EDUCATION AS

WELL.

THE PROGRAM IS NOTICING A

TROUBLING TREND.

NOT ENOUGH RECRUITS LIKE SAVAGE.

WE ARE FACING GREATER THAN

NORMAL CHALLENGES ON THE

RECRUITMENT RUN AND HERE' WHAT

WE ARE SEEING.

>> AS OF DECEMBER, WE HAVE

20,000 APPLICATIONS FOR THE

http://upload.youtube.com/clos_7

INCOMING CORE.

THAT'S BEHIND PACE FROM LAST

YEAR.

AND IF THIS PACE CONTINUES, WE

WOULD FALL ABOUT 25% OF SHORT OF

WHAT OUR PARTNERS AROUND THE

COUNTRY HAVE SAID THEY NEED FROM

US.

>> TEACH FOR AMERICA CHICAGO

DIRECTOR JOSH ANDERSON SAID A

NUMBER OF FACTORS ARE

CONTRIBUTING TO A TOUGHER

RECRUITING ENVIRONMENT WHERE IT

FINDS MANY OF THE ITS

APPLICANTS.

AMONG THOSE FACTORS THE CONCERN

THAT TEACHING IS SAN UNDER PAID

PROFESSION.

>> IN THIS MOMENT WE ARE SEEING

GREATER COMPETITION FOR FOLKS

OUT THERE.

SO THE PEOPLE HAVE MANY MORE

COMPETING OFFERS THAT THEY ARE

CONSIDERING, VERY ATTRACTIVE

OFFERS THAT THEY ARE CONSIDERING

THAN THEY WAR COUPLE YEARS AGO.

>> HE'S CONCERNED THAT A SMALLER

POOL OF CANDIDATES WOULD MEAN A

WEAKER POLL OF POTENTIAL

TEACHERS.

>> WE INCREASED THE ODD.

THE PROBLEM ISN'T JUST ITS OWN.

IT POINTS TO A NATIONAL DECLINE

AND AN INTEREST IN BECOMING

TEACHER.

SOME SOFT THAT IS BROUGHT ON BY

THE LANDSCAPE OF MODERN DAY

TEACHING.

>> ROBERT LEE RUNS THE CHICAGO

TEACHER EDUCATION PIPELINE FOR

THE STATE UNIVERSITY WHICH

PRODUCES MOST OF IL ELLE'S

TEACHING GRADUATES.

EVEN HE HAS NOTICEED THAT

TEACHER PREP ENROLLMENT IS DOWN

SLIGHTLY.

>> I USE HAVE SA RELIABLE

PROFESSION.

ONE THAT WAS FILLED WITH JOY AND

THERE WAS A LOT OF JOY AND THE

http://upload.youtube.com/clos_7

TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS.

AND THAT THAT SOMEHOW HAS BEEN

BEEN STRIPPED AWAY AS WELL.

THERE'S A LOT OF TESTING GOING

ON NOW AND HIGH STAKES

STANDARDIZED ACHIEVEMENTS THAT

TRY TO PUT TEACHER PERFORMANCE

IF YOU WILL WAYS BASED ON THAT

ONE EXAM.

I THINK THAT'S DANGEROUS AS

WELL.

I THINK THAT'S A PROBLEM TO

RECRUIT OUR BEST AND BRIGHTEST

PEOPLE.

>> AND THE CRITICS AS ANY

ORGANIZATION HAVE BROUGHT THIS

PROBLEM ON ITSELF.

THE DIRECT ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS IN

CHICAGO.

>> THE LARGER MESSAGE IS TO ONLY

NEED FIVE WEEKS TO BECOME A

TEACHER.

IT MEANS -- IT REDUCES AND OVER

SIMPLIFYS WHAT IT IS THAT

TEACHERS OUGHT TO BE DOING AND

WHAT THEY DO.

AND SO, IN THAT WAY I THINK

AGAIN THERE'S CONTRIBUTED TO

MAKING IT LESS THAN WHAT IT

ACTUALLY IS.

>>> THEY ARGUE THAT SENDING SO

MANY UNTESTED AND BRIEFLY

TRAINED TEACHERS IN TO THE

CLASSROOM TO SERVE MOSTLY LOW

INCOME STUDENTS IS MORE THAN

JUST UNETHICAL.

>> GOOD JOB.

>> I DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR OR

ETHICAL OR PROFESSIONAL TO

PRACTICE.

IT JUST ISN'T.

THERE'S A REASON WHY WE HAVE

PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS BECAUSE IT

TAKES TIME.

THEIR TEACHERS ARE MAKING A

DIFFERENCE AND NOT ONLY PREPARED

AFTER INITIAL TRAINING AND THEY

CONTINUE TO RECEIVE MENTORING AN

COACHING THROUGHOUT THEIR

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FELLOWSHIP.

I THINK THAT IS

NUMBER ONE.

>> AND FOR THE TEACHER, THAT

IMPACT IS THE BOND HE SHARES

WITH HIS STUDENTS.

>> FOR SHEU CHICAGO TONIGHT.

>> .

>> TEACHER AMERICA SAYS THAT

EVEN THOUGH THE NUMBER OF

APPLICATIONS IT'S RECEIVED AT

THIS POINT IS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN

WHAT THEY RECEIVED AT THIS TIME

LAST YEAR.