Assessing the Effects of Voluntary Youth Service: The Case of Teach for America

McAdam, Doug; Brandt, C. L.

doi:10.1353/sof.0.0279

Cited by 53 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(13 reference statements)

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“…A TFA-sanctioned, peer-reviewed analysis by McAdam & Brandt (2009) presented the results of a quasi-experimental study that used large-scale survey data to identify the degree to which participation in TFA had a transformative effect on alumni's civic attitudes and participation. The authors found that alumni reported being less engaged and more disenchanted around issues of educational equity and social justice than those who did not participate in TFA.…”

Section: Tfa As Social and Political Actorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reframing Teach For America: A conceptual framework for the next generation of scholarship

Scott

Trujillo

Rivera

2016

EPAA

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Abstract:In this article, we advance a conceptual framework for the study of Teach For America (TFA) as a political and social movement with implicit and explicit ideological and political underpinnings. We argue that the second branch of TFA's mission statement, which maintains that Education Policy Analysis Archives, Vol. 24 No.12 2 TFA's greatest point of influence in public education is not in classrooms, but in its facilitation of entry into leadership positions aimed at reshaping public schooling, can be better understood in terms of the organization's: a) infusion of "policy entrepreneurs" into educational policymaking processes; b) cultivation of powerful networks of elite interests; c) promotion of "corporate" models of managerial leadership; and, d) racial and social class identities of its corps members that facilitate entry into leadership and policy networks. Our framework is informed by the extant research literature on TFA, interview data from more than 150 alumni and corps members, and our observations of TFA's 20th Anniversary Summit in Washington, D.C., as an illustrative case of TFA's messaging and general orientation toward educational reform. We conclude that this framework can help illuminate under-examined political and ideological motivations behind the organization's activities. Keywords: Teach For America, racial inequality, policy entrepreneurs, educational leadership, urban educational reform, power networks Re-analizando Teach for America: Un marco conceptual para la próxima generación de análisis Resumen: En este artículo, presentamos un marco conceptual para el estudio de Teach For America (TFA) como movimiento político y social con fundamentos ideológicos y políticos implícitos y explícitos. Sostenemos que el segundo punto del documento que presenta la misión de TFA, indicando que el espacio de mayor influencia en la educación pública no son las aulas, sino su rol para facilitar la entrada en posiciones de liderazgo destinados a la re-hacer la escuela pública, se debe entender en términos de a) infusión de "emprendedores políticos" en procesos de política educativa;: de organización b) desarrollo de redes poderosas con intereses elitistas; c) la promoción de modelos "corporativos" de liderazgo gerencial; y, d) identidades de clase raciales y sociales de los miembros de TFA con mejores posibilidades de entrada en redes políticas y de liderazgo. Nuestro marco conceptual es informado por la literatura existente investigación sobre TFA, datos de entrevistas con 150 alumnos, y nuestras observaciones del 20 Aniversario de TFA y reunión Cumbre en Washington, DC, como un caso ilustrativo de los mensajes de TFA y la orientación general hacia la reforma educativa. Llegamos a la conclusión de que este marco conceptual ilumina aspectos poco estudiados de las motivaciones políticas e ideológicas detrás de las actividades de la organización. Palabras clave: Teach For America; desigualdad racial; emprendedores políticos, liderazgo educativo; reforma educativa urbano; redes de poder Reanalisando...

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Section: Tfa As Social and Political Actorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reframing Teach For America: A conceptual framework for the next generation of scholarship

Scott

Trujillo

Rivera

2016

EPAA

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“…McAdam and Brandt (2009) suggest that the selection bias could possibly explain the surprising results of their study of the Teach for America-program, where a lower degree of civic engagement was observed among the graduates of the program than among the control group of non-matriculates and drop-outs. The selection bias results in a sampling which is not representative for the population at large.…”

Section: Methodological Challenges In the Follow-up Studies Of Activistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, contradictory results have also been indicated. In McAdam and Brandt's (2009) follow-up study of accepted applicants to Teach for America 1993-98, a lower degree of civic engagement was observed among the graduates of the program than among the control group of non-matriculates and drop-outs (Brandt and McAdam 2009:952). However, McAdam and Brandt emphasize that the results are probably not due to the fact that participation in the program had reduced future participation.…”

Section: Political and Biographical Outcomes Of Activismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement and Empowerment: Explaining the Political Consequences of Activism

Helander

2016

Rev. int. sociol.

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In follow-up studies of activists, activism has been observed to have long-term positive effect on political participation. However, little attention has been paid to the conditions under which the theory applies. I examine how the personal consequences of participation in three different protest movements in Sweden depended upon movement success and procedural justice. The results support previous findings suggesting that activism has positive long-term effects on individual political participation. However, several of the activists interviewed did not follow this general pattern, especially those who suffered unfair and discriminatory treatment from the authorities. The results imply that the effect of activism on political participation is determined by the perceived procedural justice, whereas reaching the preferred policy outcome is of less importance. External political efficacy is indicated to be a potential mechanism explaining the relation between activism and long-term political participation. KeywordsBiographical Outcomes; Political Efficacy; Political Participation; Procedural Justice; Social Movements. resumenEn estudios de seguimiento a activistas se ha observado que el activismo tiene efectos positivos a largo plazo sobre la participación política. Sin embargo, se ha prestado poca atención a las condiciones en las que se aplica esta teoría. Este artículo examina cómo las consecuencias personales de la participación dependieron del éxito del movimiento y la justicia procesal en tres movimientos diferentes de protesta en Suecia. Los resultados apoyan hallazgos previos que sugieren que el activismo afecta de manera positiva a largo plazo sobre la participación política individual. Sin embargo, varios de los activistas entrevistados no siguieron este patrón general, especialmente entre quienes sufrieron un trato injusto y discriminatorio por parte de las autoridades. Los resultados sugieren que el efecto del activismo en la participación política viene determinado por la justicia procesal percibida. Al mismo tiempo, ganar la política que perseguía la protesta resulta de menor importancia. También se muestra que la eficacia política externa es un mecanismo potencial que explica la relación entre el activismo y la participación política a largo plazo.

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“…While many who enter TFA may be drawn to leadership roles naturally (McAdam & Brandt, 2009), Teach For America also makes a concerted effort to develop corps members and alumni as leaders. To focus specifically on political leadership, TFA launched the Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE), a 501c(4) in 2008.…”

Section: Teach For America: From Placing Teachers To Cultivating Leadersmentioning

confidence: 99%

National Affiliation or Local Representation: When TFA Alumni Run for School Board

Jacobsen

Linkow

2014

EPAA

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Historically power to govern public schools has been delegated to local school boards. However, this arrangement of power has been shifting over the past half century and increasingly, local school boards are targeted as ineffective and antiquated. Teach For America (TFA), typically examined for its placement of teachers, also seeks to develop educational leaders and TFA now encourages and supports its alumni to run for local school boards. The involvement of a national organization, like TFA, with its own national education agenda in local school board elections may reflect the next step in the demise of local control. To investigate whether TFA's involvement in local elections represents the spreading of a national agenda at the expense of attention to local issues, this research examines campaign messages for both TFA alumni candidates and their opponents. Results indicate that TFA alumni candidates incorporate significantly more messages aligned with TFA than their opponents (35 vs. 11), but they also maintain a focus on local issues as measured by the number of local issue messages they also incorporate into their campaign literature. epaa aapeEducation Policy Analysis Archives Vol. 22 No. 69 2 Rather than debating whether school boards have lost power, this research points to the need to better understand how local politics is changing and expanding as new voices enter the arena. Keywords: school board elections; Teach For America; representation; politics of education Afiliación nacional o representación local: cuando ex-alumnos de TFA son candidatos para los consejos escolares. Resumen: Históricamente la autoridad para dirigir las escuelas públicas fue delegado a los consejos escolares locales. Sin embargo, esta disposición ha ido cambiando en el último medio siglo y cada vez más, las juntas escolares locales están siendo atacadas por ser ineficaces y anticuadas. Teach For America (TFA), ha sido analizada por su tarea en cuanto los docentes, pero también busca desarrollar líderes educativos y TFA ahora alienta y apoya a sus alumnos a postularse para los consejos escolares locales. La participación de una organización nacional, como TFA, con su propia agenda educativa nacional en los sistemas elecciones para los consejos escolares puede reflejar el próximo paso en la desaparición del control local. Para investigar si la participación de TFA en las elecciones locales representa la difusión de una agenda nacional en detrimento de la atención a los problemas locales, esta investigación analiza los mensajes de campaña de candidatos tanto exalumnos de TFA y sus oponentes. Los resultados indican que los candidatos ex-alumnos de TFA incorporan significativamente más mensajes alineados con TFA que sus oponentes (35 vs 11), pero también mantienen un enfoque en temas locales, medido por el número de mensajes locales que en aparecen en la literatura de campaña. En lugar de debatir si los consejos escolares han perdido autoridad, esta investigación apunta a la necesidad de comprender mejor la forma com...

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Assessing the Effects of Voluntary Youth Service: The Case of Teach for America

Cited by 53 publications

References 29 publications

Reframing Teach For America: A conceptual framework for the next generation of scholarship

Reframing Teach For America: A conceptual framework for the next generation of scholarship

Movement and Empowerment: Explaining the Political Consequences of Activism

National Affiliation or Local Representation: When TFA Alumni Run for School Board

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