Teach For America Partners with Districts to Train Principals

TFA-Chicago, Chicago’s school system, and Harvard University’s graduate school to prepare campus leaders have launched an effort to train TFA educators to head up city schools that present the toughest challenges. Chicago’s partnership will prepare principals to teach in some of the city’s neediest neighborhoods.

TFA has made a name for itself by training outstanding college graduates to teach in high-needs urban and rural school districts. In spite of the fact that participants are only required to commit to two years in the classroom, nearly two-thirds of TFA’s 12,000 alumni are still working in education. TFA wants to provide a pipeline to school leadership for those who’ve continued in the field. New York City TFA, the Newark, N. J., school district, and Rutgers University got a partnership like the one in Chicago off the ground in 2007.

The Chicago program had just two students in fall of 2007 but organizers anticipate it expanding to train up to 50 school leaders within five years. The city hires 150 new principals each year, so TFA won’t be able to supply enough principals to meet the entire district need. Still, TFA leaders are pleased to provide a partial pipeline of leaders ready to serve in needy schools.

To be eligible for the Chicago program, TFA alumni must go through a rigorous application process that includes multiple interviews with TFA leaders and district officials. Those that are accepted will participate in a summer institute in the School Leadership Program at Harvard’s University’s education school followed by a yearlong master’s degree program with an internship at an urban school.

The next step is spending a year as a “resident principal” in a Chicago school. Harvard and the school district will provide professional development to the principals-in-training. Year three participants become principals.

TFA currently has 270 alumni leading schools or districts and hopes to expand that group to 800 by 2010 to help fill the pressing need. TFA leaders have discussed setting up principal training programs with a half a dozen other school districts.

—“Prospective Principals Groomed Through TFA-District Partnerships,” by Lynn Olson, Education Week, Oct. 3, 2007.