Bringing Teach for America into the Forefront of Teacher Education: Philanthropy Meets Spin

Authors

  • Kathleen P. deMarrais University of Georgia
  • Julianne Wenner University of Connecticut
  • Jamie B. Lewis Georgia Gwinnett College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/ce.v4i11.184084

Keywords:

Philanthropy, Education Policy, Teach for America, Teacher Education, Alternative Certification

Abstract

This study examines the practices utilized by TFA from its inception in 1990 to create its brand and how these practices have transformed TFA into a cultural icon within the national landscape of teacher education. Well-funded through both philanthropic foundations, corporate sponsorships, and federal monies, TFA’s use of its organizational and political networks, as well as the media, has enabled it to position itself discursively as a leader in the preparation of teachers in the U.S, resulting not only in transforming state and national discussions about teacher preparation, but in establishing a network of elites with a particular ideology of schooling for poor students.

 

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Published

2013-10-15

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Section

Articles