Thank you, Marion Superintendent James Barney!

From John Curry, March 24, 2011

James Barney, superintendent of Marion City Schools, said he also has concerns about the lack of longevity.

"Teaching is a profession; it's not something you try as a hobby for two years," Barney said.

He also is concerned about the lack of training.

"If we're going to tell our current teaching staff that you have to have a master's (degree), why would we bring in someone else that doesn't have the same skills?" he said.
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20110324/NEWS01/103240337/1002/Ohio-House-backs-Teach-America-plan

Ohio House backs Teach for America plan But educators have doubts

Written by JESSICA ALAIMO
CentralOhio.com, March 24, 2011

Ohio lawmakers are on their way to approving a new source of teachers for troubled Ohio schools, but not without opposition.

The Ohio House approved a bill Tuesday to allow Teach for America participants to be certified in Ohio. If it passes in the Senate, it already has the support of Gov. John Kasich.

Teach for America is a national organization of recent college graduates willing to teach in low-income and underperforming schools. The graduates must have a college degree, although not necessarily in education, and must undergo a screening process. They also attend an intensive five-week training course and must commit to their school for at least two years.

Proponents of the bill said this is an opportunity to get fresh faces and motivated individuals from a variety of backgrounds into Ohio schools. Opponents are concerned about the candidates' lack of experience and short tenure in the district.

If enacted, the program would be optional for all school districts.

State Rep. Andy Thompson, R-Marietta and a co-sponsor of the legislation, said Teach for America participants go into the toughest teaching assignments possible.

"They take on these challenges, and they've really had some amazing results with these students," Thompson said.

Rebecca Neale, a spokeswoman for Teach for America, said the organization operates in 39 regions in 29 states chosen through a formal site selection process. They are most active in Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi.

The group starts by reaching out to school districts to determine where there's an interest.

Program participants are paid and treated as school district employees. In addition, Neale said, the district sometimes pays Teach for America a stipend for training costs.

Thompson defends the program's selection process.

"They have a very vigorous screening process to determine who has the aptitude and the ability," he said.

A study by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice in 2010 showed mixed results for the program, recommending that Teach for America only be used when the only other options are uncertified and emergency teachers or substitutes.

On the House floor, 32 representatives, all Democrats, voted against the Teach for America bill. Their concern was Teach for America participants are unqualified and because they are only required to stay for two years they never will have the experience needed.

State Rep. Debbie Phillips, D-Athens, voted against the bill.

Teaching is extremely demanding, she said on the House floor.

"It takes a lot of attention and it takes a lot of skill to keep the attention of a variety of different students who have different learning styles. ... It is a very serious profession."

Spokespeople for the Ohio Education Association and the Buckeye Association of School Administrators said they were neutral on the legislation.

Tom Ash, director of governmental affairs for BASA, said some of the group's members support Teach for America and others do not.

"We're talking about an effort to staff hard-to-staff schools," Ash said. "While these individuals do not have the traditional (educational training), there is a sincere effort to train them."

Two central Ohio superintendents have hesitations about the program.

Terry Martin, superintendent of Zanesville City Schools, said he would need to do more research and speak with other superintendents who had used the program.

"I'm always going to do what's best for the kids," he said.

He is concerned about the lack of consistency and constant turnover, he said.

James Barney, superintendent of Marion City Schools, said he also has concerns about the lack of longevity.

"Teaching is a profession; it's not something you try as a hobby for two years," Barney said.

He also is concerned about the lack of training.

"If we're going to tell our current teaching staff that you have to have a master's (degree), why would we bring in someone else that doesn't have the same skills?" he said.