Cobb Superintendent pulls Teach for America off Board agenda

By David Gibson

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Cobb County Superintendent Michael Hinojosa averted a fight over Teach for America, withdrawing, at least for now, his proposal to hire 50 teachers from the program.

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Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com Cobb County school superintendent Michael Hinojosa withdrew a plan to hire 50 teachers from the Teach for America program.

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After the start of Thursday’s school board meeting, chairman Scott Sweeney announced that the item was being pulled from the agenda. The superintendent had wanted to hire the teachers to help close a gap in achievement at schools in South Cobb, where test scores have consistently lagged the district average. But teachers and some board members were critical of the proposal, saying it undermined staff morale.

After the withdrawal, advocates for teachers spoke publicly against the program, saying Teach for America teachers were less prepared for teaching than traditional teachers. But several parents spoke in favor of the program, saying Teach for America had a proven track record.

The program gives recent college graduates a shortcut into the teaching field. While many traditional teachers got a degree in teaching, Teach for America gives its participants, who majored in other subjects, a five-week course.