Should Teach For America ask Corps Members for a 3-year commitment?

Kelly Vaughan at Gotham Schools writes:

Teach For America (TFA) alum and Reluctant Disciplinarian author Gary Rubinstein on why TFA should ask Corps Members (CMs) to commit for three years rather than two:

I say this because I know that after two years of teaching, most CMs have become really excellent teachers. (I’m in my 11th year now, and I don’t think I’m that much better than I was in my third year. I taught for 4 years total in Houston.) Right now there are approximately 3,000 CMs in their first year, 3,000 CMs in their second year in their placement sites. … If TFA made the commitment three years, you’d have 3,000 first years, 3,000 second years, and 3,000 third years. This would be 9,000 teachers with 67% of them being ‘very effective.’ … To me, that’s making a good step toward ‘One day all children will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.’

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