Teach for America will no longer place new teachers in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS - Teach For America, the New York-based nonprofit that sends new graduates to teach in some of the country's most troubled schools, will no longer do so in the St. Louis market, saying that student achievement rates here have been disappointing.

Instead of sending new teachers to St. Louis, the organization said it will "deepen its investment" in its 600 alumni in the area in a continued bid to improve education outcomes.

"TFA believes that more experienced educational leaders are necessary to accelerate the pace of change for students," Elizabeth Bleier, interim executive director for TFA's St. Louis operations, said in a letter outlining the change. It was also signed by Maxine Clark and Dennis Hummel, both members of TFA's St. Louis board, and Greg Wendt, a former member of TFA's national board.

Part of the organization's strategy, Bleier's letter said, is to expand the impact and tenure of alumni principals and teachers. In an interview, she added that the organization's 10-year goal is to double the number of students achieving "academic college readiness metrics."

[danielgolarz]

I'm the author of EIGHT DAYS IN AN INNER CITY SCHOOL please talk about the out of control OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING for k-12 teachers that's why we have teacher shortages