Teach For America, the University of Delaware, and Supporting School Success just began contracts with the Delaware Department of Education for their teacher-leader preparation programs. The contract began June 1st. It could just be me, but I see something inherently wrong with using Teach For America to shape the future leaders of education. If I understand these programs right, the teachers will be out of the classroom a lot, so schools will have to get substitute teachers.
Teach For America is getting $125,000 for their work on this contract, along with the University of Delaware. The FLEX program, operated by Supporting School Success, is only getting $50,000 for eleven months of work. Reading state contracts is like reading hieroglyphics, but I can’t really understand why the Teach For America contract is a five-year program that runs out in a year. Maybe I’m misreading something, but who pays for this after a year? The district or charter school? Would those payments go to Teach For America? Cause I’m pretty sure applicants for these programs have to apply through the Delaware Department of Education unless I’m thinking of some other teacher leader program. Are districts okay with getting invoices from Teach For America after a year? If someone could explain all this to me, please let me know. I’m not sure which program has this, but I did attend a Capital board meeting a few months back where the board approved a couple of schools to take part in this program. The district explained funds would come out of grants. Whether those are federal or state, I’m not sure. But in the end, we all pay for it!
This contract with Teach For America was actually very controversial about ten months ago, but the Professional Standards Board and State Board of Education eventually approved the application.
In the meantime, the contracts for each of the programs are below:
The Season Of Myths 
If UD is cooperating with Teach for America, I call on all BSEd and MEd grads of UD to cease all charitable giving to the university.
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