cover image Who Will Teach for America?

Who Will Teach for America?

Michael Shapiro. Farragut Pub. Co., $21.95 (198pp) ISBN 978-0-918535-18-4

In 1988, Teach for America, a quasi-VISTA program for young teachers started by Princeton student Wendy Kopp, made headlines. Not only did it attract numbers of Ivy League graduates eager to bring their talents to inner-city classrooms for a period of two years, but it received strong financial support from major corporations. Seven of the original teachers in the program (who also appeared in the documentary film from which the book takes its title) are featured in Shapiro's ( The Shadow in the Sun ) account of their experiences. We hear of their travails, successes and failures in trying to meet the extraordinary needs of children in embattled urban schools across the country. Among the fledgling teachers are first-generation Americans who hoped their ethnicity would establish a bond with their students. With relatively little preparation, they have apparently made headway in entrenched educational bureaucracies and sent a message, by example, to teacher training institutions. Teach for America, despite some early missteps, continues to grow and attract applicants from the nation's top universities. This inspiring book will add encouragement to the program. (Sept.)