Looking Good: NYT recently ran an op-ed discussing Teach for America and how we’re seeing real results! TFA is working with students who want to succeed, but haven’t had the chance. Check out the study referenced over at the Urban Institute. Slate’s got an article discussing TFA, its effectiveness, and in context of No Child Left Behind (Bush’s education act). Two pages of interesting insight - a must-read.
My Friends: Also in Slate - broadcast your wonkiness to the world by downloading one of Slate’s custom political ringtones. Set includes Obama saying, “Yes, we can”, Hilary laughing, and a McCain “my friends” compilation. Warning: setting the volume too high could precipitate Hardball-style confrontation on public transportation.
Ouch: Over at Foreign Policy magazine, a retired Peace Corps volunteer / official smacks the Peace Corps aroound a bit. Pretty intense criticism - some valid, some harsh. NPR interviewed the author on Saturday to follow up. It reminds me of a NYT op-ed from January. Any Peace Corps volunteers - or anyone - want to respond / agree / disagree / discuss?
Making a Difference: The coAction Connection is releasing a documentary on youth and racism, filmed at the White Privilege Conference Youth Institute. You can read the press release here at the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, where we picked up the story. Check out the trailer:
Tags: coAction Coalition, Foreign Policy, NCDD, Peace Corps, Teach For America
May 20th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
[...] The Change, Inc.’s (BTC) Change/Wire blog highlighted a couple National Service-related items [...]
June 24th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
[...] A while back, we blogged about a Foreign Policy editorial criticizing the Peace Corps. Well, Peace Corps director Rob Tschetter has responded to the article in a harshly worded letter: I was greatly disappointed with both the tone and misrepresentations of Robert Strauss’s article (“Think Again: The Peace Corps,” ForeignPolicy.com, April 2008). It is ironic that Strauss is a former Peace Corps country director. Your readers should be aware that the responsibility to monitor the performance and effectiveness of volunteers fell directly into his hands. [...]