Caldwell to revisit Teach for America contract

The Caldwell School Board will take another look at its contract with Teach for America, the Idaho Press-Tribune reported Friday.

Trustee Leif Skyving suggested revisiting the agreement during a board meeting Thursday. Skyving and a second trustee did not attend a Dec. 8 meeting when trustees agreed to the contract, the Press-Tribune reported, and Skyving said he wasn’t even aware a Teach for America contract was on the agenda.

The Caldwell, Nampa and Homedale school districts have agreed to work with Teach for America to help hire teachers for hard-to-fill positions. But critics of the nonprofit say its recruits are not adequately prepared for the classroom; recruits do not typically study education in college or serve as student teachers, and go through a five-week TFA summer training institute, with additional time spent in regional orientations.

Disclosure: Idaho Education News and Idaho’s Teach for America branch are both funded by the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation.

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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