University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Honors Theses (PPE) Philosophy, Politics and Economics 2008 Today, All Children: Can Teach for America Bridge the Achievement Gap? Sonia (Pascal) Steinway University of Pennsylvania Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/ppe_honors Part of the Education Policy Commons, Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Social Policy Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, and the Urban Education Commons Steinway, Sonia (Pascal), "Today, All Children: Can Teach for America Bridge the Achievement Gap?" (2008). Honors Theses (PPE). Paper 18. This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/ppe_honors/18 For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Today, All Children: Can Teach for America Bridge the Achievement Gap? Abstract Since Teach for America's founding in 1989, it has weathered a number of criticisms: could young, well- intentioned corps members unknowingly harm children by virtue of a lack of experience in teaching and unfamiliarity with poverty-stricken, primarily Black and Latino communities? Would a two year time commitment destabilize the already unpredictable lives of poor children? Can a program recruit good teachers, even if it does not require rigorous training or experience with children? And will more educational advocates solve the seemingly intractable problems of low-income schools, if those that already exist have