Teach For All: International Perspectives on a Global Education Movement
Editors:
Katherine Crawford-Garrett, University of New Mexico, USA: katycgarrett@unm.edu
Matthew A.M. Thomas, University of Sydney, Australia matthew.thomas@sydney.edu.au
Emilee Rauschenberger, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK e.rauschenberger@mmu.ac.uk
Introduction
Programs based on Teach For America and associated with the Teach For All (TFAll) organization/network have proliferated around the world. Despite the rapid growth of these programs, little empirical research has examined the ways in which they are shaping the global educational landscape. This edited volume, therefore, aims to explore the emergence and impact of TFAll and its programmes worldwide. We invite chapter proposals, based on empirical research, that shed new light on this topic and contribute to an evidence base for future critical inquiry into this expanding global movement. The sections below provide additional context for the proposed text and its potential contributions to the field.
Background
Teach For All (TFAll), founded in 2007 by Wendy Kopp of Teach For America and Brett Wigdortz of Teach First, is an international network of programs operating officially in 48 countries across six continents that aim to improve educational outcomes among marginalized communities. The programs, typically established and led by local ‘social entrepreneurs’, purport to address educational inequities by selectively recruiting high-performing graduates to become full-time teachers in under-resourced schools for two years. TFAll programs are primarily funded by a mix of government, private, and philanthropic supporters, and thus represent a unique private-public partnership model of fast-track teacher education. TFAll’s role, as both a network and organization, is to support the establishment and growth of organizations worldwide that replicate the TFAll model and facilitate the sharing of resources and ‘best practices’ across the network to “maximize the impact” of the individual programs and the network itself.
While TFAll programs were initially inspired by the first two models—Teach For America (est. 1990) and Teach First UK (est. 2003)—each national program has been shaped to some extent by the culture and needs of its own context. Nevertheless, the programs are united in their mission to raise pupils’ academic achievement among targeted low-income communities in the short-term while developing its teachers as leaders who work strategically to bring about systemic change in education in the long-term. TFAll programs are also linked by the network’s 2 “unifying principles”, which require its members to ensure their programs: (1) recruit and select leaders, (2) train and develop participants, (3) place participants as teachers, (4) accelerate the leadership of alumni, and (5) drive measurable impact (TFAll, 2018). Other organizational goals include operating as non-profit enterprises and maintaining independence from government entities.
Rationale
Currently, there is a dearth of research into the emergence, expansion, and effects of TFAll programs worldwide. While there is an established research base on Teach For America and its impacts on U.S. education, limited research examines the replication and effects of this model in international contexts. In addition, there are very few empirically-based studies of Teach For All itself and almost no comparative research into how these programs differ in their ethos, design, and effects across divergent contexts. This book aims to fill this gap by highlighting empirical work and facilitating more nuanced dialogue and debate around the Teach For All model. Ultimately, the book will offer new insights into how trends in education writ large are both fueling and being fueled by well-connected global actors and entrepreneurial individuals working for change in local contexts.
Therefore, the editors invite contributions in the form of proposed chapters on a range of possible subjects related to TFAll, its programs, and impact at the local/national, regional, and/or global levels, including but not limited to:
- Relationships with and impacts on initial teacher education (ITE)
- Intersections with the pedagogies, policies, purposes, and professionalisms of teaching
- Promotions of educational leadership, advocacy, and entrepreneurialism
Proposals from a wide range of individuals are welcome, including teacher educators, university academics, and independent researchers, among others. Chapters may focus on the TFAll organization itself, one of its partner programs, or provide a comparative analysis of a number of its programs. New and creative approaches to the subject are welcome as are a diversity of voices from different perspectives and geographic contexts. However, the editors will prioritize submissions that are based on empirical research that connects data to wider debates of changes in educational contexts (e.g., in terms of practice, policy, decision-making, and outcomes). Hence, purely theoretical or opinion pieces will not likely be advanced.
Deadlines and Details
If you are interested in submitting a chapter, please email the chapter outline and synopsis (400-700 words) to tfalleditedtext@gmail.com by Friday, June 15th, 2018. The abstract should provide a synopsis of the chapter’s aims/research questions, background literature/theoretical context, methodology, and preliminary findings and significance. Please include a short, 3-page version of your CV with the proposal.
Shortlisted chapter abstracts will be selected by June 30th, 2018 and then submitted as a proposed edited volume to the publisher (to be confirmed) in late July 2018. Once approved, prospective authors will be invited to submit full-length chapters (of approximately 6,000 to 9,000 words) by December 1, 2018.
Please submit any questions to Katy, Matthew, and Emilee at tfalleditedtext@gmail.com
