Beyond Two Years: Rethinking Teach For America’s True Impact

Classroom led by a TFA corps member during the 2008 Houston Summer Institute. Photo courtesy of carnavalet on Flickr.

Teach For America (TFA) began in 1990 as the nation’s first formal “teacher corps,” designed to channel talented, mission-driven graduates into high-need classrooms for two-year teaching commitments. The program, first developed by founder Wendy Kopp in her senior thesis at Princeton, has since placed over 70,000 corps members in more than 52 regions—from the Arkansas River Delta to the Bronx to Oahu.

From the start, TFA has been controversial. Critics object to the “headfirst” model, in which corps members––often young and without prior teaching experience––assume full classroom responsibilities in some of the most challenging educational environments in the country. For example, researchers from Washington and Lee University argue that TFA’s emphasis on personal qualities like grit, rather than subject-specific teaching knowledge, ensures that these schools are not provided with the expertise they need. Yet, despite these concerns, the organization’s reach and influence remain substantial, touching millions of students and reshaping the national conversation about education access and opportunity. TFA’s current model is deliberately built to produce leaders who possess both a deep understanding of and an enduring empathy for the challenges confronting public education, a mission that, in itself, stands as a compelling and self-sufficient defense of the organization’s value.

While its origins and early controversies highlight the challenges of placing new teachers into demanding schools, TFA’s real impact becomes clearer when viewed within the larger ecosystem of people and institutions that shape education. Teachers are undeniably central to a student’s education, but they are not the only influence. Schools also rely on principals, counselors, social workers, and nonprofit partners that provide tutoring, supplies, or enrichment programs. Beyond the school building, policymakers shape the funding and laws that govern public education. Engaged citizens through voting, advocacy, and philanthropy also help drive systemic change. Together, these groups shape the experiences of students in classrooms across the country.

Within this broader context, TFA’s model is intentionally designed not just to produce teachers but to cultivate a network of alumni who understand the realities of high-need schools and remain committed to educational opportunity in whatever roles they pursue. This is not an incidental byproduct: it is the central theory of change. The premise is simple: if more people in positions of influence have firsthand experience in under-resourced classrooms, the entire ecosystem of education will benefit.

For example, regardless of whether corps members choose to remain in the classroom long-term, participation in TFA appears to have a lasting influence on alumni’s beliefs about public education. A study conducted by Education Next found that, on the whole, TFA alumni with classroom experience in some of the nation’s most struggling schools believe it is possible to provide all children with access to a high-quality education and that part of the solution lies within the reach of effective teachers. Compared to non-participants, they are generally more optimistic that educational inequity can be overcome. This enduring sense of possibility shapes how TFA alumni engage with education policy, advocacy, and community work, even when their careers take them outside the school system. Take, for instance, Kevin Huffman, a TFA alum who spent his whole career in education. During his tenure as Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education, Huffman oversaw reforms that led Tennessee to post the largest gains in the nation on the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a milestone often cited as proof of his effectiveness. He specifically cites TFA as being a formative experience in his early career, indicating the organization’s lasting impact on its alumni.

This theory of change is even more relevant when examining where TFA alumni go after their two-year commitment. One of the most persistent critiques of TFA is that too few corps members stay in the classroom long-term. While it is true that many transition into other roles, the numbers tell a more nuanced story. In New York City, about 88% of first-year TFA teachers return for a second year, slightly higher than the 82% retention rate among non-TFA peers in similar schools. By the fifth year, around 25% of corps members remain in the classroom, compared with 43% of non-TFA teachers.

Yet leaving the classroom does not necessarily mean leaving education. According to TFA’s 2021 Annual Report, more than 60% of alumni work in education-related fields. Nearly half remain Pre-K through 12th grade teachers, while others serve as principals, assistant principals, leaders of education nonprofits, policy advisors, and even elected officials. TFA’s network of over 66,000 alumni includes more than 14,400 teachers, 1,410 school leaders, 1,000 school system leaders, 1,400 policy and advocacy leaders, 270 elected leaders, and 210 social entrepreneurs. The majority continue to work in education or in careers serving low-income communities. In Nashville–Chattanooga during the 2016–17 school year, TFA alumni principals led 72% of the top-performing nonselective public middle and high schools. Alumni also held positions such as state commissioner and senior roles within the Tennessee State Department of Education.

Similarly, in the Rio Grande Valley, over 85% of alumni work directly in education, with more than half still in K–12 classrooms. Alumni there have also founded IDEA Public Schools, KIPP, Rocketship Schools, and many other charter networks that cumulatively serve thousands of students across the country, offering students and families more flexibility in where they enroll their children, regardless of their income status. These examples illustrate the program’s design: not every corps member will remain a classroom teacher, but many will become the policymakers, nonprofit leaders, and civic influencers who shape American education.

This data underscores that TFA’s value cannot be measured solely by how many alumni remain in the classroom long-term. The organization’s model intentionally cultivates leaders who carry their firsthand understanding of educational disparities into teaching, school leadership, policy, advocacy, and public service – fields where they can cause systemic change. Even when corps members leave the classroom, their continued commitment to serving low-income communities reflects the very mission of TFA: to develop individuals whose insight and empathy for public education shape their work for years to come.

Teach For America is not without its flaws, and its model invites fair criticism. But to judge it solely by the percentage of corps members who remain in the classroom is to overlook the organization’s broader mission: building a large, informed, and deeply committed network of leaders for educational access and opportunity. Whether in classrooms, principal offices, legislative chambers, or nonprofit boardrooms, TFA alumni bring firsthand understanding of the challenges facing public schools.

Viewed in this light, Teach For America is not just a teacher placement program. It is an investment in cultivating leaders who will fight for an excellent education for all students for decades to come – and that enduring impact is perhaps the strongest argument for its worth.

Rosie Pipada (BC ’24) currently serves as a Teach for America Corps member and teaches elementary school in D.C. Public Schools. She can be reached at rosiepipada@gmail.com.