Teach For America’s Rocky Road
Sohoni: In my travels, the biggest barrier to progress I’ve seen is a lack of belief in what’s possible. That’s understandable. The last decade hasn’t been strong for student outcomes. But we’ve seen what’s possible before. I recently met with Harvard economist Tom Kane, who called the gains in national student outcomes from 1990 to 2015 “the greatest social change effort of our time.” Take Louisiana, where TFA alumni have stayed and taken on leadership roles across the system, helping, as a reporter for the Times-Picayune put it, “shape policy and build programs that endure.” That sustained investment has meant clearer priorities and stronger outcomes; the state is now among the closest to fully recovering from pandemic learning loss.
Hess: Looking back, if you had to point to one success story that captures the promise of TFA, what comes to mind?
Sohoni: I think about the collective impact of our nearly 70,000 alumni. One story stands out: Over the past two decades, the District of Columbia has been one of the fastest-improving urban school systems in the country, with steady progress in math and reading. TFA alumni have been part of that at every level—as teachers, principals, system leaders, school chancellors, and deputy mayors of education. What makes this story powerful isn’t any single role or moment but the sustained effort. That’s the promise of TFA.
Hess: Let’s flip it around. If there’s one development that you regard as an obvious disappointment or misstep on the part of TFA, what comes to mind?
