Teach for America

Special Examination Report No. 15-13

December 2015

Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts
Performance Audit Division
Greg S. Griffin, State Auditor Leslie McGuire, Director

Why we did this review
This special examination of Teach For America-Metro Atlanta was requested by the House Appropriations Committee. The committee asked to determine the following:
1. How effective is the Teach For America-Metro Atlanta program in recruiting and retaining teachers?
2. What is the impact of the Teach For America program on student achievement?
3. Is there sufficient evidence to support the expansion of the program to other interested school systems in the state that may benefit from the program?
About Teach For America
Teach For America is a national organization with a mission to "enlist, develop, and mobilize....future leaders to grow and strengthen the movement for educational equity." TFA recruits individuals, typically recent college graduates from selective universities, to teach in low-income schools for two years. TFA has 52 regions across the nation.
TFA-Metro Atlanta has served several metro school systems since 2000. It has placed more than 2,000 corps members into classrooms. The schools served by TFA corps members are generally Title I schools with a significant number of students who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program.

Teach For America
TFA beneficial to partnering schools but
obstacles exist to significant expansion
What we found Partnering school districts appear to benefit from having Teach For America (TFA) corps members--who frequently teach only two years--because these teachers are likely to positively impact student achievement. However, expanding the TFA program to other parts of the state will require a significant increase in state funding and will encounter additional obstacles.
TFA's national program successfully recruits graduates from selective colleges and universities who are frequently not education majors, but TFA believes they demonstrate qualities that would make them effective teachers. According to Georgia district and school leadership, the TFA corps members they hire have knowledge of the content they are teaching and are willing to teach in schools that having difficulty hiring traditional teachers.
Past studies examining TFA corps members' impact on student achievement--as well as our own analysis of student growth scores in Georgia--have shown that students of corps members perform the same as or better than students taught by non-TFA teachers, regardless of those teachers' experience. In Georgia, for example, a larger percentage of TFA corps members scored "proficient" or "exemplary" in the student growth metrics of the Georgia Department of Education's new teacher effectiveness measure, compared to other experienced and novice teachers in the same systems' Title I schools.
While TFA teachers may improve student achievement, they typically do not stay in the classroom longer than their two-year commitment. Approximately 38% of TFA corps members finished a third year of teaching in a Georgia school, compared to approximately 80% of non-TFA teachers who began teaching at

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Title I schools the same year as the corps members. However, this is consistent with TFA's strategy of developing and mobilizing future leaders who will "strengthen the movement for educational equity" in all types of employment. State, district, and school leadership noted their concern over the retention rate, but they also stated the schools in which corps members teach may not have an effective teacher at all without the program.
Significantly expanding TFA's presence in Georgia is impacted by available funding and TFA's national strategy which includes slowing new site expansion. Expanding the Metro Atlanta region beyond the three partnering districts would be hampered by the region's operating budget, which has limited its allocation of corps members (the Metro-Atlanta corps has declined each year since 2011-12, when TFA received a portion of Georgia's Race to the Top grant). For the 2015-16 school year, 67 first-year corps members were hired in three school systems, one of which requested and budgeted for more teachers than TFA was able to provide.
TFA-Metro Atlanta staff indicated additional corps members could be allocated to the region's current operating area if additional state funds--an estimated $16,000 per desired corps members--were appropriated. However, the number of corps members assigned to a region ultimately depends on the national office, and TFA-Metro Atlanta staff stated the region could likely receive no more than 30 additional corps members (for a total of 97) in the 2016-17 school year.
According to TFA staff, it is also possible to expand to systems outside the current operating region in future school years, though it would likely be no more than 80 miles away from the downtown Atlanta office. This expansion would likely require an increase in state funding to TFA from the current $275,000 to approximately $1.5 million per year (along with an additional $2.0 million in lead funding) to cover increased operating expenses related to a new satellite office and additional support staff. (The increased funding would represent about 25% of the organization's operating budget.) Additionally, local districts must be able to pay $2,000 to 4,000 per corps member per year to partner with TFA (unless the state chose to fund the fee). Finally, it would be necessary to have a geographic concentration of partnering systems with adequate teacher vacancies.
TFA Response: Regarding teacher retention, TFA noted that its teachers are more likely than other new teachers to remain in a classroom during the first two years, that high-need schools have high teacher turnover rates regardless of how teachers come to the classroom, and that nearly half of all teachers leave the classroom within five years. It also noted that a large percentage of TFA teachers who leave the classroom continue to work in roles that impact education or low-income communities.
Regarding expansion, TFA stated that state funding is not the only way that the organization might pursue expansion in the future. It noted that an "increase in state funding would help facilitate that expansion" but that the majority of organization funds would continue to be from philanthropic sources. TFA also stated that establishment of a new region takes about three years. TFA must understand and assess whether it can meet the potential partner's needs, and the financing for the region must be in place.
Specific responses are included at the end of each finding.
GaDOE Response: The Georgia Department of Education was provided a draft of the report for review. It had no comment.

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Table of Contents

Purpose of the Special Examination

1

Background

1

Teach For America

1

Teach For America-Metro Atlanta

2

TFA-Metro Atlanta Funding

4

Certification of Georgia Teachers

5

Requested Information

6

How effective is Georgia's partnership with TFA at recruiting teachers?

6

How effective is Georgia's partnership with TFA at retaining teachers?

8

What is the impact of TFA on student achievement?

11

Is there sufficient evidence to support the expansion of TFA to other interested

school systems that may benefit from the program?

16

Appendices

20

Appendix A: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

1

Appendix B: Retention of TFA Corps Members Based on Certain Characteristics 5

Appendix C: TFA Student Achievement Studies Reviewed (2005-2015)

6

Appendix D: Other State Funding and Corps Members (Fiscal Year 2016)

9

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Purpose of the Special Examination
This review of Georgia's partnership with Teach For America-Metro Atlanta was conducted at the request of the House Appropriations Committee. The Committee asked that we address the following questions:
1. How effective is the Teach For America-Metro Atlanta program in recruiting and retaining teachers?
2. What is the impact of the Teach For America program on student achievement?
3. Is there sufficient evidence to support the expansion of the program to other interested school systems in the state that may benefit from the program?
A description of the objectives, scope, and methodology used in this review is included in Appendix A. A draft of the report was provided to Teach For America-Metro Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Education for review, and pertinent responses were incorporated into the report.
Background
Teach For America Teach For America (TFA) was founded in 1989 to address academic outcomes among low-income students as well as a national teaching shortage. TFA's current mission, "to enlist, develop, and mobilize...future leaders to grow and strengthen the movement for educational equity," is primarily accomplished by recruiting individuals to teach in low-income rural and urban schools for two years. Following their commitment, TFA alumni are encouraged to continue improving education equity inside or outside the classroom.
TFA operates 52 rural and urban regions nationwide, including Metro Atlanta, the Mississippi Delta, and New York City. These regions partner with individual school systems, which then employ TFA corps members (i.e., those committed to teaching for two years) in their schools. Each regional office typically has its own executive director and permanent staff who support corps members and alumni, manage external affairs, and raise funds.
TFA Corps Members To become corps members, TFA applicants undergo an intensive screening process. Selected corps members receive pre-service training and ongoing professional development from TFA regional staff, as detailed below.
Recruitment TFA regional teams work with partnering school systems to understand their hiring needs for the upcoming year and plan corps sizes accordingly. This initial need drives TFA's recruitment at the national level. TFA recruits undergraduates as well as veterans and mid-career professionals.
TFA applicants must be United States citizens, nationals, or legal permanent residents and have a bachelor's degree with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 out of 4.0.

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Application and Selection After their initial application and resume are approved, TFA applicants complete a phone interview and an online activity consisting of multiple choice and short-answer questions. The final stage in the hiring process is a full-day interview that involves teaching a sample lesson in front of other candidates, performing a problem-solving activity, and interviewing one-on-one with a TFA recruiter. At each stage of the process, TFA staff use a mathematical selection model that guides decisions about whether applicants advance to the next stage. The model uses recruitment, selection, and student achievement data from previous TFA cohorts to determine what factors are associated with corps member effectiveness.

Title I schools receive federal funding to help
children at risk of failing to meet the state's academic standards. If more than 40% of students are from low-income families, services may be provided to all students. If between 5% and 40% are from low-income families, services are targeted.

Placement During the application process, TFA candidates provide their preferred placement region, subject, and grade level. Once accepted, corps members are given a tentative regional assignment based on these preferences and the needs of the regions. To obtain their actual teaching position, corps members undergo a hiring process with partnering school systems. Given TFA's mission, most corps members are hired by Title I schools. Corps members are employees of and are paid by school systems.
Training The majority of TFA corps members do not have an education degree or formal training in education; however, they attend TFA training in the summer prior to their first year of teaching. This typically consists of one to two weeks of regional orientation and five weeks of residential instruction that includes group instruction on curriculum, literacy, and diversity, as well as two or more hours per day teaching at summer school.
Corps members also receive ongoing support throughout their two-year commitment. TFA regional staff provides additional training and professional development, which includes feedback from classroom observations, resources, and content- and grade-specific learning teams.

Teach For America-Metro Atlanta
Since establishing the TFA-Metro Atlanta region in 2000, TFA has placed over 1,600 corps members across public schools in metro Atlanta school systems. TFA has partnered with Atlanta Public Schools (APS) every year and has worked with the Clayton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Fulton, and Cobb County school systems, as well as state charter schools, in varying years (see Exhibit 1).
During the 2015-16 school year, 162 first- and second-year corps members taught in APS, Clayton County, and Fulton County. As shown in Exhibit 1, the number of firstyear corps members has decreased since the 2011-12 school year, when TFA-Metro Atlanta received a portion of Georgia's Race to the Top1 grant to increase its regional corps size. After the Race to the Top funding period ended, the number of corps members decreased to prior corps sizes in fewer systems and schools.

1 Georgia received $400 million over four years (federal fiscal years 2011-2014) from the federal government to accomplish various educational reform goals, which included improving student achievement and increasing the supply of "great teachers." Half of the funds were allotted for state-level improvements; the other half was divided among 26 participating systems, which included APS and the Clayton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett County school systems. TFA was included in the Race to the Top effort to increase the number of effective teachers.

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Exhibit 1
Number of First-Year Corps Members, Systems, and Schools Decreasing Since 2011-12 School Year1

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

First-Year Corps Members

100 134

69

98 260 142 115

98

67

Partnering School Systems

2

2

1

5

7

6

5

4

3

Participating Schools

54

70

46

65 122

78

65

50

38

1 School years are represented by the year in which the school year ended (e.g., 2008 represents the 2007-08 school year).

Source: TFA, GaDOE CPI Data

TFA corps members are hired to teach a variety of subjects at elementary, middle, and high schools. During the 2014-15 school year, 71% of TFA first-year corps members taught in middle and high schools, though the percentages have varied through the years depending on the type of corps recruited and the schools' vacancies. For example, the percentage of first-year corps members hired at an elementary school has decreased from 51% in the 2008-09 school year to 29% in 2014-15.
A relatively equal portion of the corps members assigned to middle or high school teach English, math, and science. As shown in Exhibit 2, the percentage of first-year corps members teaching English has increased several percentage points between from the 2012-13 school year to the 2014-15 school year. The percentage assigned to special education, at any grade level, increased to 25% over the same time period, while the portion assigned to math and science increased slightly.
Exhibit 2 Percent of First-Year Corps Members Teaching in Elementary Schools has Decreased (School Years 2012-13 through 2014-15)1
40%

30%

20%

10%

0% Elementary

Math

Science

English

Middle or High School

Social Sciences

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

1 Corps members may be assigned to more than one subject. 2 Special Education assignments span all grade levels.
Source: GaDOE CPI Data, TFA

Special Education 2

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TFA-Metro Atlanta Funding
TFA-Metro Atlanta receives revenue from a variety of public and private sources. As shown in Exhibit 3, TFA estimates fiscal year 2016 revenue of approximately $5.4 million. The primary difference from the previous fiscal year is the absence of Race to the Top funding, a portion of which Georgia allocated to TFA to increase the number of corps members in Metro Atlanta and to develop a certification program. This funding loss is partly offset by an increase in private donations. Details of TFA revenue are included below.

Exhibit 3

TFA Expenditures have Decreased Over the Past Three Fiscal Years, TFA FY 2011-2016

2011

2012

20131

2014

2015

2016 (Budgeted)

State and Local Funding

State of Georgia

$49,000 $125,000

$125,000 $125,000 $125,000

$275,000

School Partnerships

1,411,800 1,281,000 1,229,000

802,000

592,000

620,000

Race to the Top Grant Total

2,535,000 3,438,389 $3,995,800 $4,844,389

3,778,182 2,553,229 1,702,153 $5,132,182 $3,480,229 $2,419,153

0 $895,000

Other Sources

Private Donations

$3,714,783 $4,443,900 $5,285,778 $2,485,867 $2,154,613 $4,259,208

Americorps Total

116,124

557,551

$3,830,907 $5,001,450

275,000

489,818

267,635

$5,560,778 $2,975,685 $2,422,248

255,000 $4,514,208

Total Revenue

$7,826,707 $9,845,839 $10,692,960 $6,455,914 $4,841,400 $5,409,208

Total Expenditures $7,475,000 $8,266,000 $5,811,000 $9,304,000 $8,257,720 $5,962,286

1 TFA's 2013 fiscal year was only eight months due to a shift in the fiscal year calendar to coincide with the school year. Source: TFA-Metro Atlanta

State Funding The General Assembly has appropriated funds to TFAMetro Atlanta since fiscal year 2010. This funding, provided to TFA through a grant administered by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), is intended "to increase the pipeline of effective teachers to help turn around metro Atlanta's lowest achieving schools." The state increased its appropriation from $125,000 to $275,000 in fiscal year 2016, comprising five percent of the regional office's total revenue.
School Partnerships Local school systems pay TFA-Metro Atlanta $4,000 annually per corps member placed in their schools to offset TFA's recruitment and training costs. As such, the variance in system funding mirrors the variance in corps size. In fiscal year 2016, 11% of TFA's funding is expected to come from system partnerships.
Private Donations Private funding consists of donations from individuals, foundations, and national contributions, as well as proceeds from fundraising events. In fiscal year 2016, 79% of TFA's total funding is expected to be private donations, which nearly doubled to $4.3 million from $2.2 million in 2015.
Americorps This funding relates to corps members' inclusion in the federal government's national service program. TFA corps members receive an education award for past, present, or future costs and, if they choose, forbearance on outstanding federal student loans while they serve. The regional office also receives a per-corps-member award.

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Also shown in Exhibit 3, TFA-Metro Atlanta's expenditures for fiscal year 2016 are expected to total nearly $6.0 million, a decrease of 28% from $8.3 million in fiscal year 2015 (which coincides with a decrease in corps members). Approximately 85% of fiscal year 2016's budgeted expenditures ($5.1 million) is designated for program costs, which include corps member recruitment, selection, and placement; pre-service training; corps member development and support; and alumni support. The remaining 15% (approximately $910,000) is designated for management and administrative duties, as well as fundraising expenses.
Nationally, TFA estimates it spends approximately $51,400 per corps member. The cost per corps member (total expenses divided by total first- and second-year corps members) can vary by year (due to corps size) and by region. In fiscal year 2015, the Metro Atlanta region spent approximately $39,000 per corps member, with state and local funding (which includes Race to the Top funding) accounting for approximately $11,000 of that amount. In fiscal year 2016, the estimated cost per corps member is $36,000; without Race to the Top funds, the state and local portion drops to approximately $5,000. Corps members' salaries and benefits are not included because corps members are teachers paid by their school system.
Certification of Georgia Teachers
O.C.G.A 20-2-200 requires all Georgia public school educators to hold state certification issued by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC).2 Although there are multiple categories of certification, teachers are generally considered to be either fully or not fully certified.
Fully Certified This indicates the candidate meets all state requirements for professional certification. These requirements include passing a staterequired content knowledge exam and completing a state-approved educator preparation program. As of July 1, 2014, GaPSC also requires three years of successful teaching experience within the last five years. Prior to this requirement, beginning educators who had completed a traditional preparation program and met all other certification requirements could be eligible for full certification without professional teaching experience.
Not Fully Certified This indicates the candidate is missing one or more certification requirements. Because corps members, in most cases, have not completed a state-approved educator preparation program prior to joining TFA, they are predominantly not fully certified educators.
GaPSC also sets educator preparation standards, approves traditional educator preparation (e.g., colleges and universities), and approves alternative certification programs for individuals who did not complete a traditional program. Most alternative certifications are obtained through a Georgia Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy (GaTAPP) program, often operated by Regional Education Service Agencies or local school systems. TFA has operated its own GaTAPP program since 2013; prior to 2014, corps members enrolled in a local GaTAPP or pursued a Masters in Teaching.

2 Charter schools and school systems that have adopted GaDOE's new flexibility models (which require performance contracts between the local system and the State Board of Education) may have this requirement waived.

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Requested Information
How effective is Georgia's partnership with TFA at recruiting teachers?
TFA successfully recruits high-quality individuals to teach in low-income, highneed schools; however, the annual number of Metro Atlanta corps members can meet only a small portion of the partnering systems' vacancy needs.
TFA's rigorous application and selection process helps ensure its corps members are high-achieving individuals dedicated to serving in low-income schools that traditionally have difficulty filling vacant positions. However, these corps members comprise a small percentage of the new hires in partnering Metro Atlanta systems and schools, and the number of first-year corps members allocated to the region has decreased from 142 in the 2012-13 school year to 67 in the 2015-16 school year.3 According to TFA staff, this is primarily due to the TFA-Metro Atlanta's inability to financially support more corps members.
Number of TFA-Metro Atlanta Corps Members TFA corps members do not comprise a large percentage of the new hires within the partnering systems or schools in a given year, and the number of first-year corps members assigned to the Metro Atlanta region has decreased 53% since the 2012-13 school year. As a result, two of the three current partnering systems do not rely on TFA as a major strategy for filling vacancies.
TFA's recruiting class in Metro Atlanta has decreased each year since the 2011-12 school year, when the number of first-year corps members nearly tripled in response to the program's inclusion in Georgia's Race to the Top initiatives (see Exhibit 1 on page 3). For the 2015-16 school year, 67 first-year corps members were assigned to a Metro Atlanta school, down from 98 during the 2014-15 school year.
Dispersed over three systems, this small number of corps members does not fill a large proportion of the vacancies that school systems experience each year. In recent years, TFA corps members have comprised an estimated one to nine percent of the new hires in past and present partnering systems. According to system leadership and principals we interviewed, however, corps members are often hired at the schools with lower student achievement and harder-to-fill vacancies. Approximately 26% of the 2015-16 active corps members are teaching in schools identified as priority or focus schools4.
Current and former partnering systems indicated that even if TFA cannot fill a large number of vacancies, the expectation is they may be able to fill vacancies in the harderto-staff subjects like math, science, and special education. During the 2012-13 to 201415 school years, between one-quarter and one-third of TFA corps members were assigned to teach math or science in a middle or high school (see Exhibit 2 on page 3). Approximately 27% of the 98 2014-15 first-year corps members were special education teachers across all grade levels.

3 According to TFA data, the total number of corps members was 413 in 2012-13 and is 162 in 2015-16.
4 Priority schools are among the lowest 5% of Title I schools in terms of academic achievement, while focus schools are among the lowest 10% of Title I schools in terms of the achievement gap. TFA's partner districts (APS, Clayton, and Fulton) comprised 24% of the state's priority and focus schools.

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Because TFA comprises a small percentage of overall hires within partnering systems and is not always able to address hard-to-staff subject areas, staff for the Atlanta Public Schools and Fulton County systems do not view TFA as a major tool for filling vacancies and prioritize other strategies. Clayton County staff, however, stated that they have a harder time attracting quality applicants and consider TFA a "key recruitment tool." For the past two years, Clayton committed to pay for up to 60 new corps members each school year, but the availability of corps members limited the system to 46 in the 2014-15 school year and 30 in the 2015-16 school year.
The number of corps members cannot be increased to address a significant proportion of teacher vacancies. According to TFA staff, the improved economy has resulted in fewer applicants nationally, which impacts the number of accepted corps members allocated to Metro Atlanta and the other 51 regions across the country. Additionally, the national office allocates corps members based on the region's financial stability, corps member and alumni satisfaction, and school system demand. TFA staff indicated that the region performs well in certain metrics (satisfaction and local demand) and is highly preferred by prospective corps members. However, they stated that the amount of funding from the state (currently $275,000) limits the number of corps members it receives.
Characteristics of TFA-Metro Atlanta Corps Members
Though TFA may not be able to recruit enough corps members to fill a significant number of vacancies in partnering systems, principals we interviewed who have hired TFA corps members indicated these teachers possess a number of desirable qualities, including high content knowledge and a commitment to work with students in Title I schools. The primary concern among system and school leaders we interviewed was that these TFA corps members typically do not intend to remain teaching beyond their two-year commitment.
TFA applicants undergo a rigorous selection process (see description on page 2), resulting in approximately 15% of applicants accepted each year. According to a recent national study, TFA corps members are likely to have graduated from selective colleges and have an average grade-point average of 3.6 (4.0 scale). Additionally, TFA's selection process works to ensure corps members have qualities that the organization has found to increase effectiveness in the classroom, such as demonstrated leadership, academic and/or professional achievement, a commitment to achieving goals, and strong interpersonal skills. In recent years, TFA has expanded the scope of its recruitment to diversify its corps. The efforts to recruit professionals, education majors, and graduates from other types of colleges and universities has increased the likelihood corps members may remain teaching after their two-year commitment, as described in the box on page 11.
According to a 2013 TFA survey of approximately 100 Metro Atlanta principals who employed corps members, nearly all of the respondents were satisfied with the TFA corps members at their school. Scores were also positive when principals were asked about various aspects of TFA corps members' teaching ability compared to other beginning teachers. For example, 53% to 59% of respondents somewhat to strongly agreed corps members were better prepared to teach and better able to provide differentiated instruction, manage a classroom, and teach students with special needs. Finally, 63% of principals stated corps members had better content knowledge than other beginning teachers.

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How effective is Georgia's partnership with TFA at retaining teachers?
Because TFA's model is not intended to develop career teachers, TFA corps members are less likely than other new hires to remain in teaching positions over the long term.
After completing their two-year commitment, TFA corps members in Georgia typically do not remain in the classroom at the same rate as other teachers in Title I schools. This is likely due to TFA's national strategy, which is to develop leaders who address educational inequality in various capacities, not the development of a large number of career teachers. Though state, system, and school leaders we interviewed expressed concern over TFA's retention rates, some principals indicated it does not deter them from continuing to hire new TFA corps members.
Research and interviews with educational leaders identified a number of negative impacts of turnover in a school's teaching positions. These include additional recruiting, hiring, and training costs; negative impacts on student achievement due to inexperienced teachers; and disruptions to school leadership's efforts to implement reform. However, some principals who have hired and continue to hire TFA corps members stated they would have difficulty employing quality teachers in the positions TFA corps members occupy, and that turnover among other teachers is often no different than that of TFA.
To compare TFA and non-TFA teacher retention, we first defined the retention rate as the number of teachers who began working in a given school year divided by the number who remained in any Georgia classroom at the end of subsequent school years. We used GaDOE's personnel information system5 to track TFA-Metro Atlanta corps members who began teaching during the 2004-05, 2009-10, and 2011-12 school years, as well as other teachers who began working in the partnering systems' Title I schools during those years.6 A more detailed description of our methodology can be found in Appendix A.
Likelihood of Remaining in any Georgia Classroom
As shown in Exhibit 4, TFA corps members in the three cohorts remained teaching at similar or higher rates than their counterparts during the first two years. In particular, TFA corps members who began in 2005 and 2010 were more likely to finish their second year of teaching than their counterparts, while 2012 corps members were similarly likely. Immediately following their two-year commitment, retention among the 2010 and 2012 TFA corps members dropped to less than 40%, approximately half the rate of non-TFA teachers hired at the same time (retention was slightly higher for the 2005 TFA cohort, but still approximately one-third less than that of other teachers). TFA retention rates in all cohorts continued to decline and remained significantly lower than other teachers in subsequent years.

5 GaDOE's Certified/Classified Personnel Information (CPI) system contains information on individuals employed by the state's local school systems. Data include the employee's demographics, experience, salary, and certification, along with the school(s), job(s) (e.g., Grade 1 Teacher), and assigned subject(s).
6 TFA partnered with APS during the 2004-05 and 2009-10 school years. During the 2011-12 school year, in which a larger number of corps members were hired due to the Race to the Top funding, TFA also partnered with Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett county systems, as well as two state charter schools.

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Exhibit 4 Percentage of TFA Corps Members in Georgia Classrooms Drops Significantly After Two Years

100%

2005 Cohort (59 TFA, 106 Other Teachers)

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0% Year 1
100% 90%

Year 2

Year 3

Year 5

2010 Cohort

(69 TFA, 93 Other Teachers)

Year 10

80%

70% 60%

50%

40% 30%

20%

10% 0%
100%

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

2012 Cohort (260 TFA, 725 Other Teachers)

Year 5

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0% Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

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Other First-Year Teachers in Title I Schools

Source: GaDOE CPI Data, TFA

It should be noted that these retention rates include only those who remained in teaching positions.7 Some TFA and other teachers accepted administrative positions (e.g., principals, instructional supervisors). Among those who began teaching in 2005, for example, approximately 15% of TFA and other first-year teachers moved to a full-time administrative position.
Likelihood of Remaining in Original School
State, system, and school leaders we interviewed noted teachers should remain in the same school for at least three to five years to make a real impact. However, the Title I schools reviewed lost more than 70% of new teachers--both TFA and nonTFA--within five years of their hire (see Exhibit 5). In all cohorts, non-TFA teachers were more likely to leave their original school in the second year. Among the 2005 and 2010 cohorts, non-TFA teachers were just as likely as TFA to be gone in the third year. Among the 2012 cohort, however, only 26% of TFA corps members (most of whom left teaching in Georgia entirely) were still at their original school in the third year, compared to nearly 70% of other teachers. While TFA percentages can be primarily attributed to their low retention rates overall, other teachers appear to be more likely to transfer to another school.
Primary Reason for Low Retention
TFA officials note that the organization's national mission is to develop leaders who will work to address educational equity, which begins with teaching in a lowincome school for two years. TFA alumni are expected to continue advocating for improvements in education through a variety of professions, including politics, school leadership, and nonprofit work. As such, TFA-Metro Atlanta staff indicated the measure of their success is not whether

7 Approximately 10% or less of the tracked individuals employed in a school system each year worked in administrative or support positions outside the classroom or served as paraprofessionals. Excluding this small percentage of individuals did not impact cohorts' overall retention rates in a given year.

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Exhibit 5 Corps Members More Likely to Remain at Original School in the First Two Years but Not Later Years

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

2005 Cohort (59 TFA, 106 Other Teachers)

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 5

2010 Cohort

(69 TFA, 93 Other Teachers)

Year 10

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

2012 Cohort

(260 TFA, 725 Other Teachers)

Year 5

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

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Other First Year Teachers in Title I Schools

1 Retention was calculated based on the original cohort. As such, it accounts for individuals who were not teaching in their original school as well as those who were no longer teaching in any Georgia classroom. Source: GaDOE CPI Data, TFA

the individual was still teaching after two years, but whether they remain in a position to affect change in education.
TFA estimates approximately 1,200 alumni from the Metro Atlanta and other corps regions currently reside in Georgia. Of the 571 who responded to TFA's most recent alumni survey, approximately 59% (338) indicated they were working in education. Most were teaching in a school, while others worked in an education-related nonprofit, a school system office, a charter network, or at a college or university. Of the 338 educators, approximately 66% (223) began their career as corps members in Metro Atlanta; the remaining 115 came to Georgia after serving in other TFA regions.
As discussed in the previous finding, some of TFA's new recruiting strategies may increase the likelihood of TFA teachers remaining in the classroom after their twoyear commitment (see the box on the following page).
TFA Response: TFA noted that "TFA teachers are more likely than others to stay in the classroom during the first two years: about 89 percent of TFA first-year teachers return for a second year, compared to 87 percent for all new teachers. Unfortunately, high-need schools have high rates of teacher turnover, regardless of how teachers have come to the classroom. According to the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, nearly half of all teachers leave the classroom within five years, and in high-need schools the rate is even higher." TFA also noted that "one third of the over 1,200 TFA alumni in Atlanta are teachers, while 80 percent are working in roles that impact education or low-income communities, including leading local schools and non-profits, working in districts and as school system leaders."

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Certain Characteristics Increase the Likelihood TFA Recruits Will Remain Teaching in State
A 2015 study of TFA corps members in Florida found that certain characteristics increased the likelihood of corps members who intended to remain in education to also remain in Florida: (1) having a prior personal connection to Florida (i.e., originally from Florida and/or graduating from a Florida college or university); (2) having additional experience (such as graduate school or a profession) prior to joining TFA; or (3) rating the state as a highly preferable region for placement.
Based on the retention of corps members who began working in Georgia schools in the 2011-12 school year, this appears to be the case among Metro Atlanta corps members as well. Corps members with at least one of the characteristics were more likely to remain teaching in Georgia after their two-year commitment (see results in Appendix B). For example, approximately 56% of the 63 corps members who indicated Georgia was their "permanent state" remained in a Georgia classroom after their two-year commitment, compared to 31% of the 197 corps members from other states. Corps members with at least one of these characteristics (with the exception of highly preferring placement to the region) have typically comprised less than half of the total cohort. Percentages were lower during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years when the number of corps members increased with Race to the Top funding.
It should be noted that, unlike the Florida study, we were unable to separate corps members who intended to remain in education from those that did not.
What is the impact of TFA on student achievement?
Students taught by TFA corps members perform as well as or better than students taught by other teachers, regardless of experience.
Past studies analyzing the achievement of students taught by TFA corps members and non-TFA teachers have shown TFA corps members are as effective--and in some cases more effective--than their peers. Our analysis of Georgia teachers' student growth scores indicate TFA-Metro Atlanta corps members generally perform better than nonTFA teachers, regardless of experience. Finally, most system staff and principals we interviewed indicated they were satisfied with the performance of TFA corps members they had hired.
Studies comparing TFA teachers' impact on student achievement to that of other teachers, as well as our own analysis of TFA and Title I teacher performance, are discussed in further detail below.
Previous Studies of TFA Performance According to numerous studies published in the last 10 years, students taught by TFA corps members generally perform as well as or better than students taught by nonTFA teachers. This is particularly true in math, where multiple studies found TFA teachers have a positive, but relatively small, impact. Studies generally found fewer differences in reading achievement, and some showed TFA having a negative impact.
We identified one study that focused specifically on TFA-Metro Atlanta. In 2015, TFA commissioned a research entity to review nine years of standardized test scores for students taught by TFA teachers (both corps members and alumni) and other teachers.8 The study found TFA teachers had a positive impact in elementary and
8 The study examined nine years of student scores from two standardized tests: the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (which assesses grade 3-8 math, reading, language arts, science, and social studies) and the high school end-of-course tests for math, 9th grade literature, American literature, biology, and United States history. The study was limited to APS, Clayton County, and Gwinnett County, though the full span of data (2005-06 school year through 2013-14 school year) would only be applicable to APS.

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middle school science and social studies as well as high school American literature. Impact was no different in other subjects.
We also reviewed 12 other studies related to TFA and student achievement issued between 2005 and 2015 (see Appendix C for a list of the studies and their general results).9 Most studies were limited to a particular state (including the contiguous states of North Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee), while others had a national scope. The studies typically compared the standardized test scores of students taught by TFA teachers (most likely in their first or second year of teaching) to the scores of students taught by other teachers. Most studies compared TFA teachers to other novice and/or experienced teachers collectively and separately and reviewed multiple subjects and grade levels. As such, within each study, there were multiple opportunities to identify differences in TFA's impact on student achievement.
The studies primarily focused on student achievement in math and reading. For the 2014-15 school year, a majority of first-year TFA corps members taught these subjects at some grade level. Approximately one-third were hired as elementary school teachers, who teach multiple subjects. Approximately 18% were assigned to middle or high school math, and about 15% were assigned to middle or high school English (see Exhibit 2 on page 3). The studies are discussed below.
Mathematics Multiple studies have found students taught by TFA corps members have greater math achievement than those taught by other teachers in the same school, regardless of the comparison population's experience or certification level. One study estimated that TFA's higher impact on secondary math achievement equated to approximately 2 months of additional instruction for the average student nationwide.10
Of the 12 math-related studies, four found TFA corps members were more effective in every comparison made. For example, a recent study of a TFA region in Florida found TFA teachers were more effective in elementary, middle, and high school math regardless of the comparison population's experience level. A 2013 national study examining secondary math achievement also found active corps members performed better than other novice and experienced teachers in the same schools.
Seven studies found at least one instance in which TFA's impact on math achievement was no different than other teachers. For example, a 2015 national study of elementary math achievement found there was no difference between active TFA corps members and other novice and experienced teachers in the same schools, regardless of the grade level. Likewise, two New York City studies of elementary and middle math scores found no differences between TFA corps members and teachers with the same years of experience.
Two of the studies found that TFA teachers had a negative impact for at least one group of students. A 2005 Houston study found TFA teachers had a negative impact on elementary math achievement compared to other teachers

9 Seven of these studies had been peer reviewed and published in academic journals; the remaining five were issued by the research entity.
10 A review of this study noted that this impact is less than other educational reforms such as reducing class size or attending pre-kindergarten, though these initiatives may be more costly.

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for two of three standardized tests. A Tennessee report on TFA in 2014 found negative impacts in elementary and middle school math in one school district but a positive impact in another district.
Reading/English TFA's impact on students' reading achievement scores was frequently no different than that of comparison teachers with similar or more years of experience. Any identified positive impact was smaller than TFA's impact on math achievement, and some comparisons showed a small negative impact.
Most of the comparisons in the ten relevant studies found no difference in TFA and other teachers' impact on reading achievement; however, five studies found a positive impact by TFA teachers in one or two comparisons. For example, the 2015 national study noted that, when compared to other teachers in the same school, TFA corps members had a positive impact in reading achievement for pre-K through second grade students only. This impact was not evident in grades three through five, or when comparing corps members to teachers with the same experience or those that were certified. Likewise, two regional studies found TFA corps members had a positive impact on high school English scores but no difference in elementary or middle school scores.
Five regional studies found instances in which TFA had a negative impact on either elementary or middle school reading/English achievement. A 2006 study based in New York City, for example, found that first- and second-year elementary and first-year middle school TFA teachers were less effective than their college-trained first- or second-year counterparts. Recent Florida and North Carolina studies found one instance each, when comparing novice TFA corps members to teachers of all experience levels.
Other Subjects Three North Carolina studies compared student achievement of TFA science teachers to other novice and experienced teachers. TFA was more effective than comparison teachers in both studies that examined high school science achievement. The one study that reviewed multiple years of science achievement in elementary and middle schools found TFA teachers from one cohort were more effective; other cohorts were no different than the comparison population. The Tennessee study identified varying results among the two TFA regions in that state, with one cohort performing better in elementary, middle, and high school science and the other performing better in only elementary and middle school science.
The North Carolina study that reviewed achievement in high school social studies found no difference between the TFA corps members and novice teachers who had graduated from the state's undergraduate education programs. The Tennessee study that reviewed elementary and middle school social studies achievement identified one TFA cohort performing better than other teachers regardless of experience and the other performing no different.
Researchers noted that TFA's positive impact on student achievement could be attributed to general differences between TFA and other teachers in the same highpoverty schools, including academic background, content knowledge (particularly for math and science), and other, non-quantifiable characteristics such as motivation or leadership. Additionally, some studies noted that the non-TFA teachers' experience

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appeared to impact student achievement, though the impact of their certification level was mixed.
Analysis of Georgia Teachers' Student Growth Scores
Our analysis of Georgia students' growth scores shows TFA corps members and alumni generally performed better than non-TFA teachers, regardless of certification or experience.
To assess performance related to student achievement, we reviewed student growth scores included in GaDOE's new Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES), a standard assessment tool developed under the federal Race to the Top grant. Teachers' impact on student learning in tested subjects are evaluated with the Student Growth Percentile (SGP), which uses state assessment data11 to measure a student's growth relative to other students with similar academic achievement, regardless of demographics. Teachers in non-tested subjects are evaluated using Student Learning Objectives (SLO), which are GaDOE-approved learning outcomes set by teachers and their supervisors. All teachers receive a score that ranges from one ("ineffective") to four ("exemplary"), with three ("proficient") being the state benchmark.
GaDOE compiled the first student growth scores from Race to the Top school systems during the 2013-14 school year. We received the SGP and SLO scores calculated by GaDOE for all teachers working in Title I schools in systems that partnered with TFA during that school year. Novice TFA teachers (i.e., corps members in their first two years) were compared with novice teachers who were already fully certified and those not fully certified when they began teaching, as well as experienced teachers (those with three or more years' experience).12 We also identified former TFA corps members who taught beyond their two-year commitment (approximately half of these teachers were in their third year of teaching). We determined that the population sizes were not large enough to compare scores by grade level. Comparing growth scores by subject was not possible because a teacher assigned to multiple subjects receives a single rating.
As shown on Exhibit 6, novice TFA teachers performed as well as or better than other teachers in both student growth metrics, and TFA alumni with three or more years of experience performed significantly better. Approximately 85% of TFA novice teachers met or surpassed the GaDOE benchmark for SGP, compared to 74% and 70% of fully certified and not fully certified novice teachers, respectively, and 77% of experienced non-TFA teachers. TFA corps members and non-TFA teachers were equally likely to receive exemplary scores (approximately five to six percent in each population), but a larger proportion of TFA corps members received proficient scores. By contrast, approximately 20% of the applicable TFA alumni received an exemplary score, and nearly all of the others were proficient.

11 Includes the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (grades 4-8 reading, English/language arts, math, science, and social studies) and End of Course Tests (algebra, geometry, United States history, economics, biology, physical science, ninth grade literature, and American literature). Beginning in the 2014/2015 school year, these tests were replaced with the Georgia Milestones Assessment System, which generally covers the same subjects.
12 As discussed on page 5, fully certified novice teachers are typically education majors, while not fully certified novice populations are typically enrolled in an alternative certification program or are education majors who have not met all of the requirements to become fully certified. Most TFA corps members are not fully certified.

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Exhibit 6
TFA Corps Members and Alumni were More Likely to Receive Proficient or Exemplary Scores Related to Student Growth (2013-14 School Year)1

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0% Student Growth Percentiles (SGP) Student Learning Objectives (SLO)

# of Teachers with a Score2

SGP SLO

TFA Novice

84

49

Fully Certified Novice

369

475

Not Fully Certified Novice

119

92

TFA Experienced

56

41

Non-TFA Experienced

3,360 3,764

1 This analysis included all teachers who worked in APS, Clayton County, and DeKalb County during the 2013-14 school year. These districts partnered with TFA and received Race to the Top funds. Scores were not available for teachers in Fulton County or State Commissioned Charter Schools, which also partnered with TFA but did not participate in Race to the Top. 2 Each teacher received a 2013-14 SGP and/or SLO, depending on the subject(s) they taught. Novice teachers are those in their first or second year. Experienced teachers have at least three years.
Source: GaDOE; TFA

The percentage of teachers reaching or exceeding GaDOE's benchmark for SLOs was significantly lower for all populations. Additionally, the difference in percentages by population was not as large, with the exception of the experienced TFA teachers. According to GaDOE staff, the lower SLO scores may be due to the rigorous standards teachers and their supervisors set for themselves when designing the SLOs.
We also reviewed scores related to Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards (TAPS), the qualitative component of TKES that evaluates the major categories of a teacher's duties, such as planning and instructional delivery. All novice and experienced TFA teachers and 97% of other teachers met or exceeded GaDOE's benchmark.

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Is there sufficient evidence to support the expansion of TFA to other interested school systems that may benefit from the program?
While additional systems may benefit from a partnership with TFA, it is not an effective strategy to supply a large number of teachers to classrooms across the state. Increased state funding would be required to add corps members in Metro Atlanta, and additional obstacles exist to expanding to other areas of the state.
Additional school systems in Georgia may benefit from having TFA corps members in their classrooms given their positive impact on student achievement; however, the program should not be viewed as a strategy to eliminate vacancies because the limited number of corps members generally leave the classroom after fulfilling their two-year commitment. According to TFA, increasing the number of corps members within the region's current operating area is possible in the 2016-17 school year if additional state funds are appropriated. Any future effort to expand to other parts of the state would present additional challenges.
As discussed in previous findings, TFA is successful at recruiting teachers who tend to perform as well as or better than other teachers on measures of student achievement. While most corps members do not continue teaching in Georgia after their two-year commitment, many do fill positions in harder-to-staff schools that may otherwise have difficulty employing quality teachers.
TFA staff evaluate potential local partnerships based on whether the school system has Title I schools with vacancies in subjects that match the likely array of corps members they recruit. Based on this criteria, it appears many systems in Georgia would qualify as prospective partners, though it is unclear which systems are interested in bringing TFA corps members into their schools. See the next page for a more detailed discussion of TFA's partnership criteria.
Any significant changes in Georgia's TFA corps size must overcome the fact that TFA's national strategy includes slowing the pace of new site expansion. TFA is instead focusing on improving the current 52 regions, increasing the number of recruits, and ensuring the regions' financial stability absent Race to the Top funding.
Despite this challenge, TFA staff indicated it is possible to add a small number of corps members to current or new system partners within TFA's operating region (approximately 25 miles from TFA's downtown Atlanta office) for the 2016-17 school year. According to staff, TFA's current corps member allocation is primarily driven by the region's budget, and an increase is unlikely without additional funding from the state. TFA-Metro Atlanta staff estimated state funding would need to increase by approximately $16,000 per additional corps member. For example, if the state wanted 10 additional corps members, the General Assembly would need to appropriate approximately $435,000 rather than the current $275,000.
Given the national office's estimated recruitment levels for the 2016-17 school year, TFA-Metro Atlanta staff stated the Metro Atlanta region could likely receive no more than 30 additional corps members (a total appropriation of approximately $755,000), which would nearly restore the corps size to 98 allocated in the 2014-15 school year. TFA-Metro Atlanta staff noted, however, that the national office ultimately determines each region's allocation based on national recruitment and its regional assessment.

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TFA's Criteria for Partner Systems
TFA-Metro Atlanta staff stated they evaluate potential partnerships on several factors, including Title I schools, vacancies, systems' willingness to partner with TFA, and mission alignment.
Title I Schools TFA only partners with Title I schools, which receive federal funds to improve academic performance among students from low-income families. In the 2014-15 school year, approximately 70% of Georgia's schools were designated as Title I schools. In 112 of the 180 school systems, at least 80% of the schools were Title I.
Vacancies Prospective systems must have a sufficient number of vacancies in subjects that match corps member qualifications. To determine this need, TFA regional staff converse with system leadership, review system job postings, and conduct historical vacancy analysis.
The state does have reliable teacher vacancy data; therefore, we used information from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) to identify systems with a relatively large percentage of teachers who are not fully certified (NFC) (analyst statement). According to GaPSC, this percentage is the best available indicator of teacher shortages because it shows whether a school system had more vacancies than fully certified experienced teachers to fill them. In the 2014-15 school year, 45% (81 of 180) of systems in Georgia had NFC percentages higher than the 8% statewide average. In 16 of these systems, the percent NFC was more than twice the state average. Since they are beginning teachers with provisional certifications, TFA corps members would not decrease a system's NFC percentage. However, given TFA's positive impact on student achievement, some systems may find corps members more desirable than other teachers with the same designation.
Willingness to Partner with TFA Because the state does not control whether TFA teachers are hired by local school systems, successful partnerships require school leaders who are willing to hire TFA corps members. Additionally, systems must also be able to pay a per-person fee for each of the two years the corps members serve. Metro Atlanta TFA staff stated they have not had formal conversations with school systems in other parts of the state, so it is unclear what other systems may be interested in employing TFA corps members.
Alignment with TFA's Mission Prospective systems must be aligned with TFA's overall mission of leveraging state, system, school, and community partners together to improve student achievement in highneed schools. This is typically assessed over numerous conversations between system and TFA leadership.

TFA staff indicated it is also possible to expand to systems outside the current operating region in future school years, though initially the new area could likely be no more than 80 miles from the main downtown office due to the support that would necessarily be provided by the current regional office. Achieving this option depends on several factors discussed below.
TFA would prioritize meeting demand in current systems According to TFA staff, any initial increases to the region's corps member allocation would likely be focused on filling the unmet need in the Metro Atlanta area. For example, Clayton County has committed to paying for 60 corps members for the past two years; however, the system was only been able to hire 46 in the 2014-15 school year and 30 in 2015-16. To meet only this need, TFA's future corps would have to increase by approximately 30%; however, the demand is likely higher since principals we interviewed in other systems also noted they would have been willing to hire corps members but were unable to because of the smaller corps size. As discussed above, any increase in corps members depends on increased TFA funding.
The partnering region would need a sufficient number of concentrated vacancies One component of TFA's strategy is to concentrate corps members in fewer (and ideally feeder) schools. According to staff, placing

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multiple corps members in the same schools improves corps member satisfaction and the support they receive, while placing corps members in feeder schools maximizes TFA's impact on student achievement.
Concentrating corps members could be challenging in smaller or rural systems. TFA's current partnering systems are among the largest in the state, and there are enough vacancies within Title I schools to concentrate corps members in the same or closely located schools. By contrast, most systems outside the Metro Atlanta area have significantly fewer schools--an average of 11 versus approximately 90--and thus fewer hiring opportunities for corps members. As such, TFA would likely be unable to partner with just one system and place a sufficient number of corps members to fulfill its current strategy over multiple years; rather, it would likely have to find a cluster of closely-located systems committed to hiring and paying for corps members.
Rural TFA regions are generally harder to staff According to TFA, a successful partnership depends on whether the organization can attract corps members and any necessary support staff to the new area. However, currently established rural regions are generally among applicants' least preferred regions; as such, it can be difficult to find an adequate number of corps members to teach in those regions. Further, TFA staff in other states' rural regions stated that rural corps members are less likely to remain teaching after their two-year commitment, which can impact schools already struggling to fill vacant positions.
Expansion would require increased funding from the state and committed funding from local systems According to TFA, providing corps members to school systems outside the 25-mile radius of its current office would require opening a satellite office (within 80 miles), hiring additional support staff, and--if one does not exist in the region--operating an alternative certification program. These costs would require an estimated $1.6 to $2.0 million in one-time lead funding, in addition to the $1.5 million annually for the general increase in corps members.
Additionally, prospective partnering systems must pay TFA a fee (typically $2,000 to $4,000 depending on the financial capacity of the district) per corps member for each of the two service years. This fee is often viewed as an added cost for the teacher and--in the case of two systems--was the primary reason the partnership with TFA ended. TFA also typically solicits funding from community partners and philanthropic organizations in its partnership areas; these entities may be less prevalent in rural areas.
It should be noted that any increase in state appropriation does not guarantee an increased number of corps members. TFA-Metro Atlanta's corps size decreased by from 98 to 67 despite the $150,000 increase in the state appropriation (this additional funding, however, did not fully replace the lost Race to the Top funding and required more reliance on other sources). Comparatively, other states we spoke with also saw reduced corps sizes for the 2015-16 school year, despite higher state funding in those states (see Appendix D for funding in other states). According to TFA staff, a TFA region's allocation depends on the supply of recruits nationally, local demand, and staff, alumni, and corps member satisfaction in addition to the financial stability of the region, which generally coincides with the amount of consistent state funding.

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TFA Response: TFA stated that "funding from the State of Georgia is not the only way Teach for America Metro Atlanta might financially pursue expansion in the future. An increase in state funding would help facilitate that expansion, within the parameters of the other factors reflected in the report, but would still comprise about 25% of our regional operating budget. In any scenario discussed, the balance of needed revenue would have to come from other private philanthropic sources, as well as local district revenue."
TFA also stated that "adding a new region takes around three years to fully understand a potential partner's needs, ensure TFA can meet these needs, and ensure both the partner and TFA have the finances and people to invest in a successful partnership."

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Appendix A: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
Objectives This report examines Georgia's partnership with Teach For America (TFA). Specifically, our examination set out to determine the following:
1. How effective is Georgia's partnership with TFA at recruiting teachers? 2. How effective is Georgia's partnership with TFA at retaining teachers? 3. What is the impact of TFA on student achievement? 4. Is there sufficient evidence to support the expansion of TFA to other
interested school systems in the state that may benefit from the program?
Scope This special examination covered activity related to TFA-Metro Atlanta and partnering school systems13 during the 2004-05 through 2015-16 school years. Information used in this report was obtained by reviewing relevant laws, rules, and regulations; interviewing TFA staff and officials from the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC), school systems and schools; and reviewing research.
We reviewed GaDOE's Certified/Classified Personnel Information (CPI) data for employees14 in systems that partnered with TFA during school years 2004-05 through 2014-15. GaDOE collects CPI data from the local systems in October and March of each school year. Relevant CPI data included name, date of birth, job category, job code, certification type, and system, school, and subject assignments. We assessed the data and determined it was sufficiently reliable for our analysis.
We reviewed information on corps members obtained from TFA-Metro Atlanta staff for corps members who taught in Georgia during school years 2004-05 through 201516. Relevant data included corps member name, date of birth, and corps year. This data was primarily used to identify corps members in GaDOE's CPI data. We assessed this data and determined it was sufficiently reliable to identify corps members in CPI data.
Interviews with system and school officials in partnering systems informed all of the objectives. We interviewed human resource officials in the six systems that currently partner with TFA or did so in previous school years. We also interviewed nine principals--one at each school level (elementary, middle, and high school)--in the three systems that primarily hired TFA corps members since the 2011-12 school year (Atlanta Public Schools and Clayton and Fulton County Schools). To select schools for principal interviews, we used CPI data to identify schools that hired multiple TFA corps members in recent years. Because our sample only included principals who hired corps members in recent years, results of these interviews cannot be projected to all principals who have hired corps members.

13 Partnering school systems include Atlanta Public Schools (APS), and Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett County Schools. These systems partnered with TFA in varying years, with the exception of APS, which partnered with TFA in all schools years.
14 This includes teaching personnel as well as administrative (e.g., principals, instructional supervisors, and school improvement specialists) and support staff (e.g., counselors, school nurses, bus drivers).

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We also conducted interviews with officials at departments of education and TFA regional offices in the contiguous states (Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina), as well as Mississippi. TFA partners with rural school systems in four of these states and with urban systems in all of these states. These interviews informed all of the objectives.
Finally, we utilized data on Title I designation obtained from GaDOE for the 2004-05 through 2014-15 schools years in multiple analyses. Title I schools receive federal funds, based on census poverty data, to improve academic performance among students from low-income families. Schools are designated as one of the following: (1) Targeted Title I, (2) Schoolwide Title I, or (3) Not Title I. Targeted Title I schools are required to direct Title I funds to a specific groups of children, whereas Schoolwide Title I schools can use these funds to enhance the school's entire educational program. According to GaDOE and TFA-Metro Atlanta staff, both Targeted and Schoolwide are considered Title I schools. Relevant data included Title I designation by school and year. We assessed the data and determined it was sufficiently reliable for our analysis.
Methodology
To determine the extent to which Georgia's partnership with TFA is effective at recruiting teachers, we interviewed TFA-Metro Atlanta staff and reviewed available information regarding TFA's recruiting and selection process. We also interviewed system and school officials in partnering systems. Finally, we used data obtained from TFA's 2013 principal survey, which is sent every two years to principals who employ at least one corps member in their school. In 2013, approximately 64% of the 164 principals (105) in participating schools completed the survey.
To determine the extent to which Georgia's partnership with TFA is effective at retaining teachers, reviewed CPI data for the 2004-2005, 2009-2010, and 2011-2012 school years. We used TFA's corps member data to identify the corps members who began teaching in those years. We also identified other first-year teachers in the partnering systems' Title I schools during the same school years. Though CPI data contains a data field for years of service, we found this field to be unreliable. Therefore, we confirmed teachers were in their first year by reviewing whether those who had zero years of service were present in the previous school year's CPI data. We calculated the retention rate as the percentage of the original cohort who remained in CPI as a teacher in subsequent school years.15 We tracked whether the individual remained teaching in any Georgia classroom and in the school to which they were hired in their first year.
To understand the effects of teacher attrition on schools and systems, we conducted interviews with state, system, and school officials, and reviewed research related to teacher attrition.
To determine if certain characteristics increased the likelihood of corps members teaching in Georgia beyond their two-year commitment, we obtained from TFAMetro Atlanta staff a list of corps members who were from Georgia, graduated from a Georgia college or university, possessed a graduate degree, or who worked in a

15 Individuals who accepted other full-time positions--most prominently as administrators or paraprofessionals--were not included in the retention calculations. In a given years, these individuals represented a small percentage of the total individuals identified in CPI. As such, there exclusion did not impact the retention rate.

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professional job prior to joining TFA. These qualities were selected based on a similar 2015 study conducted in Florida. We used CPI data to track TFA corps members who began teaching during the 2011-12 school year and compared the retention rate of those who possessed these qualities to those who did not.
To obtain information on TFA's impact on student achievement, we conducted a literature review of studies published between 2005 and 2015 that measured the impact of TFA teachers on student achievement. Studies were identified using two prominent literature reviews recently conducted by research organizations, which highlighted "rigorous prior evidence," "well-designed non-experimental studies," and statistically sound, peer-reviewed studies. We also identified studies highlighted on TFA's website and selected those that were included in at least one of the other two literature reviews, and/or had a national scope. We also included studies related to contiguous states even if they were not peer reviewed or mentioned in the other two literature reviews.
We also reviewed student growth ratings included in GaDOE's Teacher Keys Effectiveness System, the standard assessment tool developed under the federal Race to the Top grant. Student Growth ratings measure a teacher's impact on student learning in tested and non-tested subjects.16 These ratings (ranging from one to four) were calculated by GaDOE and indicate the teacher's level of proficiency. The ratings were available for teachers in Race to the Top systems for the 2013-14 school year only. This limited our analysis to Atlanta Public Schools and the DeKalb and Clayton County Schools (Fulton County also partnered with TFA during that school year but was not a Race to the Top system).
We used TFA's corps member data to identify active corps members (in their first or second year of teaching) and alumni (former corps members with three or more years of experience) who were teaching in those systems in that year. We also used CPI data to identify novice (in their first two years) and experienced teachers in the partnering systems' Title I schools. Teachers in the non-TFA novice population were further designated as fully certified or not fully certified based on their CPI certification codes.
To determine if there is sufficient evidence to support the expansion of TFA to other school systems that may benefit from the program, we interviewed TFA staff about its expansion process and requirements. We also interviewed staff at GaPSC and GaDOE to identify potential teacher shortages. Although systems submit teacher vacancy data to GaPSC, according to GaPSC staff, the data is not reliable. Therefore, as advised by GaPSC staff, we reviewed GaPSC data on certification status for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years to identify systems with levels of not fully certified teachers higher than the state average. Not fully certified (NFC) indicates the teacher is missing one or more certification requirement. The percentage NFC shows whether a school system had more vacancies than fully certified experienced teachers to fill them. We assessed this data and determined it was sufficiently reliable for our analysis.

16 Teachers in tested subjects are evaluated with the Student Growth Percentile, which uses state assessment data to measure a student's growth relative to other students with similar academic achievement, regardless of demographics. Teachers in non-tested subjects are evaluated using Student Learning Objectives, learning outcomes set by teachers and their supervisors and monitored using preand post-assessments.

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This special examination was not conducted in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS) given the timeframe in which the report was needed. However, it was conducted in accordance with Performance Audit Division policies and procedures for non-GAGAS engagements. These policies and procedures require that we plan and perform the engagement to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for the information reported and that data limitations be identified for the reader.

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Appendix B: Retention of TFA Corps Members Based on Certain Characteristics1

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

Retention of All Corps Members (260)2

99%

88%

37%

20%

Does the corps member consider Georgia their permanent state of residence?

Yes (63)

100%

100%

56%

33%

No (197)

99%

85%

31%

16%

Did the corps member graduate from a Georgia college or university?

Yes (65)

98%

88%

49%

31%

No (194)

99%

89%

34%

17%

Is the corps member from Georgia and a graduate of a Georgia college or university?

Yes (37)

100%

100%

65%

43%

No (224)

99%

86%

33%

17%

Is the corps member a former graduate student or professional?

Yes (43)

100%

100%

60%

35%

No (217)

99%

86%

33%

18%

Was the Metro Atlanta region a highly preferred region?

Yes (216)

100%

99%

43%

23%

No (44)

95%

39%

11%

7%

Multiple Characteristics

Former Graduate Student/Professional, Hometown and College in Georgia (13)

100%

100%

77%

62%

Former Graduate Student/Professional, College in Georgia (15)

100%

100%

67%

47%

Former Graduate Student/Professional, Permanent State Georgia (22)

100%

100%

68%

41%

1 Characteristics were identified using a similar 2015 study conducted in Florida. 2 Corps members hired during the 2011-12 school year. Source: TFA; GaDOE CPI data

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Appendix C: TFA Student Achievement Studies Reviewed (2005-2015)

The chart below summarizes the results of 12 studies published between 2005 and 2015 that relate to the performance of students taught by TFA teachers (typically active corps members), compared with other teachers of similar or more years of experience.

TFA

Comparison Population Subjects Reviewed

Experience Experience Certification Reading Math

Study Reviewed

Summary of Results

Novice Experienced
All Levels Novice
Experienced All Levels Traditional
No Distinction Elementary
Middle School High School Elementary
Middle School High School Other Subjects

Impacts of the TFA

Investing in Innovation

Scale-up

X

Issued by Mathematica Policy

Research (2015)

Teaching preparation policies and their effects on student achievement X Published by Association for Education Finance and Policy (2014)
Estimates of Teach For America Corps Members in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 2013-14 Issued by CALDER Center at American Institutes for Research (2015)
TFA teachers in Duval County Public Schools: An analysis of retention and X performance Issued by Teacher College, Columbia University (2014)

Report card on the

effectiveness of teacher

training programs

Issued by the Tennessee

X

Higher Education Commission

and State Board of Education

(2014)

XXX X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Analyzing the end-of-year reading and math tests scores of elementary (pre-K through grade 5) students in 13 school districts in 10 states, the study found first- and second-year TFA teachers have no greater or less impact in reading and math than comparison teachers (regardless of experience or certification of the comparison population). The only exception was reading instruction in pre-K through grade two, where TFA teachers were more effective by the equivalent of 1.3 months of additional instruction.

The study used student achievement gains to examine whether North Carolina teachers from certain entry portals are more effective than those who graduated from the state's undergraduate institutions. Researchers found TFA corps members were significantly more effective than traditionally X X X X X X X prepared teachers in all subjects reviewed but two (middle school reading and high school social studies), where they performed no different. As a matter of comparison, teachers from other alternative entry portals were significantly less effective in three of the eight subjects and no different in five.

X XXXXXX

X XX

XX

The study compared reading and math pre- and post-test scores of elementary, middle, and high school students. It found that TFA teachers (mostly active corps members) generally had a positive impact on student achievement, though the impact was higher for math than reading. TFA had a statistically significant positive impact in elementary, middle, and high school math, as well as high school reading. There was no difference in elementary and middle school reading.
Comparing the learning gains of reading and math students in grades four through 10, the study found TFA corps m embers were slightly more effective than non-TFA teachers in math, regardless of experience. In reading, TFA corps m embers were slightly less effective than non-TFA teachers of all experience levels and no different than teachers with the same years of experience.

This annual study uses student scores in various tested subjects to assess the effectiveness of its teacher training programs. The reviews have found Tennessee's two TFA programs (Nashville and Memphis) consistently produce teachers that outperform other beginning teachers and the average teacher statewide. In the most recent study, TFA Nashville teachers were more effective than other teachers in all elementary and middle subjects and equally effective in X X X X X X X X all high school subjects. TFA Memphis teachers (the larger of the two cohorts) were more effective than all teachers in 4th through 8th grade and high school science; more effective than beginning teachers in 4th through 8th grade social studies and high school science; more effective than the average teacher in high school English; less effective than all teachers in 4th through 8th grade math; and less effective than the average teacher in 4th through 8th grade reading.

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Appendix C: TFA Student Achievement Studies (Continued)

TFA

Comparison Population Subjects Reviewed

Experience Experience Certification Reading Math

Study Reviewed

Summary of Results

Novice Experienced
All Levels Novice
Experienced All Levels Traditional
No Distinction Elementary
Middle School High School Elementary
Middle School High School Other Subjects

The effectiveness of secondary math teachers from TFA and the Teaching Fellows Program Issued by the United States Department of Education (2013)

Evaluation of TFA in

Charlotte-Mecklenburg

Schools

Issued by the Charlotte-

X

Mecklenberg Schools Center

for Research and Evaluation

(2011)

Making a difference? The

effects of TFA in high

school

X

Published in Journal of Policy

Analysis and Management

(2011)

What does certification tell us about teacher effectiveness? Evidence X from New York City Published in Economics of Education Review (2008)

How changes in entry

requirements alter the

teacher workforce and

affect student

X

achievement

Published in Education Finance

and Policy (2006)

X
X X X

XX X XX
X X

The study analyzed end-of-year math test scores of students

in grade 6-12 in 11 school districts in eight states and found

TFA secondary m ath teachers (most of whom were in their

X

XX

first two years of teaching) were more effective than other teachers in the same courses at the same school,

regardless of experience. The increased impact of having a

TFA teacher was equivalent to an estimated 2.6 of additional

instruction for the average student nationwide.

This study used student growth and a regression analysis to

compare three years of TFA teacher cohorts to non-TFA

teachers in the same schools. The authors concluded that

student performance is generally positively affected by TFA

teachers. TFA's relative impact on student growth was

generally greater in math and less in reading. The

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

regression analysis of grades 3-8 test scores found that, com pared to traditionally trained teachers, TFA had a

statistically positive impact in math, reading, and science in

at least one year; the only statistically negative impact was

found in reading in one year. End of Course scores showed

TFA had a statistically positive impact in biology and, for one

year, algebra and geometry. There was no stastical

difference in English or civics/economics.

This study used end-of-course exam outcomes over multiple

years to compare North Carolina high school students'

perform ance in eight tested subjects taught by TFA corps

members versus other teachers in the same schools. The

review found that TFA corps members are on average m ore

effective than all traditional teachers and almost twice as

X

X X effective as those with similar years of experience. In math,

there was no statistically significant difference between TFA

teachers and all other teachers and a positive impact when

compared to other new teachers, regardless of their

certification. TFA teachers had a statistically significant

positive effect on science scores regardless of the

comparison teachers' experience or licensure.

X

X

XX

XX

Reviewing six years of math and reading tests scores for New York City students in grades four through eight, the study found that students taught by TFA teachers did statistically better in math and no different in reading when compared with students taught by certified teachers with the same experience. The study also observed that, though differences are not significant, TFA corps members and other uncertified teachers were more likely to fare worse than traditional teachers in their first year than their second or third. Finally, the study found the higher effectiveness of TFA corps m em bers offsets the small negative impact on student achievement resulting from their turnover.
This study reviewed math and English/Language Arts tests scores for New York City students in grades four through eight to assess the effectiveness of various pathways to teaching. Comparing TFA teachers in their first, second, and third years to college-recommended teachers with the same experience, TFA teachers' gains were better in the firs t year of middle school math but no different in the second or third years of teaching. TFA gains in elementary math were no different in any year. Students of TFA teachers had statistically lower gains in elementary and middle language arts in the first year. The difference was not significant in subsequent years for middle school and the third year for elementary school.

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Appendix C: TFA Student Achievement Studies (Continued)

TFA

Comparison Population Subjects Reviewed

Experience Experience Certification Reading Math

Study Reviewed

Summary of Results

Novice Experienced
All Levels Novice
Experienced All Levels Traditional
No Distinction Elementary
Middle School High School Elementary
Middle School High School Other Subjects

Alternative routes to

teaching: The impacts of

TFA on student

achievement and other

X

outcomes

Published in Journal of Policy

Analysis and Management

(2006)

XX

XX

X

X

Does teacher preparation

matter? Evidence about

teacher certification, TFA,

X

and teacher effectiveness

Published in Education Policy

Analysis Archives (2005)

X

XX

X

The study analyzed pre- and post-achievement reading and math tests of elementary students in six TFA regions and found TFA teachers had a positive impact on their student's math achievement compared to novice and veteran teachers, which equated to an additional month of instruction. TFA teachers' reading instruction was nearly equivalent to that of teachers in the same schools, regardless of experience. The study noted that the comparison teachers had substantially lower rates of certification and formal education training compared to a nationally representative sample of teachers.
Analyzing three tests for reading and math achievement among elementary students in Houston, Texas, the study found certified teachers consistently produce stronger student achievement gains than uncertified teachers--including TFA. Uncertified TFA teachers had a significant negative effect in five of six tests when compared to certified teachers. TFA corps members perform as well as other uncertified teachers and--once they receive certification--as well as other certified teachers.

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Appendix D: Other State Funding and Corps Members (Fiscal Year 2016)

State Alabama

Regions 1

State Funding
$572,000

Local Fee per Corps Member
$3,000 - $5,000

Corps State Funding per Members Corps Member

77

$7,429

Georgia

1

Florida1

3

Mississippi

1

North Carolina

3

$275,000

$4,000

165

$0 $3,000 - $5,000

412

$6,000,000

$3,500

256

$6,000,000 $2,500 - $4,500

570

$1,667 $0
$23,438 $10,526

South Carolina

1

$3,000,000

$4,000

160

Tennessee2

2

$0

$5,000

493

$18,750 $0

1Florida entered into a one-year, $5,000,000 contract with TFA in fiscal year 2015. Funds were to (1) launch a third TFA region, (2) research, evaluate, and document TFA's impact on student achievement, (3) disseminate best practices and policies relating to human capital development, (4) support corps members, and (5) engage alumni.
2Tennessee appropriated approximately $11.8 million in Race to the Top funds to TFA during fiscal years 2012 through 2015 ($708,000 in fiscal year 2015).

Source: Interviews with officials at departments of education and TFA regional offices

The Performance Audit Division was established in 1971 to conduct in-depth reviews of state-funded programs. Our reviews determine if programs are meeting goals and objectives; measure program results and effectiveness; identify alternate methods to meet goals; evaluate efficiency of resource allocation; assess compliance with laws and regulations; and provide credible management information to decision-makers. For more information, contact
us at (404)656-2180 or visit our website at www.audits.ga.gov.