Teach For America's Long Arc: A Critical Race Theory Textual Analysis of Wendy Kopp's Works

• In Event: 46.085 - Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: 46.085-24 - Reading Neoliberal Political Technologies Against the Grain

Abstract

The long arc by which Teach for America came to embrace culturally responsive teaching, and its evolution as an organization from a Princeton Thesis written by a self-described "naive" college senior in 1989, is examined in this paper. Specifically, we evaluate the following question: To what extent has Teach for America adjusted its organizational perspective on race and culture over 24 years, thus addressing potential harms as identified by a critical race theory textual analysis of its founding document and later works by former CEO Wendy Kopp?

Authors

• Michael Christopher Barnes, The University of Texas - Austin

• Angela Valenzuela, The University of Texas - Austin

• Emily Germain, The University of Texas - Austin