More than 141 million Americans tuned into for at least part of the Super Bowl Sunday night.
A 30-second advertisement spot went for $2.5 million and guaranteed at least 89 million viewers. Meanwhile, a cent is spent on the average child for every 30 seconds of their education. I do not have a problem with the Super Bowl. I like to see who will win, and I cannot resist watching ad companies fail to make the next great ad for millions of dollars.
But there is a problem when 16 year-old children across the country can recite their favorite Super Bowl commercials, but refuse to read aloud in class because they still struggle to read at a basic level.
Everyone agrees that each child in this nation should have an excellent education. Yet the average nine-year-old in a low-income community is three grade levels behind their high-income peers in reading and math. Instead of reading Harry Potter, this child may be struggling through Dr. Seuss. The same student may have little grasp of basic math. If people agree in equal opportunity for all, what is happening?
A basic, but certainly not comprehensive, answer to this question is teaching. No matter how talented or driven the student, it is incredibly challenging to learn without quality instruction. All students must be held to high standards and be given the tools and guidance to reach academic goals, despite socioeconomic standing, race or birthplace.
Currently, many school districts across the country, especially in poor urban and rural areas, suffer from teacher shortages. As a result, less than half of high school students in urban areas graduate, and many more graduate unprepared for higher education and an aspiring career. In fact, low-income students are seven times less likely to earn a bachelor's degree than their high-income counterparts. Despite lofty American ideals to achieve equality within the education system, much remains inequitable.
Teach For America (TFA) is one program that strives to achieve educational equity by placing some of the most capable college graduates from the best universities around the country into low-income schools as full-time teachers. These motivated, talented young leaders will enter public school classrooms in both rural and urban environments and teach for a minimum of two years.
While in the classroom, TFA corps members work relentlessly to get their students on or above grade level. Data from a survey of principals with TFA teachers demonstrates the effectiveness of TFA corps members. Ninety-five percent of principals found TFA teachers sufficiently trained as other teachers and 75 percent of principals found TFA teachers more highly trained.
However, the completion of the two-year teaching requirement does not signal an end to the commitment for educational equity. About 60 percent of TFA's 10,000 alumni stay in the field of education and 250 of those have founded a school and another 200 serve as principals.
Next year I will teach elementary school in Las Vegas as a TFA corps member. I joined the movement to make lasting and meaningful change in this country, because I believe every child can receive an excellent education. I urge anyone who is willing to fight for educational equity to apply to TFA by February 17, online at www.teachforamerica.org.
