1each Ior Amer|ca's kesponses to Cr|t|ca| Med|a: Cn 1he kecord Case Stud|es

I. 1IA'S kesponse to !"# %&'()* Art|c|e - an Lxamp|e of Long-Lead kap|d kesponse

8ackground on the Art|c|e
ln Lhe summer of 2012, alumna Alexandra PooLnlck (8ay 2008) reached ouL dlrecLly Lo several people on
sLaff, asklng Lo speak as parL of her work for her Columbla [ournallsm school Lhesls. She sald her Loplc
was 1lA's expanslon efforLs Lhrough Lhe lens of SeaLLle and our l3 granL. lL qulckly became clear she was
unllkely Lo porLray 1lA ln a poslLlve llghL--we learned from Lhe u.S. ueparLmenL of LducaLlon she had
made a large lClA requesL-and LhaL her Lhesls could become a medla plece.

We learned from Alexandra and oLhers LhaL she reached ouL Lo corps members and alumnl ln Lhe SeaLLle
reglon, offlclals aL Lhe SeaLLle ubllc Schools, and local crlLlcs. Clven Lhls, we opLed Lo engage ln
lnLervlews Lo share a balanced sLory. Cur Lu ln SeaLLle, Llndsay Plll, spoke wlLh PooLnlck ln Lhe summer
of 2012 and agaln Lhe fall of 2013. Lrlc Scrogglns, aL Lhe Llme our Lv of CrowLh, uevelopmenL and
arLnershlps and currenLly execuLlve dlrecLor of our 8ay area reglon, gave a naLlonal perspecLlve on how
we Lhlnk abouL openlng new slLes ln Lhe summer of 2012. AL our recommendaLlon, Wendy and CarreLL
8ucks decllned Lo speak wlLh Alexandra. We also redlrecLed Alexandra Lo Llndsay Plll when she
requesLed lnLervlews wlLh MaLL and Lllsa. AddlLlonally, over Lhe 20+ monLhs LhaL Alexandra was worklng
on her sLory, we answered myrlad quesLlons abouL SeaLLle and our l3 granL vla emall.

ln SepLember of 2013 she leL us know LhaL !"# %&'()* had agreed Lo run her plece. 1o geL ln fronL of her
arLlcle, wlLh eLer Cunnlngham's counsel, we worked wlLh kwame CrlfflLh Lo publlsh a ass Lhe Chalk
plece on our commlLmenL Lo lmprovlng how we Lallor growLh ln whlch he proacLlvely addressed many of
Lhe crlLlclsms we anLlclpaLed would be (and were) lncluded ln Lhe arLlcle.

Cn Aprll 10, 2014 we learned from a facL-checker aL !"# %&'()* LhaL Alexandra's plece would run onllne
on Aprll 13 and be ln Lhe May 3 prlnL edlLlon. When her arLlcle ran lL lncluded mlslnformaLlon abouL our
approach Lo growLh, our Leachers' lmpacL, Lhe level of need ln Lhe WashlngLon schools where we Leach,
Lhe cosL of our corps members, our efforLs Lo dlverslfy Lhe corps, and Lhe work we hope our alumnl wlll
Lake on. 1he below case sLudy deLalls Lhe response sLraLegles we employed:

Cur kesponse Strateg|es:

1) Cn the kecord response
Alexandra's !"# %&'()* arLlcle was lnlLlally released behlnd a pay wall on Aprll 13. WlLhln an hour of
lLs subscrlbers-only avallablllLy our 8eglonal CommunlcaLlons Leam had prepared a summary of Lhe
arLlcle along wlLh key sLaLemenLs/quoLes. AL Lhe advlce of crlsls communlcaLlons consulLanL !lm
Lukaszewskl, our Leam creaLed a slde-by-slde comparlson of Lhe asserLlons ln Lhe arLlcle and Lhe
acLual facLs.

When Lhe arLlcle became freely avallable Lhree days laLer on !"# %&'()* (and on Pechlnger), we
posLed our slde-by-slde response (see below for full plece) lncludlng a llnk Lo kwame's pre-empLlve
plece from monLhs earller Lo our Cn 1he 8ecord slLe and LweeLed lL ouL from our naLlonal LwlLLer
handle.

1hlrLeen percenL of Lhe LoLal soclal medla conversaLlon abouL 1lA durlng Lhls week was abouL th|s
art|c|e &*+ our response Lo lL. !"# %&'()* arLlcle release creaLed 7 percenL of Lhe
conversaLlon. 1hrough our response, we were able Lo creaLe an &++('()*&, 6 percenL of Lhe
conversaLlon, meanlng boLh our base and our deLracLors were looklng aL and engaglng wlLh our
response. AfLer Lhls lnlLlal bursL of LracLlon, Lhe conversaLlon on Lhls Loplc compleLely dled (lL made
up only 1.3 of Lhe onllne conversaLlon on 1lA for Lhe enLlre monLh).

1o puL LhlrLeen percenL ln conLexL, an average evenL LhaL we push ouL and promoLe (l.e. Lhe launch
of our 1eacher AppreclaLlon Week campalgn 8esL 1eacher Lver or congraLulaLlons LweeLs and a
lacebook posL Lo newly accepLed corps members on flnal, largesL noLlflcaLlon day) Lends Lo Lake up
around 8-10 percenL of Lhe weekly conversaLlon. 1haL sald, we've cerLalnly seen slgnlflcanLly blgger
poslLlve splkes around WhaL's nexL whlch had a 1wlLLer exposure
[1]
of 30 mllllon and a 1wlLLer
reach
[2]
of 2 mllllon and blgger negaLlve splkes around #8eslsL1lA whlch had a 1wlLLer exposure of
20 mllllon and a 1wlLLer reach of 2.8 mllllon (*-. /"#* '"#0# '/) #1#*'0 "&22#*#+ )34 0)5(&, 6#+(&
'#&6 "&+*7' 0'&4'#+ '4&58(*9 )1#4&,, 2#45#*' ): '"# 5)*1#40&'()*).

More deLalled lnformaLlon on Lhe soclal medla acLlvlLy for !"# %&'()* arLlcle and our response
appears below:
1he or|g|na| art|c|e generaLed 239 posLs (Lhls could be on 1wlLLer, lacebook, or oLher
channels) from 218 unlque lndlvlduals (7 of Lhe LoLal conversaLlon LhaL week). 163 of Lhe
239 posLs (or 64) were 1weeLs whlch led Lo a 1wlLLer reach of 183,974 and a 1wlLLer
exposure of 233,030.
Cur response generaLed 222 posLs from 191 unlque lndlvlduals and made up 6 of Lhe LoLal
conversaLlon abouL Lhe arLlcle LhaL week. 134 of Lhe 222 posLs (or 70) were LweeLs whlch
led Lo a 1wlLLer reach of 248,206 and a 1wlLLer exposure of 403,964. Cur Cn Lhe 8ecord
response goL 208 cllck Lhrus.
Note on Iacebook: lacebook made up 28 of Lhe 13 of conversaLlon (or 134 of Lhe LoLal
481 posLs) LhaL Lhls arLlcle and our response generaLed. Clven prlvacy seLLlngs on lacebook
we are only able Lo see who auLhored posLs, our sofLware ls noL able Lo assess Lhe reach of
Lhese posLs.
Channe| breakdown of the 481 tota| posts from the or|g|na| art|c|e and our response: 66
(319) were 1weeLs, 28 (134) were lacebook posLs, and 6 (28) were blogs, commenLs,
malnsLream news or aggregaLor slLes.

2) 1rad|t|ona| med|a responses
1he CommunlcaLlons Leam also drafLed Lwo LradlLlonal leLLers Lo Lhe edlLor on behalf of SeaLLle
LxecuLlve ulrecLor Llndsay Plll and alumnus kenneLh Maldonado who was feaLured ln Lhe arLlcle.
8oLh leLLers ran ln !"# %&'()* aL Lhe end of May (full leLLers below). We added Lhe llnks Lo Lhese
leLLers Lo our Cn Lhe 8ecord response.

%;. <#02('# 03-6(''(*9 =(*+0&>70 ,#''#4 & ,('',# )1#4 & /##8 &:'#4 '"# 2(#5# 4&* &*+ ?#**#'"70 /('"(*
'/) /##80@ (' '))8 !"# %&'()* '"4## &++('()*&, /##80 ') 43* -)'" 2(#5#0A !"(0 2)(*'0 ') )34 *##+ ')

[1]
1wlLLer Lxposure: LoLal number of Llmes anyone mlghL have seen Lhe brand, a hashLag, or keyword
(sum of each lndlvldual's followers mulLlplled by Lhelr acLlvlLy).

[2]
1wlLLer 8each: LoLal number of unlque users who may have seen Lhe brand, a hashLag, or keyword
(sum of each lndlvldual's followers)

5)*'(*3# ') 53,'(1&'# 0'4)*9#4 4#,&'()*0"(20 /('" )3',#'0 ,(8# !"# %&'()*@ B,&'#@ C',&*'(5@ #'5A D' &,0)
0")/0 '"# 1&,3# ): )34 E* !"# F#5)4+ 2&9# (* '#460 ): #*&-,(*9 30 ') 4#02)*+ (66#+(&'#,>A

3) kesponse strateg|es we d|dn't emp|oy
Lma|||ng our |oca| base: Clven Lhls wasn'L geLLlng a loL of local LracLlon our execuLlve
dlrecLor declded lL wasn'L necessary Lo emall her base proacLlvely, she was prepared Lo
address any reacLlve quesLlons she recelved abouL Lhe plece.
Lma|||ng our nat|ona| base: We do noL generally use our naLlonal emall llsLs for any
reacLlve responses Lo medla, and glven Lhls wasn'L geLLlng slgnlflcanL LracLlon, we saw no
reason Lo conslder an excepLlon.

4) kesponse strateg|es we'd ||ke|y emp|oy |n the future
Lngag|ng our "Advocates": 1hls arLlcle ls an example of Lhe Lype of plece we'd enllsL Lhe
help of our AdvocaLes for glven Lhe LracLlon lL generaLed onllne. We'd llkely have AdvocaLes
help push ouL our response Lo Lhelr followers so LhaL accuraLe lnformaLlon was reachlng a
greaLer swaLh of our base and more of Lhe general publlc.

II. +)'"#, -)*#. kesponse - an Lxamp|e of Same-Day kap|d kesponse

8ackground on the cr|t|que:

Whlle Lhe !"# %&'()* arLlcle and our response Lo lL deLalls how we approached respondlng ln a long-lead
slLuaLlon, we also frequenLly encounLer response slLuaLlons where we only learn abouL a crlLlque once lL
goes onllne. ln Lhese slLuaLlons we need Lo organlze a response much more qulckly. Cur approach Lo a
recenL slLuaLlon wlLh Lhe magazlne G)'"#4 H)*#0 deLalls how we've been handllng Lhese Lypes of
slLuaLlons.

ln laLe Aprll of Lhls year, our MarkeLlng Leam purchased access Lo G)'"#4 H)*#07 emall llsL Lo share news
abouL our Larly Chlldhood LducaLlon (LCL) efforLs vla an emall from our Managlng ulrecLor of LCL, Laura
McSorley. 1hls LacLlc has loLs of poslLlve lmpllcaLlons for us and, ln Lhls case, we goL several Lhousands of
people Lo slgn on Lo our Change.org peLlLlon and provlde us wlLh Lhelr emall addresses. lL also resulLed
ln some soclal medla backlash agalnsL boLh 1lA and G)'"#4 H)*#0.

When Lhe emall from Laura McSorley wenL ouL Lo G)'"#4 H)*#0' emall llsL on Aprll 30Lh we saw a small
group of deLracLors use Lhls as opporLunlLy Lo rehash negaLlve and facLually lnaccuraLe Lhlngs abouL 1lA
on 1wlLLer. 1hese deLracLors generaLed 214 posLs from 78 unlque lndlvlduals wlLhln a couple of hours.
1hls had a 1wlLLer reach of 108,638 and 1wlLLer exposure of 316,320.

As soon as we saw Lhls conversaLlon beglnnlng Lo bulld our communlcaLlons Leam drafLed a shorL
response (see appendlx) whlch shared Lhe overwhelmlng poslLlve recepLlon we'd recelved from Lhe
magazlne's readers and our dlsappolnLmenL LhaL a small group would use Lhls as an opporLunlLy Lo
rehash facLually lnaccuraLe lnformaLlon and dlsLracL aLLenLlon from Lhe crlLlcal lssue of early chlldhood
educaLlon.

We posLed Lhls response on our Cn 1he 8ecord page wlLhln a few hours of Lhe deLracLors maklng nolse
and LweeLed lL ouL from our naLlonal handle Lwlce because Lhe conversaLlon wasn'L lmmedlaLely dylng
(1weeL 1 (Aprll 30) and 1weeL 2 (May 1)). 1hese LweeLs generaLed 3 posLs from 3 unlque supporLers and
a 1wlLLer reach of 107,319 (Lhe [Leachforamerlca" 1wlLLer handle represenLed 106,131 of Lhe 107,319
supporLers) and a 1wlLLer exposure of 213,621. 1here were 269 cllcks on Lhe llnk Lo Lhe Cn 1he 8ecord
page. AL Lhls polnL Lhe conversaLlon dled.

III. now we current|y dec|de when to respond us|ng nat|ona| soc|a| med|a:
a. 1he flrsL red flag ls when Lhe LoLal deLracLor conversaLlon grows above 10 of LoLal
brand conversaLlon. lL ls Lyplcal for Lhe deLracLor conversaLlon Lo hover around 10.
b. When 1wlLLer 8each grows Lo 30,000 or more, we've noLlced a Llpplng polnL - LhaL's Lhe
polnL aL whlch someLhlng geLs ouLslde of known deLracLors and caLches Lhe aLLenLlon of
new people.
c. lf Lhe 1wlLLer 8each ls hoverlng around Lhe 30,000 mark and Lhe conversaLlon ls
happenlng among people unknown Lo us (or many oLhers have [olned ln wlLh known
deLracLors) we have been respondlng wlLh Lhe naLlonal 1wlLLer handle.
d. We don'L respond when lL ls known deLracLors chaLLlng wlLh one anoLher and no one
else ls [olnlng ln (llke a back and forLh beLween kaLle Csgood and Chad Sommers).

IV. key takeaways on C1k responses that we push out v|a our tw|tter hand|e:
1) Cur base ls lnLeresLed ln seelng our responses (Lhey have preLLy sLrong cllck Lhru raLes ln
relaLlon Lo oLher conLenL we're pushlng ouL)
2) We're conLlnulng Lo see LhaL our base doesn'L love Lo engage ln negaLlve conversaLlon.
uesplLe sLrong cllck Lhru raLes we don'L see our base LweeLlng or posLlng Lhese
responses (wlLh Lhe excepLlon of !"# %&'()* arLlcle where we dld see a loL of
engagemenL). We're bulldlng Lhe AdvocaLes program Lo address Lhls.
3) We're geLLlng sLrong comparaLlve 1wlLLer reach and exposure on our responses. 1haL
sald we're noL clear on how lmpacLful Lhls ls. lor lnsLance, once we LweeL someLhlng,
our 1wlLLer reach auLomaLlcally sLarLs aL 106k (because LhaL's how many followers we
have). ComparaLlvely, when ulane 8avlLch lnlLlaLes a LweeL, her 1wlLLer 8each
auLomaLlcally sLarLs aL 83k. WhaL we can'L Lell ls comparaLlve cllck Lhrus (we know ours,
buL we can'L Lell how many people acLually cllcked Lo read her orlglnal plece).







ALNDIk
a. Iu|| !"# %&'()* C1k kesponse

1hls arLlcle ln Lhe May 3 lssue abouL 1each lor Amerlca's growLh over Lhe lasL decade
focused on our launch ln WashlngLon sLaLe ln 2011. LxecuLlve vlce resldenL of 8eglonal
CperaLlons kwame CrlfflLh reflecLed on Lhls same Loplc ln !anuary on ass Lhe Chalk. ln hls
posL, kwame shared LhaL our work ln SeaLLle had a rocky sLarL and LhaL we learned a loL as a
resulL. Pe also relLeraLed our commlLmenL Lo belng responslve Lo Lhe hlrlng needs of our
dlsLrlcL and school parLners, wheLher LhaL means growlng, shrlnklng, or holdlng sLeady. lor
our WashlngLon reglon, LhaL has meanL growlng Lo meeL Lhe demand of new and exlsLlng
parLner dlsLrlcLs across Lhe sLaLe for a dlverse group of homegrown Leachers. 1hls pasL year,
30 percenL of Lhe reglon's lncomlng corps members ldenLlfled as people of color, and
approxlmaLely Lwo-Lhlrds aLLended college ln or hall from WashlngLon SLaLe.

8elow we share our Lake on where !"# %&'()* arLlcle doesn'L provlde a compleLe plcLure of
our work ln WashlngLon SLaLe, our efforLs Lo Lallor growLh Lo communlLy needs, our
dedlcaLlon Lo hlgh-needs sLudenLs, our Leachers' lmpacL, and our deep commlLmenL Lo
dlverslLy ln Lhe classroom.

uote Irom the Art|c|e Cur 1ake
ln board meeLlngs LhaL were someLlmes
sLandlng room only, dozens of communlLy
members-lncludlng parenLs, Leachers
and hlgh school sLudenLs-slgned up ln
record numbers Lo LesLlfy agalnsL Lhe
dlsLrlcL's conLracL wlLh Lhe organlzaLlon,
urglng Lhe admlnlsLraLlon Lo hlre more
experlenced local Leachers. Several people
even broughL homemade slgns wlLh
slogans llke no 1lA needed."
WhaL ls noL lncluded are Lhe many volces of parenLs,
prlnclpals, and communlLy leaders who sLood up ln
Lhese same meeLlngs Lo supporL provldlng school
leaders wlLh an addlLlonal source of dlverse LalenL
Lhrough 1lA.

As we've shared before, desplLe Lhe greaL relaLlonshlps
our Leachers have bullL wlLh Lhelr school communlLles,
we meL a unlque level of reslsLance from a small buL
vocal group of lndlvlduals ln Lhe area. We worked hard
Lo answer quesLlons abouL our work and Lo remaln
deeply focused on preparlng our Leachers Lo parLner
wlLh Lhelr schools. Cf Lhe 11 Leachers LhaL were a parL
of our charLer corps, 10 remaln ln Lhe classroom.
Applylng for every open poslLlon, Lhe 1lA
recrulLs were hlred by Len schools-only
Lhree of whlch served Lhe hlgh-needs
populaLlon (deLermlned by wheLher 80
percenL of Lhe sLudenLs recelve a free or
reduced-prlce lunch) LhaL 1lA clalms Lo
LargeL excluslvely ln lLs federal granL
appllcaLlons."
We're commlLLed Lo worklng ln parLnershlp wlLh
communlLles where Lhere ls a dlsparlLy ln educaLlonal
opporLunlLy along llnes of race and class. We Lyplcally
parLner wlLh schools wlLh aL leasL 60 percenL of sLudenLs
ellglble for free or reduced-prlce lunch (l8L), a
common proxy for need and Lhe numerlcal benchmark
LhaL ls clearly deflned ln our federal granLs. AddlLlonally,
our Leachers apply for open poslLlons ln hlgh-need
sub[ecL areas such as Lngllsh language learnlng (LLL),
speclal educaLlon, and sclence, Lechnology, englneerlng,
and maLh (S1LM).
1he l8L percenLages for our WashlngLon school
parLners ln 2011 appear below. ln schools llke
WashlngLon Mlddle, where Lhe l8L falls below 60,
Lhere are sLlll slgnlflcanL educaLlonal dlsparlLles. Cur
speclal-educaLlon Leacher aL Lhe school worked wlLh a
group of sLudenLs LhaL was 100 Afrlcan Amerlcan.

Seatt|e ub||c Schoo|s
Akl kurose Mlddle School (86.4)
8alnler 8each Plgh School (83.8)
SouLh Shore k-8 (63.4,)
WashlngLon Mlddle School (30.9, speclal-educaLlon
role)

Iedera| Way
Saghalle Mlddle Schools (67.9, S1LM placemenL)
Sllver Lake LlemenLary (66.1, LLL role)
SunnycresL LlemenLary (82.3)
1Al Academy (36.3, S1LM role)
1odd 8eamer Plgh School (44.7, S1LM role)
Wlldwood LlemenLary (84.3)
Cne of 1lA's conLroverslal moves has
been Lo seek placemenLs for recrulLs ln
wealLhler school dlsLrlcLs llke SeaLLle's,
where Leachlng [obs-noL Leachers-are
scarce.
WashlngLon sLaLe has one of Lhe largesL gaps ln
educaLlonal opporLunlLy ln Lhe naLlon. 1he WashlngLon
SLudenL AchlevemenL Councll lssued a reporL lasL year
reveallng LhaL whlle Lhe sLaLe has one of Lhe hlghesL
demands for an educaLed workforce, lL conLlnues Lo
rank ln Lhe boLLom flve ln Lerms of Lhe percenLage of
recenL hlgh-school graduaLes who go Lo college. 1he
reporL clLes several promlnenL sLudles LhaL suggesL LhaL
college graduaLlon raLes are aL a crlsls level, especlally
among sLudenLs of color and Lhose from low-lncome
backgrounds.
Accordlng Lo lnLernal documenLs and
federal granL performance reporLs, 1lA's
growLh also lncreaslngly hlnges on fuellng
Lhe counLry's Lhrlvlng charLer
movemenL."

1here are no charLers ln WashlngLon sLaLe. Whlle 1lA
has a long hlsLory of worklng wlLh lnnovaLlve and
effecLlve charLer school sysLems, we do noL have a
preference Loward any one mode of school governance.
naLlonally, Lwo-Lhlrds of our Leachers are Leachlng ln
LradlLlonal publlc schools.
Meanwhlle, Lhe cosL of recrulLlng,
Lralnlng and supporLlng corps members-
whlch ls parLly subsldlzed by Laxpayers-
has more Lhan doubled over Lhe pasL
decade, from $22,000 Lo aL leasL
$47,000."
Cur programmaLlc cosL-per-corps member ls sLlll ln llne
wlLh Lhe $11,000 per year durlng Lhe Leachlng years LhaL
we reporLed ln 2004. 1he meLhod used Lo calculaLe Lhe
number $22,000 (whlch appeared ln a 2004 I&41&4+
;30(*#00 F#1(#/ arLlcle) shared Lhe cosL per Leachlng
year, whereas our currenL meLhod ls more preclse and
parses ouL Lhe cosL of corps members from Lhe Llme
Lhey are recrulLed unLll Lhey reach alumnl sLaLus. 1o
break LhaL down furLher: lL cosLs approxlmaLely $10,700
Lo recrulL and selecL each new Leacher, we spend abouL
$9,000 Lo Lraln each new Leacher, and we spend
$11,000 per year durlng each of Lhelr flrsL Lwo years ln
Lhe classroom.
And lnformal daLa LhaL Lhe 1lA [slc] used
Lo Lrack lLs Leachers' performance
lndlcaLes LhaL Lhelr sLudenLs aren'L maklng
as much progress as Lhey were a few
years ago."


We have lncreaslngly Lallored our lnLernal meLrlcs Lo
speclflc grade-level, sub[ecL, and exLernal LesLlng
sLandards. As noLed ln kwame's !anuary ass 1he Chalk
posL, ln our l3 granL reporL we shared LhaL 73 of our
flrsL-year Leachers and 83 of our second-year Leachers
are maklng, ln our lnLernal measuremenL sysLem, Lhe
equlvalenL of 1 year or more of academlc progress wlLh
Lhelr sLudenLs. 1hls daLa ls a crlLlcal Lool ln helplng us Lo
coach and develop our Leachers.

We rely on rlgorous exLernal research as Lhe key way Lo
undersLand our lmpacL on sLudenL achlevemenL, and
rlgorous sLudles llke Lhe recenL one
by MaLhemaLlca (whlch Lhe arLlcle menLlons) conLlnue
Lo afflrm our Leachers' poslLlve lmpacL. Whlle Lhere ls
much Lo be encouraged by, aL Lhe same Llme we know
Lhere ls much more we musL Lo do Lo glve our sLudenLs
Lhe educaLlon Lhey need Lo navlgaLe Lhe addlLlonal
barrlers Lhey face. As kwame shared on ass Lhe Chalk,
we're lnvesLlng ln crlLlcal areas such as culLurally
responslve Leachlng, real-Llme coachlng, and conLenL
pedagogy Lo provlde our Leachers wlLh greaLer supporL
ln areas LhaL go beyond sLudenL performance and are
Lled Lo dellverlng on a well-rounded educaLlon.
ln lnnovaLlon granL reporLs flled wlLh Lhe
LducaLlon ueparLmenL, 1lA clLed 'an
exLremely challenglng placemenL
landscape,' and laLer cuL 700 spoLs from
lLs 2013-14 recrulLlng goal."
Cur organlzaLlon ls deeply commlLLed Lo meeLlng Lhe
needs of Lhe communlLles wlLh whom we parLner, and
Lherefore our corps slze each year ls deLermlned ln
collaboraLlon wlLh reglonal parLners and ls based on
reglonal hlrlng needs. Cur reglons work wlLh Lhelr local
dlsLrlcL and school parLners Lo undersLand local hlrlng
needs for a glven year.
8oLh supporLers and crlLlcs of 1lA are
calllng for more Lransparency before Lhe
organlzaLlon expands furLher. 'l'm really
Lroubled by publlc dollars golng Lo 1lA aL
Lhe same momenL Leachers are belng leL
go,' says Clorla Ladson-8llllngs, a
Cur ablllLy Lo susLaln our reglonal slLes depends on
malnLalnlng sLrong, dlverslfled, local fundlng bases
Lhrough boLh publlc and prlvaLe sources. LlghLy percenL
of our organlzaLlon's fundlng ls ralsed locally ln our 48
reglons across Lhe counLry.
professor of educaLlon and race Lheory aL
Lhe unlverslLy of Wlsconsln."
1lA LargeLed 8alnler 8each because of lLs
low graduaLlon raLes and scores on
sLandardlzed LesLs. 8uL when [1SA v]
Creen began readlng Lhe resumes of 1lA
recrulLs, she sald LhaL she was shocked Lo
see unrelaLed [obs llsLed as experlence,
lncludlng 'walLress aL 8ed 8obln.'"
Cver more Lhan 20 years, we have sLudled Lhe
characLerlsLlcs LhaL dlfferenLlaLe our mosL effecLlve
Leachers ln some of Lhe counLry's mosL challenglng
conLexLs. We work Lo ldenLlfy Lhe mosL quallfled
candldaLes who demonsLraLe Lhese quallLles, lncludlng
leadershlp and perseverance. We belleve LhaL worklng a
parL-Llme [ob Lo supporL oneself Lhrough school ls an
example of such.

AddlLlonally, we belleve lL's lmporLanL Lo recrulL and
fosLer Lhe leadershlp of lndlvlduals who share Lhe raclal
and/or economlc backgrounds of Lhe sLudenLs
underserved by publlc schools. 8eLween 2011 and Lhls
currenL school year, 40 of our WashlngLon corps
members were ell CranL reclplenLs and 38 were Lhe
flrsL ln Lhelr famlly Lo aLLend college. lor many of our
Leachers, parL-Llme [obs Lo supporL Lhelr famllles and/or
pay for college were essenLlal.
8uL lLs corps members' lmpacL on low-
lncome sLudenLs ls only Lhe shorL-Lerm,
experlenLlal parL of Lhe organlzaLlon's
more lmporLanL long-Lerm mlsslon: Lo
bulld a force of leaders who wlll go on Lo
lnfluenLlal publlc and prlvaLe secLor
careers supporLlng 1lA's educaLlon
reform lnlLlaLlves."
lor far Loo many chlldren of color and Lhose growlng up
ln our lowesL-lncome communlLles, Lhere ls a gap ln
educaLlonal opporLunlLy. Cur besL hope for creaLlng
soluLlons Lo Lhls sysLemlc challenge come from Lhe
collecLlve acLlon of many people and commlLLed leaders
who undersLand Lhese lssues, belleve Lhey are solvable,
and have a deep sense of personal responslblllLy for
solvlng Lhem ln Lhelr llfeLlme.

ln addlLlon Lo supporLlng hlghly effecLlve Leachers for
klds ln hlgh-needs schools, lnvesLmenL ln alumnl supporL
ls a crlLlcal plece of our efforLs. We've found LhaL
Leachlng launches our corps members lnLo a llfeLlme
commlLmenL: one-Lhlrd of our 32,000 alumnl are sLlll
Leachlng, Lwo-Lhlrds remaln ln Lhe fleld of educaLlon,
and over 80 percenL are worklng full-Llme Lo supporL
klds ln low-lncome communlLles. CLhers lead and
advocaLe for klds ln oLher ways. Alumnl reporL LhaL
Leachlng redlrecLed Lhelr llves and careers Lo focus on
ensurlng LhaL every chlld has Lhe opporLunlLy Lo fulflll
hls or her poLenLlal and conLrlbuLe Lo socleLy.
Maldonado en[oyed Lhe experlence so
much, he says, LhaL he's conslderlng a
paLh he never would have lmaglned Lwo
kenneLh wlll be reLurnlng Lo Leach aL hls school for a
fourLh year Lhls fall. Pe wlll also be an lnsLrucLlonal
coach for a second year wlLh 1each lor Amerlca's
years earller: leavlng Lhe classroom for a
full-Llme glg wlLh 1lA."
summer Lralnlng lnsLlLuLe. Pe ls conslderlng purslng a
h.u. ln maLh educaLlon.

b. Iu|| L1L !"# %&'()* kesponse from LD L|ndsay n|||

1each|ng |n Seatt|e
l was dlsappolnLed Lo read Alexandra PooLnlck's 1each for Amerlca's Crowlng alns" [May 3]. Per
arLlcle provldes an lncompleLe plcLure of Lhe successes our reglon has had slnce our launch. 1he plece
does noL lnclude our efforLs Lo Lallor growLh Lo local needs, our dedlcaLlon Lo hlgh-needs sLudenLs, our
commlLmenL Lo dlverslLy ln Lhe classroom or lnLervlews wlLh any of our parLners ln Lhe communlLy. lL
also doesn'L Louch on Lhe sLark educaLlonal dlsparlLles of race and class LhaL exlsL for our sLudenLs. Pere
ls Lhe full plcLure of our work ln WashlngLon SLaLe.

PooLnlck goes Lo greaL lengLhs Lo omlL Lhe many supporLlve volces of parenLs, prlnclpals and communlLy
leaders. She lnLervlewed a 1SA offlclal who balks aL candldaLes wlLh parL-Llme [ob experlence, buL she
dld noL lnclude lnLervlews from Lhe prlnclpals who dld hlre our Leachers. 1eachers llke Sunny Slnco, who
ln her flrsL year led 73 percenL of her mlddle school LLA sLudenLs Lo demonsLraLed masLery ln readlng
(14 percenL above Lhe school average) and 84 percenL Lo demonsLraLed masLery ln wrlLlng (18 percenL
above Lhe school average) on dlsLrlcL LesLs. Cr !oanna uanlel, whose sLudenLs had Lhe hlghesL wrlLlng
scores ln Lhe enLlre lederal Way school dlsLrlcL her flrsL year. none of Lhe volces of our colleagues and
parLners ln SouLh CenLral WashlngLon are lncluded elLher.

We're worklng hard Lo meeL communlLy demand. As we've shared aL Leachforamerlca.org/blog/flve-
commlLmenLs-one-case-sLudy-growLh, we dld noL do Lhls well aL flrsL. Slnce Lhen, we've bullL sLronger
relaLlonshlps wlLh school parLners and famllles and made ad[usLmenLs based on Lhelr feedback. We've
lncreased Lhe dlverslLy of our corps and Lhe number of WashlngLonlans we recrulL. We've also expanded
Lo meeL Lhe needs of new parLners sLaLewlde. We've grown from Lwelve corps members ln Lwo dlsLrlcLs
Lo nearly forLy Leachers ln elghL dlsLrlcLs Loday. Cf our WashlngLon corps, 90 percenL have sLayed
beyond Lhelr Lwo-year commlLmenL.

We are commlLLed Lo hlgh-needs sLudenLs. We work ln communlLles wlLh educaLlonal dlsparlLles along
llnes of race and class. We Lyplcally parLner wlLh schools wlLh aL leasL 60 percenL of sLudenLs ellglble for
free or reduced-prlce lunch (l8L), a common measure of need (see Leachforamerlca.org/Lfa-on-Lhe-
record/responses/aprll-22-2014- naLlon). ln addlLlon, our Leachers apply for open poslLlons ln such hlgh-
needs sub[ecL areas as LLL, speclal educaLlon and S1LM. Lven where Lhere are lower l8L percenLages,
educaLlonal dlsparlLles run along raclal llnes.

We are commlLLed Lo provldlng dlverse Leachlng LalenL. We belleve LhaL Leachers who share Lhe raclal
and/or socloeconomlc backgrounds of Lhelr sLudenLs can have a profound lmpacL. We also belleve LhaL
educaLors who brlng prlvllege and a commlLmenL Lo channel LhaL prlvllege for equlLy are crlLlcal.
1herefore, we lnvesL heavlly ln a dlverse cohorL of Leachers. Less Lhan 10 percenL of WashlngLon's
Leachlng force ldenLlfy as people of color, whlle 40 percenL of lLs sLudenLs do. Slnce our launch, nearly
half of our Leachers ldenLlfy as people of color, 40 percenL recelved ell granLs and 38 percenL were Lhe
flrsL ln Lhelr famlly Lo aLLend college.

We WashlngLonlans wear Lhe raclal and socloeconomlc dlverslLy of our reglon as a badge of prlde. ?eL
desplLe our asplraLlons, nearly all of our sLruggllng schools are ln low-lncome nelghborhoods servlng
prlmarlly sLudenLs of color. WashlngLon ranks LhlrLy-sevenLh naLlonwlde for hlgh school compleLlon.
Whlle 73 percenL of all sLudenLs wlll graduaLe, only half of Afrlcan-Amerlcans wlll.

As an Afrlcan-Amerlcan and a parenL who cares deeply abouL Lhe educaLlon of my son and hls peers ln
our 8alnler 8each communlLy, Lhls gap ls personal. We need Lo sLop Lhe mlsleadlng headllnes and
commlL Lo Lhe real work of Leachlng our sLudenLs.

LlnuSA? PlLL, #J#53'(1# +(4#5')4 !#&5" :)4 C6#4(5&
SLA11LL

c. kenneth L1L

nootn|ck |nterv|ewee defends 1each Ior Amer|ca, updates h|s story
As a source for Lhe May 3 arLlcle 1eachers Are Loslng 1helr !obs, buL 1each for Amerlca's Lxpandlng,"
by Alexandra PooLnlck, l LhoughL lL was a dlslngenuous Lake on an organlzaLlon LhaL has been recrulLlng
and preparlng new Leachers for hlgh-needs schools across Lhe counLry for over LwenLy-four years.

l was surprlsed LhaL Lhe auLhor used a Lwo-year-old lnLervlew wlLh me ln my flrsL year of Leachlng (a
bewllderlng flashpolnL for any new Leacher or professlonal, for LhaL maLLer) Lo frame her argumenL LhaL
1each lor Amerlca's growLh ls ouLpaclng need. lf she had followed up wlLh me Loday she would have
learned LhaL l'm currenLly headed lnLo my fourLh year of Leachlng maLh aL SouLh Shore LlemenLary, a
hlgh-needs school where 63 percenL of klds recelve lree and 8educed Lunch. She would have learned
LhaL whlle l do spend my summer vacaLlon as an lnsLrucLlonal coach helplng Lraln and supporL new corps
members, l am noL pursulng full-Llme roles wlLh Lhe organlzaLlon, nor plannlng Lo leave Lhe classroom
anyLlme soon. She also would have learned abouL Lhe lncredlble veLeran Leachers ln my school who are
a source of Lremendous supporL and comradery. And mosL lmporLanLly, she would have heard abouL Lhe
lncredlble sLudenLs l have LaughL for Lwo years.

l was lefL wonderlng where Lhe lnLervlews wlLh supporLers were-such as Lhe prlnclpals ln Lhe ugeL
Sound and now SouLh CenLral WashlngLon who hlre corps members, and Lhe 2011 alums ln WashlngLon
who've been Leachlng well beyond Lwo years. Cr Lhe parenLs who were sLandlng up ln Lhose early
school board meeLlngs-parenLs llke Mr. keller who LesLlfled on my behalf durlng an unusually publlc
and sLressful hlrlng process. Cr communlLy leaders, who've welcomed us Lo Lhe communlLy wlLh open
arms. Cr Lhe commlLLed faculLy aL uW who've played a huge role ln my growLh as a Leacher and my
amblLlons Lo pursue a hu ln maLh educaLlon.

Llke any good educaLor, l respecL consLrucLlve crlLlclsm. unforLunaLely, Lhls plece [usL felL llke dlgglng
lnLo old wounds.

/#**#'" +&01)*&1)
2#&''0#
+&3 45 4567 8 494:;<

d. Iu|| +)'"#, -)*#. C1k response

As parL of our work Lo help expand access Lo hlgh-quallLy early chlldhood educaLlon, we senL a
sponsored emall Lo G)'"#4 H)*#0 subscrlbers asklng Lhem Lo sLand wlLh all of us who supporL excellenL
pre-k opLlons for every chlld. We've been exclLed Lo see Lhe overwhelmlng and supporLlve response
from Lhe magazlne's readers. AL Lhe same Llme, a small group Look Lo 1wlLLer Lo repeaL negaLlve
commenLs abouL us LhaL have no facLual basls. lL's dlsappolnLlng LhaL Lhey choose Lo dlverL aLLenLlon
from Lhe lssue and lnsLead focus on punlshlng an lndependenL medla ouLleL for accepLlng adverLlslng
LhaL's fully ln llne wlLh lLs pollcy. lor Lhose who do noL have access Lo Lhe orlglnal emall, Lhe conLenLs
are reprlnLed below.

lrlend,
As a pre-k Leacher, l saw flrsL-hand how hlgh quallLy pre-k changes Lhe llves of chlldren.

Lvery day, l waLched my Lhree- and four-year-olds develop Lhe skllls of successful learners. Cnce
nervous and reserved, Lhey began Lo express Lhelr oplnlons, Lo problem solve LogeLher, Lo ask "how"
and "why" quesLlons, and Lo lmaglne Lhelr own ouLsLandlng fuLures.

8esearch shows LhaL hlgh-quallLy early chlldhood educaLlon puLs klds on a paLh Lo success. It's the
d|fference between mov|ng to the next |eve| of educat|on and fa|||ng beh|nd.

Unfortunate|y, many students don't have access to th|s essent|a| start|ng po|nt for |earn|ng. WlLh
recenL fundlng cuLs, Lhls access gap has grown worse over Llme.

C||ck here to [o|n 1each Ior Amer|ca and demand an expans|on of h|gh-qua||ty pre-k. An equ|tab|e
educat|on beg|ns |n pre-k.

Lvery sLudenL, regardless of hls or her background, should have access Lo a greaL publlc educaLlon.
1haL's why we need Lo comblne our volces ln supporL of expandlng hlgh-quallLy pre-k. W||| you take a
stand today so that our k|ds a|| our k|ds are better prepared for schoo| and for ||fe?

Stand w|th 1each Ior Amer|ca and demand an expans|on of h|gh-qua||ty pre-k. It's the r|ght th|ng to
do for our ch||dren's and our country's future.

1hank you,
Laura McSorley
Managlng ulrecLor, Larly Chlldhood lnlLlaLlve
1each lor Amerlca