Houston Chronicle Gets It Right

Huge news coming out of the chronicle - their editorial team urged the state to provide $8 million in funding for Teach for America. It's brief - read why they believe TFA is worth every penny. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/7501094.html Public education is an area where we often hear the lament that dollars do not always buy the results we hope for and need. Teach For America is a proven concept that is making an enormous difference in HISD, and in other districts across the state. It is doing so for a relative pittance. We urge that state funding be kept at the full amount. I emailed this article to my wonderful father who responded with this: "Your accomplishments are even more remarkable after reading the following: TFA works because it attracts top-performing graduates of the nation's leading colleges and universities. And you didn’t even have the luxury of attending one of those leading colleges and universities.-Dad" People wonder why I sometimes forget I'm not loyal to the burnt orange. One word: brainwashing. Props to HouChron for referencing conservative George Will in this editorial. Maybe they remember my fiesty (probably too fiesty) letter from July 2009. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6547447.html Give Bush some credit I am writing in response to the June 27 article regarding the rise in Peace Corps and Teach for America applicants (“Silver lining; In recession's grip, a cheering statistic as more job seekers opt for public service,” Page B6). The article cited the Obama administration as the primary motivation for the surge in applications to service organizations, and I feel such inaccurate statements cannot pass by without correction. The Obama administration began after Teach for America had completed half of their recruiting for their 2009 incoming group of teachers. How then can the Obama administration alone be credited for the 40 percent rise in Teach for America applicants? As a White House intern during spring 2008, I received a letter from then-President Bush that sits framed on my desk, and deeply influenced my decision to apply for Teach for America. One sentence from that letter sums up why I sought a job striving to make great changes in our world; the president encouraged us to “continue your efforts to become an active and involved citizen, and to demonstrate integrity and compassion.” I do not mean to deny Obama's emphasis on the importance of service, but your reporter should have acknowledged that he is simply continuing and expanding the efforts of previous presidents. I hope that Chronicle reporters will remove blatant bias from factual articles in the future, lest they join the mass of other media outlets that have fallen under the Obama spell. — Courtney Robinson, Houston