A Meta-Analysis of Teach For America Teacher Impact

This week, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) released a meta-analysis, which examines over two decades of research on TFA teachers, and tells us that TFA teachers have had a consistent and significant impact on students’ learning. This study affirms that the impact our corps members and alumni teachers are having in our communities is not isolated to any one context or single study. 

AIR’s meta-analysis synthesized the effects of 23 rigorous research studies over the last 24 years that examined the effects of TFA teachers on student achievement. The analysis included 63,000 teachers and over 5 million students.  

At Teach For America, we’ve been recruiting, training, and supporting leaders to work in urban and rural classrooms in pursuit of educational excellence for all children for almost 35 years. I’m incredibly inspired by the nearly 70,000 people who have joined the corps in that time, and who continue the work of a lifetime, working inside and outside of education in pursuit of One Day. 

It is more important than ever that investments are made in work that drives meaningful results for young people. I’m often asked how we can be sure that the recent college graduates and those early on in their career who TFA recruits are able to have a positive impact with their students. I’ve seen firsthand the unyielding belief that our teachers have in their students and the way they partner to open up opportunities for them. And, throughout our history, we’ve relied on research to continually refine our program and ensure our teachers are equipped to positively impact student achievement. Over the years, many independent studies have been conducted by respected research leaders including Mathematica, American Institutes for Research, Southern Methodist University, and Calder, to examine the impact of the TFA program. Most recently we’ve been really encouraged by research out of Miami, Indianapolis, and Texas, which all show a consistent and positive impact of TFA teachers on student outcomes. 

At TFA, we remain committed to continuing to learn and improve and work in partnership with the students we serve, other educators, and partners. We are also contributing learnings to the field about our work. For example, last week Teach For America announced it was joining the Research Partnership for Professional Learning (RPPL). This unique collaborative brings together leading organizations, researchers, and school systems to identify and share professional learning practices that improve teacher effectiveness and student outcomes. By joining RPPL as a full member—after three years of participation as an affiliate—TFA will deepen its contributions to advancing research on professional learning in schools nationwide.

Since our network spans urban, rural, and tribal communities, it encompasses a wide range of cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. This diversity allows us to implement and evaluate innovative educational practices in various settings, creating a robust evidence base for what works in classrooms across America. With thousands of corps members teaching in over one thousand schools across the country, we are uniquely positioned to gather and analyze a broad spectrum of data on teaching practices and student outcomes, helping to inform both our internal strategies and broader educational practices. I can’t wait to share more about what we are learning. 

If you’d like to dive into the meta-analysis, the full report is available on AIR’s website. And visit our website for more research that shows our teachers are delivering a positive impact for all kids.