Why It’s a Bad Time to Be in Teach For America

Teach For America’s 2013 class of corps members needs to know they’re doing more harm than good.

Jul 29, 2013

July 29, 2013

Recently there has been a lot of good discussion about the pros and cons of Teach For America. It started this summer with Katie Osgood’s post, An Open Letter to New Teach for America Recruits, which has gone viral and already has 500 comments. In it, Osgood recommends that TFA’s class of 2013 should resign, and if they want to really be teachers, enroll in a real teacher education program.

Alex Morgan, a blogger at TeachForUs.org, a corps member and alumni blogging platform, wrote a competent—but generally weak—rebuttal to Osgood’s piece called My Open Letter to 2013 Corps Members. Morgan says corps members should remember “that you came to TFA for a reason.” Then a couple weekends ago at the Free Minds, Free People conference in Chicago there was a session—”Organizing Resistance Against Teach for America and its Role in Privatization”—run by TFA alumni who are opposed to the direction TFA has chosen to pursue.

I was not an organizer of this event—though I was invited to participate, I couldn’t make it. I’m glad that it happened without me since it shows that although I’m a self-described “somewhat frustrated 1991 alum,” of the organization, I’m not some lone vigilante speaking up. Justin Fong, Teach For America’s vice president of internal communications, wrote a bizarre post about this session called Open Letter to Anti-TFA Folks at Free Minds Free People Conference.

Fong’s main point is “Teach For America isn’t going away anytime soon so work with us to make the organization better.” At TeachForUs.org, alumnus didymath wrote a nice response called Some Anti-TFA Blowhard Lights a Torch. Didymath notes that Fong’s statement,

“raises the question: why isn’t TFA, an organization that has quickly outgrown its utility, going away anytime soon? If you follow TFA at all (and follow the money that pours into the organization), the answer should be obvious. The program is well-supported in spirit and in treasure by powerful figures in government and in the private sector, many of whom TFA helped groom. I believe that the policy elite and philanthropic big-wigs love TFA for a variety of reasons: TFA undermines teacher’s unions; TFA teachers are less likely to stay in their placement region and thus less likely to eventually draw on state pensions; they lack respect for what teachers do and must be prepared for and believe that five weeks of climate-controlled Institute training is sufficient preparation.”

This TFA push-back from within is getting a lot of coverage—which is giving more and more people the courage to speak out, including Wendy Heller Chovnick, a lawyer who’s a Teach For America alumna and worked on TFA’s staff for three years in Phoenix. She gives a very revealing interview to Valerie Strauss in the Washington Post, noting that when she saw where the millions of dollars raised to support TFA “was really going, which was to a lot of national teams, national staff members, and national infrastructure, that was not providing much support to our region and was definitely not translating into improved educational outcomes for students, my opinion of the organization fell drastically.”

Exhausting, isn’t it?

Over the years I’ve focused much of my criticism of Teach For America on the need to improve training for incoming corps members. As you can see from a recent “spreecast” where I interview two new corps members, I care deeply about what’s happening to them.

In the spirit of trying new things I decided to add something new to the education of the new 2013 TFA corps members by creating a very simple and non-rehearsed video message to them. I don’t know if this adds anything new to the discussion, but I want the class of 2013—and you—to know that they’ve picked a really bad time to join TFA. I want them to know that although they’ve been told they’re going to create transformational change, it’s not the change that students and communities need. They need to know they’re doing more harm than good.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esMCowQbR2E&feature=youtu.be

Click here to add attending a school board meeting in your community to your GOOD “to-do” list.

A version of this post originally appeared at Gary Rubinstein.

Image via (cc) Flickr user Max Klingensmith

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Photo credit: Canva – A woman intensely exercises, left, and a morning stretch, right.

Care, Health

More women are rejecting ‘optimization culture’ for realistic wellness plans

Feel great and be happy.

Mark Wales

5/16/2026

Being fit used to mean getting enough sleep, drinking more water, and moving your body, perhaps in a daily walk. With the explosion of social media and digital self-help trends, finding an acceptable level of wellness can feel like stepping into a full-time job with daily performance reviews.

For many women, what started as self-care has slowly become another exhausting form of self-optimization. And increasingly, they’re pretty much done with it. According to Women’s Business Daily, one of the biggest wellness shifts happening right now is a move away from extreme routines. Women want habits that actually fit into real life.

An intense workout.
Photo credit: Canva

Wellness feels like a full-time job

Instead of chasing perfection, more women are choosing what can be described as a more realistic approach to wellness, incorporating sustainable routines built around balance and emotional well-being rather than climbing a never-ending ladder of constant improvement.

The shift comes after a solid decade of what many refer to online as “optimization culture.” This exhausting idea assumes that every part of life needs to be carefully measured, improved, and optimized.

Experts believe this mindset is not only making people miserable; it’s unsustainable.

An exhausting routine.
Photo credit: Canva

A backlash against the “always improve yourself” culture

A recent article in Psychology Today found that “wellnessmaxxing” trends turn self-care into another form of anxiety. This is especially true when routines become so demanding that people feel more guilt than relief. As creators post TikToks showing themselves “maxing out” in some kind of self-congratulation, they spread unhelpful expectations that no longer promote self-care.

Verywell Health explains that these influencers broadcast an all-consuming performance metric. People now face a painful realization that they can never do enough. It’s hard to miss the irony that wellness has begun to feel unhealthy.

Women are increasingly embracing low-pressure routines instead of overly aspirational ones. Think walks instead of cross-training, and a morning meditation instead of a week-long stay at a Tibetan monastery. It’s okay to just eat more vegetables instead of a perfectly balanced daily nutrition plan of 150 grams of protein, wheatgrass smoothies, and specifically rated pH-balanced alkaline water.

After all the extreme exercises, self-help books, and sophisticated meal plans, it’s time to get back to basics. Here’s one version of a realistic plan: drink some water, get outside, and try to sleep a little better.

A casual walk with a dog.
Photo credit: Canva

Getting back to the basics

A beauty editor writing for Who What Wear documented her attempt to follow a social-media-inspired wellness reset. With all the expensive and complicated habits she hoped would unlock the “incredibly high-functioning, ultra-productive version” of herself, she came away understanding that she should stick with the basics.

Modern life already asks women to juggle careers, caregiving, appearance standards, finances, and relationships. Somewhere along the journey, wellness became just one more category to add to the pile.

Maintaining a perfect life balance.
Photo credit: Canva

Women are choosing simple, sustainable routines

Finding realistic wellness is a trend that reflects a growing desire for community-centered wellness rather than isolated self-improvement. Instead of wellness looking like a solo pursuit for an achievement award, many women are leaning toward connection: walking groups, shared meals, accountability with friends, and being honest about feeling burned out on all of it.

The Times reports that people feel walking groups are less intimidating and more emotionally supportive. People don’t just want fitness; they want to belong to something.

A 2025 study in Frontiers in Psychology focused on the benefits of women finding social support groups. Programs that incorporated women’s preferences into their daily lives were more likely to be enjoyed and maintained.

Wellness cultures have told women the answer is to do more: more discipline, more self-reflection, more perfect sleep, more work dedication, more family direction, more effort.

Making life more enjoyable and realistic can help well-being feel easier to maintain. A joyful life is better lived “in” than constantly measured “against” unrealistic expectations.

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Two persons petting a cat while unpacking boxes in their new room.

Everyday Economics, Money

What a roommate can save you in 100 US cities: 2026 study

Shared rent can mean serious savings.

Good Partner

5/15/2026
Jaclyn DeJohn, CFP for SmartAsset

What a roommate can save you in 100 US cities: 2026 study

New college grads, transplants from other cities, and others might find myriad advantages in including a roommate in their housing plan — one of those being cost savings. Particularly in high cost-of-living areas, an extra cushion in the budget could make a big difference in discretionary spending, paying off debt, or investing for the future. Across large U.S. cities, splitting a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate versus living alone in a one-bedroom apartment could save the average renter about $541 per month, or nearly $6,500 per year. In many cities, the average savings climb much higher.

With this in mind, SmartAsset ranked 100 of the largest U.S. cities based on the percentage of monthly rent saved by sharing an apartment with a roommate.

Key Findings
- Adding a roommate gets you the best value in Cleveland, Ohio. Splitting a two-bedroom with another person saves you nearly 48% compared to renting a one-bedroom alone. The average cost of one-bedroom rent in Cleveland currently sits at $1,150, nearly identical to the average two-bedroom rent of $1,200.
- The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment is only $900 in this city. Shreveport, Louisiana, has the lowest two-bedroom rent out of 100 large cities. With an average one-bedroom price of $790, it ranks 10th overall with a savings of 43% with a roommate, or $340 rent savings per person per month.
- In NYC, a roommate saves you $1,730 per month. The average one-bedroom rent in New York City is $4,380, while two roommates could split the average $5,300 two-bedroom rent for $2,650 each. Neighboring Jersey City, New Jersey has the second-highest raw monthly dollars saved with a roommate at $1,490 — or 46.7% savings over living alone.
- A roommate saves you the least in the cities. Relative to local housing costs, sharing your space is least cost effective in Scottsdale, Arizona, where splitting a two-bedroom nets you a 26.0% discount, or a $440 monthly discount. Seattle (28.2% savings; $550 per month) and El Paso, Texas (29.4% savings; $250 per month), also are most budget-friendly to singletons.
Top 10 Cities With the Most Savings With a Roommate

Cities are ranked based on the percent saved in rent between splitting the average two-bedroom apartment with a roommate and living in a one-bedroom apartment alone.
1. Cleveland, OH
- Percent savings with a roommate: 47.83%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $550
- One-bedroom rent: $1,150
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,200
1. Baton Rouge, LA
- Percent savings with a roommate: 46.88%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $450
- One-bedroom rent: $960
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,020
1. Jersey City, NJ
- Percent savings with a roommate: 46.71%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $1,490
- One-bedroom rent: $3,190
- Two-bedroom rent: $3,400
1. Memphis, TN
- Percent savings with a roommate: 46.24%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $430
- One-bedroom rent: $930
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,000
1. Boise, ID
- Percent savings with a roommate: 45.49%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $605
- One-bedroom rent: $1,330
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,450
1. Augusta, GA
- Percent savings with a roommate: 45.00%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $450
- One-bedroom rent: $1,000
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,100
1. New Haven, CT
- Percent savings with a roommate: 44.89%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $835
- One-bedroom rent: $1,860
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,050
1. Chattanooga, TN
- Percent savings with a roommate: 44.44%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $520
- One-bedroom rent: $1,170
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,300
1. Virginia Beach, VA
- Percent savings with a roommate: 43.94%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $725
- One-bedroom rent: $1,650
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,850
1. Shreveport, LA
- Percent savings with a roommate: 43.04%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $340
- One-bedroom rent: $790
- Two-bedroom rent: $900
Top 10 Cities Where It’s Most Cost Effective to Live Alone

Cities are ranked based on the percent saved in rent between splitting the average two-bedroom apartment with a roommate and living in a one-bedroom apartment alone.
1. Scottsdale, AZ
- Percent savings with a roommate: 26.04%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $440
- One-bedroom rent: $1,690
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,500
1. Seattle, WA
- Percent savings with a roommate: 28.21%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $550
- One-bedroom rent: $1,950
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,800
1. El Paso, TX
- Percent savings with a roommate: 29.41%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $250
- One-bedroom rent: $850
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,200
1. Albuquerque, NM
- Percent savings with a roommate: 29.47%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $280
- One-bedroom rent: $950
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,340
1. Denver, CO
- Percent savings with a roommate: 29.69%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $475
- One-bedroom rent: $1,600
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,250
1. St Louis, MO
- Percent savings with a roommate: 30.11%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $280
- One-bedroom rent: $930
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,300
1. Dallas, TX
- Percent savings with a roommate: 30.28%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $430
- One-bedroom rent: $1,420
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,980
1. San Francisco, CA
- Percent savings with a roommate: 30.47%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $1,155
- One-bedroom rent: $3,790
- Two-bedroom rent: $5,270
1. Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Percent savings with a roommate: 30.85%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $580
- One-bedroom rent: $1,880
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,600
1. St Petersburg, FL
- Percent savings with a roommate: 31.33%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $470
- One-bedroom rent: $1,500
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,060
Data and Methodology

This study examined data from 100 U.S. cities, comparing the average rents for one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments between March 2025 and March 2026 based on data from Zumper. Specifically, the cost of a one-bedroom was compared with half the cost of a two-bedroom for each city, assuming each roommate pays equal rent.

This story was produced by SmartAsset and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
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A school report card showing straight A's.

Public Good, Society

Parents trust report cards more than test scores, with consequences for kids

Good grades can hide deeper learning gaps.

Good Partner

5/15/2026

Jill Barshay for The Hechinger Report

Parents trust report cards more than test scores, with consequences for kids

Most parents want to help their children succeed. We check report cards, ask about homework and try to help our kids study. When that fails, we sometimes hire tutors. But in an era of rising grades, it’s easy to be misled.

A new study reviewed by The Hechinger Report found that parents often assume everything is fine when their child’s report card shows mostly A’s, even when standardized test scores slide. That assumption may underestimate the help and guidance their child needs.

In an online experiment, researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Chicago created hypothetical fifth graders, whom they called Stacey and Robert, and asked more than 2,000 parents how they would advise the children’s parents to respond to different scenarios of grades and test scores. Test scores were expressed as percentile ranks on standardized tests, such as the annual state tests that public school children take each spring, so that parents could compare Stacey and Robert with those of other children nationwide. And study participants were given an imaginary $100 per week to “spend” however they wished. Options included enrolling the child in an after-school program, hiring a tutor or saving the money for a vacation or bills. They could also invest their own time, such as helping with homework or reading together.

Parents advised increasing time and money spent when both grades and test scores were low. Parents were less likely to provide extra help or resources when grades were high and only test scores were low. The researchers found that parents were more likely to step in when grades were low but test scores were higher.

More than 70% of the parents said they trust grades more than tests for making decisions about their own child, and fewer than 9% said they had more confidence in tests.

The findings appear in a draft paper that has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal and may still be revised. It was publicly circulated by the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics at the University of Chicago this month.

As test scores have fallen nationwide while grades have risen, the researchers believe that parents may be underinvesting in their children. “Parents are the key to children’s success,” said Ariel Kalil of the University of Chicago. “What you need is for parents to be making investments in their kids’ skill development, and you need that parental effort to be happening early and often. Anything that depresses parent investment is a problem.”

Kalil is concerned that this underinvestment in children is more pronounced in low-income communities, where, she said, high grades are often issued for below-grade-level skills. After the COVID-19 pandemic, schools struggled to persuade families to enroll in free tutoring and summer programs to make up for months of disrupted instruction. Many report cards showed solid grades, reducing the urgency for parents to act.

Paired with other recent research on long-term academic and economic consequences, this study strengthens the case that grade inflation isn’t harmless. Inflated grades may feel encouraging, but they can send false signals both to students, who may study less, and to parents, who may see less reason to step in. Ultimately, it not only hurts individuals but also American labor force skills and future economic growth, the researchers argue.

Kalil, a behavioral scientist, believes that parents have more confidence in grades because they are familiar and easier to understand. Meanwhile, score reports are complicated, and even many well-educated parents are confused about scaled scores and percentile rankings.

A survey that accompanied the online experiment revealed that a sizable share of parents don’t trust standardized tests. Forty percent of the parents in the study said that tests were biased. Almost 30% thought student scores were a reflection of family income. Fewer than 20% of parents thought tests captured their children’s skills.

Kalil says there’s another psychological phenomenon at play even for parents who understand and value standardized tests: the tendency to ignore bad news when it is paired with good news. “If the report card is all A’s, there’s a cognitive bias towards sticking your head in the sand and rejecting the bad information,” said Kalil.

There were hints in the data that Hispanic families were most trusting of grades and least trusting of test scores, while Asian families were more willing to heed test results. But few Hispanic and Asian parents participated in the survey, so these patterns were not statistically significant. (Almost 70% of the respondents were white and 20% Black.) Parents with at least a bachelor’s degree also paid more attention to standardized exams.

Solving the problem won’t be easy. The researchers say schools can do more to explain what test scores measure and how to interpret them, but better communication alone may not shift parents’ instincts. Reversing grade inflation would be the most direct solution, but that would require a broader shift across schools — something that is unlikely to happen quickly.

In the meantime, the burden is on parents to read report cards with a critical eye. When grades and test scores don’t align, it’s worth asking why. A strong report card can be reassuring, but it may not always tell the full story of what a child knows — or what help they might need.

This storywas produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

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