Turning to DC, my friend Bob Compton (who did my documentary, A Right Denied ) shares great news from DC:

I thought you'd be interested to know that for the first time a charter school teacher who is also a former TFA Corps member was named DC's Teacher of the Year by Mayor Vincent Gray, [a man not known as a champion of either program].

A few salient quotes from today's Washington Post article:

"Mayor Vincent Gray surprised Julia King in her classroom [at D.C. Prep’s Edgewood middle school] last week with the news that she had been named the city’s teacher of the year.

King spent two years as a Teach for America corps member in Gary, Ind., before returning to the District in 2010. She chose to work at D.C. Prep because of its efforts to weave academics with character development.

She was also drawn to the DC Prep, she said, because of its emphasis on collaboration

among teachers."

So, for all the doubters who say that TFA Corps members don't get the training to be outstanding teachers or that charter schools don't produce great teachers - perhaps DC's Mayor Gray will open their minds just a little bit.