The central premise of the TFA Leadership Development Program (the program) is that great teachers are great leaders. The mission of TFA is to overcome educational disadvantage by attracting outstanding graduates, and transform them into exceptional teachers and inspirational leaders. Through directed training and support, TFA Associates will impart a positive impact on student outcomes and their communities, both within and beyond the classroom.
Figure 1 below shows the two year process of the TFA program, followed by a brief explanation of each stage of the program:
Recruitment and Selection
To be accepted into the TFA program, candidates must undergo a comprehensive screening process. The initial stages of the selection process involve an online application about the candidate’s personal, professional, and leadership experiences. If successful in advancing to the next stage of recruitment, the candidate then participates in a 15-20 minute phone interview with a TFA representative, discussing the candidate’s application in greater depth.
The next stage of the recruitment procedure is referred to as the ‘Selection Day’. This involves a day of assessment activities that include one-on-one interviews with TFA staff, monitored group exercises, and a demonstration teaching lesson in front of TFA representatives and supporters. There are several Selection Days performed in NSW and VIC for the recruitment of each cohort. TFA funds the travel expenses for those candidates needing to travel a significant distance to attend.
The program’s selection process is crucial to ensuring that TFA recruit high quality candidates, whose ideals are consistent with TFA’s mission. Michael Witter, Director of Training and Leadership at TFA, discussed the importance of this comprehensive selection process to changing the perception of the teaching profession:
‘Where participants of our programs are having impact is on shifting ideas about the profession and if nothing else attracting the non-traditional applicants to pursue the teaching profession.’
These rigorous standards exercised by TFA has meant that only the highest performing university graduates, which show excellent standards of emotional intelligence during selection, are accepting into the program. This has resulted in only 10% of TFA applications were offered an Associate placement.1
Intensive Training
The teacher training dispensed by the TFA program is fast-tracked through ‘Intensive’ sessions. This allows Associates to spend the maximum amount of time teaching in the classroom. The Initial Intensive consists of six weeks of training at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (University of Melbourne), held on-campus and prior to the beginning of the school year. University accommodation is provided to the Associates. This six-week course of clinical practice in education refers to teaching with an emphasis on: monitoring and evaluating classroom outcomes; methods to accurately measure student performance; targeting assessment and teaching practices to meet the needs of the student.
Through lectures, practical workshops, leadership activities, and group and individual assessments, the Initial Intensive covers approximately one-third of total coursework. Associates also experience classroom teaching through the Summer School offered to Year 9 and 10 students. Continual feedback and reflection are embedded through all aspects of the Initial Intensive.
Three more intensive training sessions follow the Initial Intensive, each held for five days. These sessions are held at the beginning of each semester for the remaining three semesters of the two-year program. This provides Associates with the opportunity receive one-on-one instruction from MGSE staff, attend a variety of professional learning seminars, and reconnect with peers both formally and informally.
Michael described the necessity of building a community of practice through the TFA Intensives and the importance of doing so as a primary source of support:
‘The Intensive is absolutely essential because of the preparation, but also because it creates a community of practice and a community of purpose. I don’t think you could have a program like this work if you don’t have that, because that is what actually keeps them going, that is what sustains them.’
Developing this network of community practice is a core focus of TFA throughout the life of the program:
‘What matters the most is the peer network. But you have to create that network. That doesn’t just exist. You don’t just have that because you signed up for the same program. You have to actually construct the space, have activities that are both formal and informal, and facilitate the kind of peer sharing, support, pastoral care, feedback and high expectations that we think are really critical.’
Structured distance learning continues throughout the two-year program as the Associates work towards attaining their Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching. The subjects they complete are consistent with the regular requirements for initial teacher education. This process can be very demanding, with 54% of Cohort 2 in 2011 finding it ‘Difficult’ or ‘Very Difficult’ to balance demands between ongoing teaching, ongoing study and personal life obligations.2
Classroom Teaching & Professional Support
Associates are allocated to TFA affiliate schools and begin teaching on Day 1, Term 1. Their workload is reduced to a 0.8 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) load to allow extra time for preparation, feedback, and study commitments within the program. Despite this extra time allocation and the training received during the Initial Intensive, the first stages of this program are very challenging.
TFA acknowledge these challenges and in response put into place a comprehensive range of professional support mechanisms to ensure the teaching and leadership development of their Associates. These include:
- In-School Mentor: Associates are partnered with an experienced and highly accomplished teacher from within the school as a mentor. This mentor assists the Associate with school specific issues, provides observation and feedback, assists with planning, and offers a constant source of support.
- Training and Leadership Adviser (TLA): Provided directly through TFA, the TLA plays a predominantly pastoral care role, focusing on the personal and leadership development of an Associate. Face-to-face contact is made approximately once every three weeks with school visits, with more regular contact over the phone.
- MGSE Clinical Specialist: Clinical Specialists provide a coaching specific role, focused on improving the professional practice and delivery in the classroom. This includes feedback on teaching elements such as pedagogy, content delivery, assessment and evaluation.
- The Leadership Coach: In the second year of the program, Associates are paired with a Leadership Coach, who is considered a senior leader from a field of the Associate’s choice. This mentoring role is intended to support the Associates to clarify and articulate a career path to become an effective leader. There are a variety of high profile Leadership Coaches to choose from, that work in the corporate sector, social entrepreneurship, education and public sectors.
- The Cohort Community: The TFA program is designed so that the fellow Associates become a core source support for each other as they progress through the program. This is instigated through the range of group activities and in-residence training at the Intensive training sessions.
The Alumni Movement
While still in its initial stages of development, the TFA Alumni Movement is intended to act as a network that connects Associates beyond the program. The aim of the Alumni Movement is to help TFA Associates to reach positions of influence across a range of sectors and contexts. This reflects the TFA theory of change that confronting educational disadvantage requires a cross-sector approach.
1 ACER, Phase 2/3
2 ACER 2/3 pg. 25