The challenge of running an organization designed to promote the best educational systems in the United States is a herculean task. With this in mind, the question that boggles many is this: Is Karolyn Belcher, new TNTP president, up for the challenge after having been the leader of a closed charter school in New York due to poor performance?
TNTP's mission is to provide profound educational support in different schools all over the U.S. As perTNTP's website, it seeks to end the injustice that many poor students experience due to educational inequality, which in response had TNTP providing excellent teachers so that optimum classroom training can be achieved.
This goal requires the heart of a great teacher and strong management skills of a good organizer. Belcher only has two years teaching experience in a New Orleans school, which for many, may not be adequate enough to bring a good understanding of what the best teaching methods are and how these can be properly implemented.
From her New Orleans teaching stint, she became a national staff of Teach for America, a nonprofit organization committed to providing quality teachers in low-income communities. Here, she led the organization's pre-service training institute in Houston.
While Belcher may have been among the first employees of TNTP, it must be noted that she left the organization for several years to lead the John A. Reisenbach Charter School, which unfortunately was closed due to poor performance. As per Mercedes Schneider's blog, Belcher has in fact admitted that the school had its shortcomings, which was why the Charter Schools Institute produce a 75-page negative report and recommended its closure. Hence, the State University of New York Board of Trustees closed down the said charter school.
Subsequent to this, Belcher returned to TNTP and rose through the ranks at lightning speed. From being the executive vice president for New Teacher Effectiveness group of TNTP, she is now the president of the organization. In addition, since she received an annual salary of $250,000 when she was vice president, one can only surmise the salary she's receiving now.
The trustees of TNTP must have had good enough reasons at having appointed Karolyn Belcher as the organization's president. As to what these reasons are, one can only guess.
