A tale of two teaching experiences: is Teach for America a brilliant way to bring Ivy League talent into some of the nation's neediest classrooms? Or is it just letting them pad their resumes at the expense of inner city students?

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A tale of two teaching experiences: is Teach for America a brilliant way to bring Ivy League talent into some of the nation's neediest classrooms? Or is it just letting them pad their resumes at the expense of inner city students?

In 1989, an ambitious Princeton University senior had an idea. Inspired to bridge the educational gap in the United States, Wendy Kopp formed a pilot program where enthusiastic grads like her would flood inner city schools and clean up the proverbial neighborhood. She even gave it an imperative and patriotic moniker: Teach for America.

Seventeen years later, the $40 million operation and its 17,000 alumni are stirring up a maelstrom in the teaching community. Some argue that the program is an invaluable resource, recruiting the best college graduates from top universities to America's neediest classrooms. Others contend that it's no...

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