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Taking the Teach For America Spirit to Higher Education

By Chris Myers (Delta '94)

From Hawaii to the Delta to New York City, thousands of corps members and alumni are raising expectations and transforming K-12 schools. But what about higher education? Although our colleges are often held up as models for the world, thoughtful observers note some serious flaws similar to what many have experienced and seen in elementary and secondary schools-poor leadership, uninspired teaching, complacency. Most importantly, many institutions lack a sense of purpose or mission.

Shawn Raymond (Delta '94) and I want to bring the spirit of Teach For America-the relentless pursuit of excellence, the service-oriented mission, the culture of the corps-to higher education by building a flagship institution for public leadership: the U.S. Public Service Academy.

The academy will promote public service and develop civilian leaders the way West Point and Annapolis promote national defense and nurture military leaders. Modeled on the military academies, it will offer students four years of free undergraduate education focused on leadership development and public service. In return, academy graduates will spend five years serving their nation by working as teachers, law enforcement officers, emergency responders, and in other critical public service jobs at the local, state, and national levels, in both public institutions and nonprofit organizations.

Spots for incoming freshmen will be allocated by state, following a congressional nomination process that would ensure geographic diversity and generate an annual class of roughly 1,300 students. These students will follow a structured, academically rigorous program that combines a traditional liberal arts curriculum with stringent requirements for service learning, study abroad, and summer leadership development.

Like Teach For America and the Peace Corps before it, the academy is a bold idea that has the power to capture the imagination of a younger generation and transform how young people view public service. What the academy also has in common with Teach For America and the Peace Corps, as well as with the military academies, is the power of a shared culture.

When I joined Teach For America, I knew I was becoming part of something larger than myself, a movement to transform American education. Being part of a corps made my work in a remote Delta classroom more valuable, more sustainable. Knowing that there were hundreds (now thousands) of other Teach For America teachers all over the country drove me to work harder to carry my weight. That corps mentality is inspiring, and it helps explain Teach For America's success.

The academy will develop a similar culture of service and excellence, inspiring students to think beyond themselves and achieve beyond their imaginations. With its intense focus on service, its rigorous leadership development program, and its tough five-year commitment, the academy will instill a culture of service that will bond students to each other and create a network of lifetime leaders.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, the academy has attracted its share of critics. Many of their attacks are similar in logic and intent to those Wendy Kopp faced 17 years ago. This project is too idealistic, too expensive, and unnecessary. It will never happen, they say with a sigh.

But we are making it happen. In less than a year, our idea has moved from our heads to paper to the web to Congress. In late 2006, Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) joined Reps. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) and Jim Moran (D-Va.) to sponsor the Public Service Academy Act. We aim to push the bill through Congress this year, and we need your help.

Teach For America is revolutionizing K-12 education. Let's take the next logical step and transform higher education as well.

Chris Myers Asch is co-founder of the U.S. Public Service Academy. For more details on what the academy will look like, visit www.uspublicserviceacademy.org.