Nonprofit Mississippi News Barbara Logan Smith is not in favor of the argument that the education system has failed. Smith, Teach for America’s Greater Delta region executive director, stated that the system is actually doing what it was intended to because it wasn’t designed to get all children to the right place. At a community forum held in west Jackson, Smith spoke to a packed room about the organization’s work here in Mississippi. Teach For America, a national organization that places college graduates in underserved areas across the country, is well-known for its ability to take recent college graduates. Corps members are teachers who have completed summer training prior to starting the school year. Each member commits to teaching for a period of two years with the organization. Critics claim that the organization puts inexperienced teachers into classrooms and communities that they aren’t ready to serve. Many of these teachers leave their schools after their two-year commitment ends. Smith stated, “We know that you cannot take people who haven’t been invested in teaching and just throw the them into a classroom.” The Teach for America offices in Arkansas and Mississippi were merged into one region earlier this year. Corps members spend several weeks in the Delta training to be teachers in their first year. She said that there are approximately 100 teachers currently doing this. After the school year starts, corps members are required to attend four training summits and receive professional development every two weeks. Smith stated that corps members are not playing with children’s lives. They understand that they have a responsibility for setting these kids up to surpass the expectations of their testing. Smith acknowledged the state’s teacher shortage but said that it is not the purpose of his organization. The Mississippi Department of Education currently has about 1,000 vacancies. However, only 650 of these are teaching positions. The site’s vacancies are all self-reported by the districts. Some districts may not post jobs on the site. She stated that “our real work is about ending education inequity, and building educational excellence.” She said that while the work of addressing teacher shortage is related, it is different from the work of addressing educational inequity. “The truth is, as you look across the nation, you will see that children whose parents don’t have much money or have too much melanin and/or their families speak another language than English are often the ones who never get the chance to realize that potential.” In Mississippi, 131 corps members were deployed during the 2017-18 schoolyear. Smith informed the room that about 200 teachers would be serving in the Mississippi-Arkansas region during the next school year following the merger. The placement of corps members in schools is determined by need. Schools that allow for multiple corps members to serve are attractive options because they encourage a sense community. TFA alumni may also be available to provide support and fellowship. TFA teachers in Mississippi work in Holly Springs, the Delta and Jackson.