Last week, the New York Times wrote a story on the findings of a study on the graduates of a marquee teacher training program, Teach For America.  The study’s aim was to find out what the level of civic engagement was for the alums of the program, after they completed their two year commitment to teaching.  They were surprised to find that civic involvement was lower than expected.  Since the US Public Service Academy was founded by two TFA alums and several of our volunteer coordinators are too, not to mention that TFA fully endorses the legislation, I wanted you to hear directly from Genevieve Quist, a TFA alum and the California State Coordinator for our Youth Advisory Councils. ~Justine Hebron

Part of my motivation for acting as California’s State Coordinator in USPSA’s efforts is rooted directly in my experience as a Teach For America corps member. I liked the idea of making public service more accessible to college students, and providing those future public servants with a rigorous education. What got me hooked, however, was the initial comparison made to Teach For America. What kept me going through my 70 hour work weeks, in addition to the amazing kids in my Los Angeles classroom, was my belief that I was part of a larger movement working towards something critically important- educational equity. The culture that I observed and participated in, both as a corps member and as staff at the Summer Institute training program, was one of professionalism, dedication to students and the larger mission, and relentless pursuit of results. What if building a United States Public Service Academy could do for jobs in government what Teach For America has done for teaching positions in low-income public schools?

My experience in the classroom propelled me towards graduate research in Social Policy, will guide me in the policy and advocacy job market when I complete my degree, and has encouraged me to consistently give money and time to child focused non-profits and legislative efforts. Teach For America is the most formative professional experience I’ve had. Stanford’s study, “Assessing the Long-Term Effects of Youth Service: The Puzzling Case of Teach For America”, suggests that not all corps members feel the same way I do:

“Financed by the William T. Grant Foundation, the study surveyed every person who was accepted by Teach for America from 1993 to 1998. It is being published this month in Social Forces, a journal published by the University of North Carolina. The study compared “graduates,” who completed their two years; “dropouts,” who entered the program but left before the two years were up; and “nonmatriculants,” who were accepted but declined the offer. It included 1,538 graduates, 324 dropouts and 634 nonmatriculants. Nearly 45 percent of those sampled returned the 34-page survey.

While Teach for America graduates remain far more active than their peer group, the findings indicate that the program neither achieves an earlier organizational goal of “making citizens” nor produces people who, in great numbers, take their civic commitments beyond the field of education.”

Does this imply that my original motivation for supporting USPSA was somehow flawed? I completed Teach For America three years ago, but my teaching experience is still relatively fresh in my mind. Do the study results foreshadow a possible future self- more cynical, less engaged? Regardless of the results of this study, I believe it is possible for an organization to instill a culture and create a network that can work for the broader good in a systemic, long term capacity. Although the verdict on TFA may still be unclear, and perhaps hard to ever measure accurately, I believe the United States Public Service Academy’s impact on our generation may be quite powerful.

USPSA students will enroll at 18, graduate at about 21, and then work in public service through age 26; this experience will help to create a cohesive culture of service among America’s youth. When I was in college, and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life after graduating, one of Teach For America’s recruitment flyers caught my attention. It asked: “Over 90% of members of Congress have law degrees. What would our country look like if over 90% had experience teaching in a low-income public school?” What would our country look like if more talented, rigorously trained college seniors committed to a wide spectrum of public service positions? Passing H.R. 2102 will help us find out. ~Genevieve Quist

Starting today, you will notice that your favorite scripted TV shows have something in common: characters that are doing community service projects as part of the normal storylines.  The Entertainment Industry Foundation, the philanthropic organization of the entertainment industry, is supporting the cause of volunteerism and community service with a campaign called iParticipate.  Starting today, iParticipate will be present on all major broadcast networks for the entire week.  According to their website, “EIF has enlisted major broadcast networks including, ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, for an unprecedented, week-long television event beginning Monday, October 19. Tune in to seven days and nights of television and watch how your favorite TV shows and personalities shine a light on the power of community service.”

Shining the spotlight on community service through entertainment is brilliant product placement.  Since so many shows are about teachers (”Glee”), cops (”CSI”), firefighters (”Rescue Me”), EMTs (”Trauma”), municipal employees (”Parks and Recreation”) and even doctors treating emergency cases (”Grey’s Anatomy”), the inclusion of community service storylines is seamless and influential.  And even more interesting to me, is that most of the characters in shows like “Glee,” “CSI,” Rescue Me,” and “Trauma” are all PUBLIC SERVICE careers.  Teachers, cops, EMTs, and city employees are all public servants, people who work for our local, county, state and federal government agencies making sure we are educated and safe and that there is access to services for all.

Volunteering in your communities is part of being a responsible citizen.  We must support those who are doing the career work at the public service level.  The next obvious step is to continue to attract the best and brightest to public service careers by creating the US Public Service Academy.  If all goes as planned with the iParticipate initiative, even more citizens will be attracted to public service, not just as volunteers.  Our actors, singers, musicians and entertainers are doing their jobs by inspiring us to volunteer.  Let’s show them one bigger by building the Academy to train those who want to plays these roles in real life.

Yesterday, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama both highlighted the need for Americans to participate in community service, mainly by being volunteers.  Today, the President continued this message by visiting the 1,000 Points of Light Foundation in Texas, the volunteer organization started by President George H.W. Bush 20 years ago.  This administration has definitely supported the call to service, most notably with the passage of The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act which provides funding for volunteer programs across the country.  It is an incredible program and we are proud to be endorsed by Service Nation who organized the effort for the bill’s passage.

Now, however, it is time to focus on the next obvious piece of the public service puzzle and that is leadership.  Without rigorously trained leaders, how will we channel all the man-power in our volunteer armies?  Where will these leaders come from?  Certainly not from business schools, or engineering programs, or art schools.  No, they need to come from the US Public Service Academy which will train them in the specifics of public service work, also known as local, state and federal government agencies.  And by creating a school that educates them for four years and requires them to “give back” by serving in a public sector job for five years, it is highly likely that these Academy graduates become career public service leaders, not just volunteers.  We need both ends of the spectrum to solve the crises facing our country, and now is the time to train the leaders by creating the Academy.