What motivates top college graduates to teach for a living? Preliminary outcomes of Enseñá por Argentina

Abstract

Several school systems have tried to improve the quality of their teachers by luring young people with high cognitive and professional skills into teaching. This study analyzes the recruitment database of Enseñá por Argentina (EpA) ––an initiative that recruits top college graduates to teach for two years in schools with no means of support–– and the outcomes of a survey taken of applicants who were in the penultimate round of selection. The analys shows that:
1. EpA has captured the attention of a large number of young people, but has been less successful in getting them to apply for the program.
2. EpA has been able to attract young people from multiple, but not necessarily competitive, majors and colleges.
3. Successful applicants were more sensitive to the difficulty of the teaching task and to the fact that EpA belongs to an international network of organizations.