Pros
Having just finished the program, I can say that it did an excellent job of preparing me for the reality of teaching in an urban school. I was given excellent tools by the coaches and staff in the program to ensure that my students are achieving as much as they should, which really showed up in my students' end-of-the-year test scores. Additionally, while I was brand new at teaching last year, I was consistently praised by my administration for my abilities in the classroom; while I wish I could take credit for this, it would not have been possible without the training I was given by TNTP. TNTP emphasizes classroom management a great deal, which enables its teachers to nip behavior issues as they arise and ensure that students are on task and on track (this seems minor, but when I compare my classroom to those of TFA teachers, the difference is noticeable). Instruction in curriculum is solid as well, and I am able to create solid and thought-provoking lesson plans based upon what I was taught by TNTP staff. In my opinion, the greatest strength of the program is its use of coaches. I had two different coaches, one for summer training and another for the school year, and each was excellent in her own regard. I was pushed to become a good teacher, and never let off the hook, which is essential as one builds habits and mindsets in the first year of teaching. Additionally, my coaches were in my classroom regularly and provided top-notch feedback which allowed me to improve my practice quickly. Perhaps the most important considerations for those people considering TNTP are time and money, and for this, TNTP is hard to beat. The program takes less than a year to complete and is as cheap is a teaching license comes (in Nashville, the cost is $5,000). This is a much more efficient use of time and money when compared to the traditional route of higher education; additionally, I do believe that TNTP teachers are better prepared for the reality of urban schools.
Cons
The major drawback of the program is that there are cuts made at two different points: after summer training and at the end of the school year. This unfortunately means that there are people who relocate for the program and do not pass. If you aren't self-motivated, or have difficulty handling strenuous situations, you will have difficulty making it through the program.
