Education in America is pretty messed up. One example: it's just about the only field of endeavor, in history, where people think it's a brilliant idea to pair the worst students with the best teachers. (cf. http://teachforamerica.org/)
I have a couple friends who worked for Teach For America (they taught before 9/11 basically 5x'd the yearly # of applicants so that it is next to impossible to get a position with TFA).
TFA is not about a long-term commitment to teaching. It is a grass-roots program to expose the teacher to a novel experience and to mingle the students with someone who is not from their area.
TFA has one of the strongest alumni networks in the U.S. Some TFA alumni choose to continue in teaching; (sometimes in a grassroots, impactful way) there are over 60 charter schools that have been started by TFA alumni.
