When Teach For America launched 36 years ago, one of its pilot sites was Scotlandville High School in Baton Rouge, La., where I happened to teach. So, I’ve observed TFA from its earliest days and been a sometime-friend and sometime-critic over the decades since. A year ago, I chatted with TFA’s longtime CEO Elisa Villanueva Beard as she was stepping down. Now, it seemed like a good time to speak with her successor, Aneesh Sohoni, about his first year on the job. Aneesh started out as a high school English teacher and became executive director of TFA in Chicago. He’s also served in the Tennessee education department and as CEO of One Million Degrees. Here’s what he had to say.

–Rick

Rick Hess: You took over Teach For America a year ago. Over time, TFA has been up and down, beloved and despised. Where do things stand today?

Aneesh Sohoni: Teach For America’s goal is still to make sure every kid has access to an excellent education. We’re focused on three things. First, there’s real fatigue in education—a lot of civic leaders are skeptical progress is even possible anymore. We’re working to reinspire belief by bringing talented young people into communities to improve student outcomes. Second, we’re still focused on recruiting the next generation of educators. We think TFA can be the best first job in the AI economy, given the mix of leadership and human skills we help build. Third, we’re building a talent pipeline that’s fluent in emerging technology and knows how to use it responsibly to deepen human-centered learning.

Hess: What was your experience like as a TFA classroom teacher?

Sohoni: My TFA experience almost 17 years ago is why I’m still in education today. I taught at an alternative high school in Minneapolis, working with 18- to 21-year-olds, the point at which students age out of the system. Most of my students were of East African descent, many from families who’d fled the Somali civil war. We had a lot in common—similar age, children of immigrants, educated in the Minneapolis area—but the opportunities we’d been given were drastically different. That experience shaped my views on education and opportunity and made me committed to doing this work for life.

Hess: What’s struck you about the education landscape since you’ve taken on this role?

Sohoni: In my travels, the biggest barrier to progress I’ve seen is a lack of belief in what’s possible. That’s understandable. The last decade hasn’t been strong for student outcomes. But we’ve seen what’s possible before. I recently met with Harvard economist Tom Kane, who called the gains in national student outcomes from 1990 to 2015 “the greatest social change effort of our time.” Take Louisiana, where TFA alumni have stayed and taken on leadership roles across the system, helping, as a reporter for the Times-Picayune put it, “shape policy and build programs that endure.” That sustained investment has meant clearer priorities and stronger outcomes; the state is now among the closest to fully recovering from pandemic learning loss.

Hess: Looking back, if you had to point to one success story that captures the promise of TFA, what comes to mind?

Sohoni: I think about the collective impact of our nearly 70,000 alumni. One story stands out: Over the past two decades, the District of Columbia has been one of the fastest-improving urban school systems in the country, with steady progress in math and reading. TFA alumni have been part of that at every level—as teachers, principals, system leaders, school chancellors, and deputy mayors of education. What makes this story powerful isn’t any single role or moment but the sustained effort. That’s the promise of TFA.

Hess: Let’s flip it around. If there’s one development that you regard as an obvious disappointment or misstep on the part of TFA, what comes to mind?

Sohoni: It can be hard to stay focused on the work only we’re positioned to do. Two areas where we could better support our leaders are recruitment and alumni engagement.

Hess: All right, let me ask that another way. There was a period when TFA’s recruitment numbers plunged. What happened, and what do those numbers look like today?

Sohoni: Getting students’ attention on campus is hard. There’s a strong funnel into finance, consulting, and tech, while teaching is less visible. That, plus declining teacher satisfaction, a contentious national dialogue around education, and more financially attractive options, all contributed to the dip. We’ve focused on positioning teaching as a launchpad for purpose-driven leaders. In an international study, nine in 10 Gen Zers say purpose matters to their job satisfaction, and we’re helping them see teaching as a meaningful place to start. It’s working: Over the past three years, our incoming corps size is up 43 percent.

Hess: TFA has long been criticized by teachers’ unions and education schools for undermining teacher professionalism. On the right, there’ve been complaints over the past decade or more that TFA went woke. What’s your take on all this?

Sohoni: When you’re in the arena doing something that matters, you open yourself up to criticism. Growing means staying open to it while still leading with conviction. We try to listen to our partners and critics, and that feedback shapes how we work with students and communities. But I think there’s more agreement than we sometimes acknowledge, like making sure kids are reading by 3rd grade, on grade level in math by 8th grade, and prepared for college and career. That’s what we’re focused on.

Hess: This winter, you testified before the U.S. House education committee about AI in the classroom. You said, “The future of learning will require a blending of technology and human expertise, with teachers leading and guiding, and technology supporting.” How do you see that playing out in practice?

Sohoni: AI can help deliver more individualized instruction, but only if it’s rooted in high-quality instructional materials and strengthens rather than replaces the human relationships that drive learning. There’s real promise and real peril. Used poorly, AI can undermine critical thinking—and a recent survey found growing backlash against AI among young people in this country for exactly this reason. But if used well, it can reinforce strong instruction. In practice, that means keeping educators in the driver’s seat, so their judgment shapes how AI is designed and used.

Hess: You’re unequivocal that AI shouldn’t replace teachers. Why is that such a bright line for you?

Sohoni: We need human connection to learn. We’re wired to feel seen, safe, and connected in order to learn best. That will never come from an algorithm. It comes from a teacher who knows a student, reads the room, responds to emotion, and adapts in the moment. AI can support that, but it can’t replicate it. As a parent, I want my kids led by a well-prepared teacher—one who understands AI, uses it thoughtfully, and creates the trust that makes deep learning possible.

Hess: We’re in a moment of great uncertainty about the shape of the future workforce, the implications of the demographic cliff, and the role of college. What’s all this mean for the future of teacher recruitment and of TFA?

Sohoni: I hear real anxiety from college students about the workforce they’re entering. We’re trying to help them see teaching as a strong first job in the AI economy. Corps members build leadership and interpersonal skills employers value. They set goals, analyze data, adapt in real time, and lead a classroom toward measurable progress. Those are high-level management skills, rare in most entry-level jobs. Helping young people see teaching as a career launchpad is key to bringing more talent into classrooms.

Hess: If you had one piece of advice for school or system leaders about recruiting or nurturing classroom teachers in 2026, what would it be?

Sohoni: Lean into your teachers’ energy and invest in them. This generation is motivated by purpose, hungry for community, and fluent with technology. And they’re closest to students’ lived experience. Give them real agency and strong support, and they’ll build classrooms more engaging and rigorous than anything designed from a central office. Treat teachers as leaders, not just implementers.

Frederick Hess is director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute and an executive editor of Education Next.

This post originally appeared on Rick Hess Straight Up.