Dive Brief:

• In order to transition to a less centralized business model, the controversial nonprofit Teach for America (TFA) will reduce staff by 15%, cutting around 150 jobs.
• The current round of layoffs comes on the heels of 200 or so employees being let go last year, Education Week reports.
• The difference now, however, is that senior staff and some executive jobs are also on the chopping block; CEO Elisa Villanueva Beard said in a press release that the job cuts will let TFA be "leaner and more nimble."

Dive Insight:

Notably, one of the jobs now reportedly on the chopping block is TFA's Chief Diversity Officer, a position sorely needed by the organization, which has tried to stem criticism around a lack of diversity and cultural insensitivity by updating training methodology and instating cultural competency training. High turnover has also been a challenge for the organization.

A state audit in Georgia from last fall found a higher turnover rate for Teach for America teachers than those with education degrees: Only 40% of metro Atlanta Teach for America teachers stayed beyond their initial two-year commitment, as opposed to 80% of other teachers in low-income schools. And in North Carolina, school boards decided not to renew TFA contracts due to feelings that TFA teachers are inexperienced and underprepared.

For the last two years, TFA hasn't been able to recruit the number of young teacher trainees it set out to net. The 2015 class was reportedly down 1,200 year-over-year to around 4,100; TFA's all-time application high was 57,226 in 2013. In 2015, that number dipped to 44,181.

TFA is struggling to evolve as its 25th anniversary nears. The organization's newer initiatives include adopting different approaches for ELLs, an increased focus on LGBT issues and a partnership with a black fraternity.