We have ASD because it was part of our RTTT application commitments and because it is what the progressives want in order to privatize education, destroy traditional public schools,
destroy traditional public school teachers, eliminate elected school boards, destroy the voice of parents and local control.
Now, my own feelings about Teach for America are hardly a secret (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/10/17/a-professors-encounter-with-two-teach-for-america-recruiters/), but even I was a bit surprised that TFA would tip their hand on their real agenda:
destroying traditional teacher education programs,
teachers unions, and
public schools as we know them.