By recruiting and training excellent teachers and placing them in the nation’s highest-need communities, Teach For America has built a movement that impacts both short- and long-term needs. At a time when the achievement gap between students in affluent school districts and those in under resourced districts is so wide, Teach For America is showing our nation’s children that they have not been forgotten.![]()
- John W. Thompson, Chairman and CEO, Symantec Corporation
This year, a corps of nearly 425 of the nation’s most promising future leaders are teaching in nearly 170 traditional and charter schools to unleash the potential of nearly 30,000 children growing up in the Bay Area’s highest-need communities. These corps members join nearly 1,000 local alumni, the second largest Teach For America alumni network in the nation, who work within education as model teachers and innovative school and district leaders, and in every other sector to channel necessary resources towards this effort. Together they are helping us make educational equity a reality in the Bay Area. Learn about living and teaching in the Bay Area.
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Executive Director |
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During the 2009-10 school year, nearly 425 corps members are directly impacting the lives of nearly 30,000 students in the Bay Area. Jacquelyn Ackeifi is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
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Jacquelyn Ackeifi (Bay Area Corps '07) |
As an undergraduate, Jacquelyn spent a lot of time theorizing about different contemporary social problems. “I loved the challenge of deconstructing concepts related to inequality, justice, and opportunity,” she said. Nevertheless, she felt that simply thinking about things could only go so far, and she wanted to immerse herself in an issue that concerned her. “I can clearly see that I have made the correct choice in applying to be a Teach For America corps member,” she commented. “Everything that I had said I wanted has already arrived in quantities far greater than I could have expected, and for that I am grateful.
Principal Satisfaction
*"Teach For America 2009 National Principal Survey,” Policy Studies Associates, July 2009.
Impact on Student Achievement
According to a highly regarded study by Mathematica Policy Research, corps members outpaced fully certified and veteran
teachers in their schools in moving their students ahead academically. Read national results.
Student Profile
Bay Area: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | % of Corps |
|---|---|
| Mathematics | 21% |
| Science | 14% |
| Special Education | 12% |
| Language Arts/Social Studies | 19% |
| Elementary | 31% |
| Early Childhood Education | 3% |
| Total | 100% |
*Percentages are rounded and may not add up to 100 percent.
Characteristics of the 2009 Corps
| Corps Profile |
|---|
| Average GPA: 3.6 |
| Average SAT: 1344 |
| Held leadership roles on campus: 89% |
| People of color: 30% |
*Percentage of senior classes who applied to Teach For America
Fostering Alumni Leadership for Systemic Change
As the number of corps members grows, so does our alumni base. By 2010, we will have over 1,300 Teach For America • Bay Area alumni pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
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David Silver (Los Angeles '95) |
David Silver is the principal of Think College Now (TCN), an elementary school in Oakland, California. Working in collaboration with parents, educators, and community members, David was able to found TCN in 2003, bringing Oakland its first new school building in 30 years. TCN started out as K-2, adding a grade each year, and are now at full capacity with 255 students. In 2008, TCN was honored as one of only three Oakland schools to receive a California Distinguished School Award.
We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in the Bay Area. The foundations, corporations and individuals listed below have made it possible for Teach For America to continue to recruit, select, train, and support teachers who are working to eliminate educational inequity in our city.
| Bay Area Regional Advisory Board |
|---|
| Brian Dexheimer Executive Vice President and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Seagate Technology Scotts Valley, CA |
| Jason Fish (Chair) San Francisco, CA |
| Arthur Rock Founder Davis & Rock Arthur Rock & Co. San Francisco, CA |
| Sharon Saunders Volunteer & Advocate for Education San Francisco |
| Sandi Thompson Attorney Woodside, CA |
| Mary Vascellaro Community Volunteer in Education and Arts San Francisco |
To learn more about the corps member experience in the Bay Area, please click here.
To learn more about staff opportunities at Teach For America • Bay Area, or to request additional information about Teach For America • Bay Area, please contact:
Danyelle Proano
Assistant to the Executive Director
101 New Montgomery Street
5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
p 415-659-0800 x2435, f 415-659-0850
danyelle.proano@teachforamerica.org
To support Teach For America • Bay Area with an individual gift or donation, please contact:
Janis Ortega
Managing Director, Development
101 New Montgomery Street
5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
p 415-659-0800 x2410, f 415-659-0850
janis.ortega@teachforamerica.org
To request information about corporate and foundation support or corporate involvement with Teach For America • Bay Area, please contact:
Amy Rodriguez
Director, Corporate and Foundations Giving
101 New Montgomery Street
5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
p 415-659-0800 x2409, f 415-659-0850
amy.rodriguez@teachforamerica.org
To learn more about corps member placement and certification, please contact:
Diana Lee
Managing Director, District Strategy
101 New Montgomery Street
5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
p 415-659-0800 x2428, f 415-659-0850
diana.lee@teachforamerica.org
To learn more about alumni affairs and school leadership, please contact:
Anita Johnson
Managing Director, Alumni Affairs
101 New Montgomery Street
5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
p 415-659-0800 x2415, f 415-659-0850
anita.johnson@teachforamerica.org
Emily Bobel is the Executive Director of Teach For America • Bay Area, where she is responsible for maximizing Teach For America’s impact in the Bay Area by working to establish our presence in the community, ensuring the effectiveness of over 430 corps members, building a broad and sustainable base of financial support, and overseeing a regional team of 36 staff members. Prior to this, Emily was the Managing Director of Program on the Bay Area team, helping to lead the region’s largest ever corps to success in the classroom. Since joining Teach For America, Emily has also served as a Recruitment Director for the Ivy League cohort, as well as a Corps Member Advisor and School Director for the New York City training institutes. Emily taught middle school math and science as a 2003 corps member in New York City, where she coached 32 students to compete and win the 2004 & 2005 New York City Federal Reserve Econ Bowl. Emily is a proud Bay Area native and Stanford alumna, with strong ties to the local community.