The District is thrilled and excited about the opportunity to work with Teach for America. The teachers provided by the program will give us an infusion of great ideas and enthusiasm to benefit our students.
- Dr. John Martin, Interim Superintendent, Kansas City, Missouri School District
Kansas City is fortunate to have a huge cadre of new teachers coming here as part of the Teach For America program.
- Carl Schramm, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation President and CEO
Teach For America • Kansas City is playing a critical role in improving schools and communities. This year, a corps of 50 of the nation’s top recent college graduates is working in underserved schools across Kansas City to ensure that students facing the challenges of poverty are given the educational opportunities they deserve. Our alumni are leaders in the classroom, in education more broadly, and across all sectors. Together, they are making educational equity a reality in Kansas City. Learn about living and teaching in Kansas City.
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Corps Impact | |
Alumni Impact | |
Financial Sustainability | |
Regional Supporters | |
Contact Us | |
Executive Director |
Recent press releases
Recent press coverage
In the 2008-09 school year, 50 corps members are reaching more than 3,000 students in Kansas City. Our charter corps will have a positive impact on academic achievement in classrooms across the region.
Evan Hendon (Kansas City Corps '08) |
Morgen Leonard-Fleckman (Kansas City Corps '08) |
Emily Peters (Kansas City Corps '08) |
Evan Hendon, Morgen Leonard-Fleckman, and Emily Peters are committed to providing an excellent education to their students. Evan, a Brown University graduate and Kansas City native, is committed to closing the achievement gap in his hometown through his work as a sixth grade social studies teacher. Morgen, who currently teaches high school chemistry, deferred medical school to join the corps, hoping to open doors for her students into science careers. As a political science graduate of the University of Minnesota, Emily teaches third grade and plans to use her classroom experience to become a leader in education reform. Currently, corps members like Evan, Morgen, and Emily are working in 15 schools in Kansas City to give all students the academic opportunities they deserve.
Principal Satisfaction
*"Teach For America 2007 National Principal Survey,” Policy Studies Associates, July 2007.
Impact on Student Achievement
A growing body of research shows that corps members have a positive impact on their students' achievement. Read more about our impact
Student Profile
*Percentages vary depending on school district
Kansas City: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | % of Corps* |
|---|---|
| Pre-K, Kindergarten | 10% |
| Elementary School, Lower (1-2) | 14% |
| Elementary School, Upper (3-5) | 28% |
| Secondary Math | 18% |
| Secondary English | 8% |
| Secondary Math | 12% |
| Secondary Social Studies | 4% |
| Secondary Foreign Language | 2% |
| Secondary Other | 4% |
| Bilingual | 3% |
| Special Education | 3% |
*Percentages are rounded and do not add up to 100 percent; corps members who teach bilingual, ESL, or special education are also accounted for in the grade-level/subject placement percentages
Characteristics of the 2008 Corps
| Corps Profile | Top alma maters by market share* |
|---|---|
| Average GPA: 3.6 | Spelman College: 16% |
| Average SAT: 1320 | Morehouse College, Williams College, Yale University: 11% |
| Held leadership roles on campus: 95% | Duke University, Georgetown University, University of Chicago, Wake Forest University, Wesleyan University: 10% |
| People of color: 29% | Amherst College, Harvard University, Haverford University, Notre Dame University, Princeton University, Rice University: 9% |
*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 75 Teach For America alumni in Kansas City pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
Aaron North (Eastern North Carolina Corps '00) |
Shane Knight (Rio Grande Valley Corps '97) |
Aaron North and Shane Knight are two alumni continuing to work toward our vision in Kansas City. As the director of the Missouri Charter Public School Association, Aaron works closely with the state’s charter school leaders to increase student achievement by ensuring students have access to high quality schools. Shane works as the principal at Derek Thomas Academy, a charter school in Kansas City dedicated to educating tomorrow’s leaders. Like Aaron and Shane, 93 percent of our alumni report that they continue to support Teach For America’s mission through their career, philanthropy, volunteer work, or graduate study.
Growing Our Impact: Funding Needs, 2008-2010
Each additional recruit is another dedicated teacher for children growing up in low-income communities in Kansas City, and another talented leader with the insight and commitment necessary to sustain the reform efforts underway, which is critical to the ongoing vitality of our region.
We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Kansas City. 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.
To support Teach For America • Kansas City with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Teach For America • Kansas City
Alicia Herald, Executive Director
The Penntower Office Center
3100 Broadway, Suite 1114
Kansas City, Missouri 64111
p 816.820.4445 f 816-753-0764
alicia.herald@teachforamerica.org
For press related inquiries regarding Teach For America • Kansas City please contact:
Rhonda Stewart
Director, Regional Communications
1413 K Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
202.408.7806
rhonda.stewart@teachforamerica.org
A Kansas City native, Alicia Herald is the founding executive director of Teach For America • Kansas City. Alicia joined Teach For America staff in 2007 as a recruitment director in St. Louis, where she increased applications from her portfolio of universities by more than 200 percent. A 2005 Los Angeles corps member, she led her fourth graders to make significant academic progress, raising their scores on the Los Angeles Unified School District examinations in math from an average of the 17th percentile to above the 82nd percentile. She earned a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis.
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