History
Regions
Corps and Alumni
Los Angeles
Teach For America is a unique organization that brings new teachers and fresh insights into our inner-city schools. It represents a crucial source of talented leaders at all levels who work tirelessly for education equality in our city.
- Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles
Teach For America • Los Angeles is playing a critical role in improving schools and communities. This year, a corps of more than 290 of the nation’s top recent college graduates is working in underserved schools across Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles. Learn about living and teaching in Los Angeles.
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Alumni Impact |
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Regiona Supporters |
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Executive Director |
Press
Recent press releases
Recent press coverage
Corps Impact
During the 2009-10 school year, more than 290 corps members are directly impacting the lives of more than 20,000 students in Los Angeles. Jonathan Soleimani is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
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Jonathan Soleimani (Los Angeles Corps '07) |
Upon entering the classroom at Dorsey High School, Jonathan Soleimani found that most of his biology students were performing below grade level. Undeterred, he set high expectations for his students and invested them in their success. Jonathan worked throughout the year to develop his students’ vocabulary, note-taking, and testing skills. By year’s end, more students scored on or above grade-level on the state’s biology test than in the previous four years combined. The biology department, previously one of the lowest-performing at Dorsey, became the highest-performing department at the school. Corps members like Jonathan are working in schools throughout Baldwin Park, Compton, Los Angeles, Lynwood, and Pasadena to ensure students succeed.
Principal Satisfaction
- 77 percent of recently-surveyed principals (in schools with Teach For America corps members) reported that they would hire another Teach For America teacher.
- 94 percent of principals surveyed regard Teach For America teachers as effective as, if not more effective than, other beginning teachers in terms of overall performance and impact on student achievement.*
*"Teach For America 2009 National Principal Survey,” Policy Studies Associates, July 2009
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
- Students served who are eligible for free/reduced lunch: 80%*
- Students served who are African-American and/or Latino: 88% *
*Percentages vary depending on school district
Los Angeles : Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | % of Corps* |
|---|---|
| Pre-K, Kindergarten | 8% |
| Elementary School, Lower (1-2) | 1% |
| Elementary School, Upper (3-5) | 5% |
| Secondary Math | 15% |
| Secondary English | 29% |
| Secondary Science | 21% |
| Secondary Social Studies | 4% |
| Secondary Foreign Language | 5% |
| Secondary Other | 12% |
| ESL | 3% |
| Special Education | 13% |
*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 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
Alumni Impact
Fostering Alumni Leadership for Systemic Change
As the number of corps members grows, so does our alumni base. By 2010, we will have over 1,600 Teach For America • Los Angeles alumni pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
- Nationally, more than 60 percent of corps members continue to work in education,
including more than 360 who are school leaders. - 93 percent of all alumni report they are supporting Teach For America’s mission
through their career, volunteer activity or graduate study.
Chad Soleo (Los Angeles Corps '01) |
Chad Soleo began his career teaching English at Locke High School in South Los Angeles. In 2005, he became an assistant principal and coordinated the effort to reorganize the school into seven small learning communities. Currently, Chad serves as principal of Green Dot’s Animo Pat Brown Charter High School, where he leads a group of talented teachers and dedicated community stakeholders in their work to transform education in Los Angeles. Chad is just one of 42 Teach For America alumni leading schools throughout Los Angeles this year.
Regional Supporters
We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Los Angeles. 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.
| Advisory Board |
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| Melanie Lundquist (Board Chair) |
| Ruth Bloom Vice President California State Board of Education |
| Dr. Jose A. Gomez Assistant Vice President for Administration and Finance California State University, Los Angeles |
| Rand Harbert Senior Vice President State Farm Insurance |
| Doug Herzog MTV Networks Entertainment Group |
| Dr. Shane Martin Dean, School of Education Loyola Marymount University |
| Michael Rotenberg 3 Arts Entertainment |
| David Unanue Vice President of Personal Investment Management Capital Guardian Trust Company |
| Emeritus Board |
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| Daniel H. Adler Grace Fritzinger Harriet Gold Carol Henry Babs Sobel Fred Stern |
Contact
To learn more about the corps member experience in Los Angeles, please click here.
To learn more about staff opportunities at Teach For America • Los Angeles, please view our resources for potential staff.
To support Teach For America • Los Angeles with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Teach For America • Los Angeles
Paul Miller, Executive Director
Krupa Desai, Senior Managing Director, Development
606 South Olive Street
Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90014
p 213.489.9272, f 213.489.9383
paul.miller@teachforamerica.org
krupa.desai@teachforamerica.org
To learn more about alumni affairs and school leadership, please contact:
Kate Farrar
Managing Director, Alumni Affairs
p 213.489.9272 x6043
kate.farrar@teachforamerica.org
For all other inquires, please contact Marvin Rocha at To support Teach For America • Los Angeles with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Teach For America • Los Angeles
Paul Miller, Executive Director
Krupa Desai, Senior Managing Director, Development
606 South Olive Street
Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90014
p 213.489.9272, f 213.489.9383
paul.miller@teachforamerica.org
krupa.desai@teachforamerica.org
To learn more about alumni affairs and school leadership, please contact:
Kate Farrar
Managing Director, Alumni Affairs
p 213.489.9272 x6043
kate.farrar@teachforamerica.org
For all other inquires, please contact Marvin Rocha at marvin.rocha@teachforamerica.org or 213.489.9272 x6003.
Executive Director
Paul Miller joined Teach For America as executive director of the Los Angeles region after spending the previous two years leading economic development efforts in Camden, New Jersey, first as President of the Cooper Grant Neighborhood Association where he managed a $7 million housing development and, most recently, as President of the Board of Directors and Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Camden Empowerment Zone Corporation. In both these capacities, Paul devised strategic plans and organizational visions, built and coached teams, cultivated diverse constituencies and assembled local Boards of supporters in civic, political and financial circles to drive the transformation of the city’s economic development landscape. Paul first came to Camden via Teach for America as a 2005 corps member, but is a native of California and is eager to return to the city to work with our team and the kids we serve each day. Post college, and prior to joining the Camden corps, Paul worked and studied in the UK, earning a Master of Science at the London School of Economics and pursuing a Ph.D. in International Studies at Cambridge University. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Southern California where he earned a B.A. in political science and psychology and was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. Paul is also a recipient of a Marshall Scholarship, a Truman Scholarship and a Galbraith Scholarship.
