History
Regions
Corps and Alumni
Phoenix
As Teach For America channels some of our best and brightest young teachers into economically disadvantaged locations, our students and our communities are benefiting daily from their energy, commitment, and creativity. The immediate impact that results from a contribution to Teach For America is nearly without parallel, and is something that all conscientious corporate citizens should consider.
- Steve Betts, President and CEO, SunCor Development Company
Teach For America • Phoenix is playing a critical role in improving schools and communities. This year, a corps of more than 320 of the nation’s top recent college graduates is working in underserved schools across Phoenix 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 Phoenix. Learn about living and teaching in Phoenix.
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Corps Impact |
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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 320 corps members are directly impacting the lives of more than 17,000 students in Phoenix. Katrina Impelido is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
Katrina Impelido (Phoenix Corps '07) |
Katrina Impelido teaches Algebra 2 at University High in the Tolleson Union High School District. In the year before she arrived, students in this district scored 23 percent lower on the AIMS high school math exam than their peers in more affluent communities in the Valley. Katrina set high expectations and invested her students in closing this achievement gap. She held early morning and after-school tutoring sessions, employing a “no excuses” approach that motivated her students to fulfill their potential as math scholars. By the end of the year, the students scored 11 percent higher than the district average, significantly closing the achievement gap between her students and more affluent students in the region. Katrina’s students demonstrate that all students can achieve when given the opportunity.
Principal Satisfaction
- 90 percent of recently-surveyed principals (in schools with Teach For America corps members) reported that they would like to hire another Teach For America teacher.*
- 93 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: 83%*
*Percentages vary depending on school district
Phoenix: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | % of Corps |
|---|---|
| Elementary School, Lower (1-2) | 20% |
| Elementary School, Upper (3-5) | 31% |
| Secondary Math | 11% |
| Secondary English | 9% |
| Secondary Science | 12% |
| Secondary Social Studies | 3% |
| Secondary Foreign Language | 1% |
| Secondary Other | 13% |
| Bilingual | 1% |
| Special Education | 17% |
*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 2,000 Teach For America • Phoenix 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 Geston (Phoenix Corps '01) |
Chad Gestson is currently the principal of Carl T. Smith Middle School in West Central Phoenix. Prior to Chad’s arrival, nearly 90 percent of the school’s scholars were falling short of proficiency in both reading and math. Now in his third year as principal, the school has risen from “underperforming” to “performing” and has achieved more than 130 percent growth in math proficiency and more than 80 percent growth in reading proficiency on the AIMS standardized tests. These results have catalyzed the community’s investment in the vision of Smith Middle School – to continue “building a community of readers, leaders, and achievers.”
Regional Supporters
We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Phoenix. 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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| Rich Dozer, Board Chair President GenSpring Family Offices |
| Kate Baker Vice President and Treasurer Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona |
| Kelly J. Barr, Esq. Manager Regulatory Affairs & Contracts Salt River Project |
| Steve Betts President SunCor Development Company |
| Donald Brandt Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Pinnacle West Capital Corporation |
| Wendy Briggs Partner Veridus, LLC |
| Rebecca Burnham Partner Greenberg Traurig, LLP |
| Wil Cardon CEO The Cardon Group |
| Douglas A. Ducey Chairman of the Board iMemories |
| Ardie Evans Community Volunteer |
| John Graham President and CEO Sunbelt Holdings |
| Claire Janssen Chief Financial Officer Opus West Corporation |
| Lisa Graham Keegan Principal The Keegan Group |
| Dr. Mari Koerner Dean College of Teacher Education and Leadership Arizona State University |
Ernie Hostetler, AIA President The Hostetler Corporation |
| Mark Leinweber Vice President Stevens-Leinweber Construction, Inc. |
| Dionne Najafi Community Volunteer |
| Fred Newton Senior Vice President, Human Resources Apollo Group |
| Linda “Mac” Perlich Executive Director of Marketing and Community Relations OnMedia/Programs for the Arts |
| Sal Rivera Partner Rivera and Rivera, PC |
| James T. Swanson President Kitchell Corporation |
| Wanda Tang, CPA, PC President Wanda Tang PC |
| Corporate, Foundation and Public Support Show more + |
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We thank the Helios Education Foundation for their extraordinary support of our work:
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$1,000,000 and above |
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| Helios Education Foundation | |
$100,000 - $199,999 |
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| Arizona Department of Education Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona The Ethel and Kemper Marley Foundation Glendale Elementary School District Roosevelt School District State Farm Insurance Companies The Steele Foundation Stevens-Leinweber Construction Thunderbirds Charities The Virginia Piper Charitable Trust The Wachovia Foundation, Inc. |
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$50,000 - $99,999 |
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| Isaac School District Kitchell Corporation Littleton Elementary School District Pinnacle Presbyterian Church Stardust Foundation University of Phoenix |
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$25,000 - $49,999 |
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| Agua Fria Union High School District Applied Materials Arizona Public Service JP Morgan Chase Opus West Quadna Salt River Project Southwest Human Development Tolleson Union High School District TriWest Healthcare Alliance |
Contact
To learn more about staff opportunities at Teach For America • Phoenix, or to request additional information about Teach For America • Phoenix, please contact:
Sharon Martland
Assistant to the Executive Director
3030 North Central Avenue, Suite 900
Phoenix, AZ 85012
p 602-304-0211 x3514, f 602-304-0213
sharon.martland@teachforamerica.org
To support Teach For America • Phoenix with an individual gift or donation, please contact:
Marcos Santiago
Managing Director, Development
3030 North Central Avenue, Suite 900
Phoenix, AZ 85012
p 602-304-0211 x3522, f 602-304-0213
marcos.santiago@teachforamerica.org
To learn more about corps member placement and certification, please contact:
John Fisher
Managing Director, District Strategy
3030 North Central Avenue, Suite 900
Phoenix, AZ 85012
p 602-304-0211 x3540, f 602-304-0213
john.fisher@teachforamerica.org
To learn more about alumni affairs and school leadership, please contact:
Cassie Hilpman
Director, Alumni Affairs
3030 North Central Avenue, Suite 900
Phoenix, AZ 85012
p 602-304-0211 x3540, f 602-304-0213
cassie.hilpman@teachforamerica.org
Executive Director
Pearl Chang Esau is the executive director of Teach For America • Phoenix, where she is responsible for maximizing Teach For America’s impact in the Phoenix area by working to establish our presence in the community, ensuring the effectiveness of 350 corps members, leading an alumni movement of 500, growing a broad and sustainable base of financial support, and overseeing a regional team of 27 staff members. Pearl joined Teach For America as a 2003 corps member, teaching 5th grade English Language Learners in East Los Angeles. Her commitment to the larger community led her to spearhead several community engagement projects including painting a 300 foot long mural for her school. Pearl first joined Teach For America staff in 2005 as a member of the recruitment team. At the end of her first year as a recruitment director, Pearl garnered the team’s largest one-year growth, giving UCLA and the University of Southern California the first and second highest number of accepted applicants in the country. As a managing director of recruitment, Pearl founded the Faith Community Relations Team and led Teach For America’s national recruitment efforts in faith-based communities. She also oversaw a recruitment cohort that brought in almost 900 applications for the 2008 corps, which was a 35% increase over the previous year. Pearl graduated summa cum laude from UCLA and holds teaching credentials from UCLA’s graduate school of education and information studies.
