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South Louisiana
Thousands of Louisiana children have received a quality education and have gone on to college because of Teach For America.
-Former U.S. Senator John Breaux of Louisiana
Teach For America • South Louisiana is playing a critical role in improving schools and communities. This year, a corps of 150 of the nation’s top recent college graduates is working in underserved schools across South Louisiana 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 South Louisiana. Learn about living and teaching in South Louisiana.
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Press | |
Corps Impact | |
Alumni Impact | |
Regional Supporters | |
Contact Us |
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Executive Director |
Press
Recent press releases
Recent press coverage
Corps Impact
During the 2009-10 school year, 150 corps members are directly impacting the lives of more than 8,500 students in South Louisiana. Emily Jenkinson is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
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Emily Jenkinson (South Louisiana Corps '07) |
Upon entering the classroom, Emily Jenkinson found that her first grade students were unable to read and lacked the skills necessary to perform basic math operations. Not only did Emily have to get her students ready for the second grade, but she also had to re-teach many fundamental concepts they should have learned in kindergarten. Despite this tremendous challenge, Emily set high expectations and used encouraging chants and enthusiastic affirmations to ground her students in a positive environment conducive to learning. By the
end of the year, her class had achieved nearly two years of growth in reading, the highest reading and math scores at their school, and many ended the year performing higher than students already in the second grade. Corps members like Emily are currently working in 26 schools throughout South Louisiana.
Principal Satisfaction
- 85 percent of recently-surveyed principals (in schools with Teach For America corps members) reported that they would hire another Teach For America • South Louisiana teacher.*
- 92 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: 89%*
- Students served who are African-American: 88%*
*Percentages vary depending on school district
South Louisiana: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | % of Corps* |
|---|---|
| Pre-K, Kindergarten | 9% |
| Elementary School, Lower (1-2) | 14% |
| Elementary School, Upper (3-5) | 16% |
| Secondary Math | 18% |
| Secondary English | 25% |
| Secondary Science | 18% |
| Special Education | 4% |
*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 775 Teach For America • South Louisiana 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.
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Allison El Koubi (South Louisiana Corps '00) |
Allison El Koubi taught for six years as an eighth grade English teacher at Jackson Middle School in East Feliciana Parish. In 2005, she was named Teacher of the Year and went on to earn a master’s degree in education administration from LSU and an MBA from Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. Allison then returned to work at the KIPP Central City Academy in New Orleans before becoming the principal at Jackson Middle School. Teach For America corps members comprise 15 percent of Jackson’s faculty, and under Allison’s leadership, they are working relentlessly to provide better opportunities for their students and to eliminate the academic achievement gap.
Regional Supporters
We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in South Louisiana. 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 |
|---|
| Cordell Haymon (Chair) Vice-President SGS Petroleum Services |
| Brian Adams Director, South Central Asset Management NRG Energy |
| Murphy Bell Attorney at Law Jackson and Bell Law Firm |
| Allison El Koubi (Corps ’00) Principal Jackson Middle School |
| Michael Gaudet CFO, Polymer Additives Albemarle Corporation |
| Linda Lightfoot Editor The Advocate (retired) |
| Virginia Noland Community Volunteer |
| Darrel Papillion Partner Moore, Walters, Papillion, Thomas & Cullens, LLC |
| Scott Ridley Group Executive-Louisiana Business Banking Capital One Bank |
| Hank Saurage President Saurage Commercial Real Estate |
| Shay Schilling Private Banker JP Morgan Chase Bank |
| Harold Schoeffler Owner Manager Schoeffler Cadillac |
| Karen Soniat Director, Communications & External Relations LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center |
| Larry Wilkinson Chemist ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Co. |
| Joanna Wurtele Wurtele Foundation/Community Volunteer |
Contact
To request additional information about Teach For America • South Louisiana, please contact:
Kayce Didier
Assistant to the Executive Director
501 Government Street
Suite 100
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
p 225-381-8163 x 16105, f 225.381.8234
kayce.didier@teachforamerica.org
To support Teach For America • South Louisiana with an individual gift or donation or to request information about staff opportunities, please contact:
Michael Tipton
Executive Director
501 Government Street
Suite 100
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
p 225-381-8163 x 16101, f 225-381-8163
michael.tipton@teachforamerica.org
To learn more about corps member placement and certification or alumni affairs and school leadership for Teach For America • South Louisiana, please contact:
Alexandra Chung
Director of Community Partnerships and Alumni Affairs
501 Government Street
Suite 100
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
p 225-381-8163 x 16117, f 225-381-8234
alexandra.chung@teachforamerica.org
Executive Director
As executive director, Michael works with the South Louisiana regional board, community members, corps members, and school staff to ensure professional development for corps members, secure funding, and raise awareness of the impact Teach for America in South Louisiana. Under Michael’s leadership, the South Louisiana region nearly tripled fundraising, is expanding the corps from under 80 teachers last year to more than 150 teachers this school year, has increased the number of Teach For America alumni Principals from 1 to 4 and has worked to build out Teach For America’s visibility, impact and support across Louisiana. Michael joined the Teach For America staff in South Louisiana in July of 2007 after serving as a founding teacher at Mott Hall Bronx High School in New York City. As a teacher he co-created a team-taught and thematically based Humanities program that integrated freshman level English and American History content and ultimately led his students to an average of over a 150% increase in American History proficiency as measured by the New York State Regents exams. Four years later these same students had an 87% graduation rate compared with the traditional less than 40% graduation rate in the Bronx. Michael graduated Summa Cum Laude from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with dual degrees in Political Science and History. He completed his M.S. in Teaching from Pace University in New York. Michael is also a recipient of the Baton Rouge Business Reports Top 40 under 40 Award and a 2009 Baton Rouge Area Leadership Graduate.
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