Our corps members
Placement regions
Corps and Alumni
D.C. Region
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One in every three adults in the District of Columbia is functionally illiterate, and only one in 20 students from Wards 7 and 8 will go to college. Gentrification is changing the composition of the student body and as sharply rising housing costs force the relocation of low income students, largely to Prince George’s County, the need for highly qualified teachers to close the achievement gap continues to grow throughout the D.C. Region.
| Quick Stats |
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| Site Since: 1992 |
| Corps Size: 424 |
| Average summer temperature: 87° Average winter temperature: 45 ° |
| Car: May be required depending on area of placement. |
| Beginning teacher's salary : $37,000 - 43,000 |
During the 2009-2010 school year, D.C. Region corps members will serve 19,000 students, almost 20 percent of the student population in the region. The region’s alumni network of more than 1,100 people includes Chancellor Rhee of D.C. Public Schools and six (out of 16) members of her senior leadership; two school board members; over 40 alumni in public service in a variety of federal agencies from Capitol Hill to the Department of Education; 30 principals; and 20 assistant principals, vice principals, or deans.
Life
The D.C. Region is one of most vibrant metropolitan areas in the country and offers a unique and diverse blend of intellectual and social activities. The community is comprised of distinct neighborhoods; corps members primarily reside in Columbia Heights, Capitol Hill, and parts of surrounding Virginia. Those corps members teaching in Prince George’s County find easy access to schools through Capitol Hill. Many of the country’s national treasures and parks including the Smithsonian museums, the national monuments, the White House, and the Library of Congress, are found here and open to the public. The National Mall, an open grassy area where the monuments are located, is home to festivals, movie screenings, patriotic events, and political protests. While the population of the District of Columbia is approximately 550,000, the D.C. Region is home to nearly 5 million people inside the Capital Beltway.
Corps Culture
D.C. Region corps members embrace the responsibility of closing the achievement gap during a time where the student population is changing and reform-minded approaches are having an impact on continued learning and student achievement. Corps members see each other most often during their graduate school courses and actively support each in their relentless pursuit of significant academic gains for their students.
Teach For America staff members play a critical role in professionally developing corps members. Alumni continue their involvement with the corps by volunteering to lead workshops at Professional Development Saturdays, by becoming Content Specialists, by volunteering in corps members’ classrooms, and by becoming mentors to first-year corps members.
As the D.C. Region corps grows in size, more and more communities and social opportunities exist for corps members to find their niche. The corps deeply values the diversity of its members and is committed to understanding how to approach the issues of race and socioeconomic status in ways that maximize the positive impact of our work with students.
