Our corps members
Placement regions
Corps and Alumni
Los Angeles
More than any time in recent history, there is a tremendous opportunity to impact students in Los Angeles.
| Quick Stats |
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| Site Since: 1990 |
| Corps Size: 298 |
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Average summer temperature: 80° Average winter temperature: 70° |
| Car: Access to car is essential |
| Beginning Teacher's Salary: $41,000 |
One of the most acute reform movements in California is the proliferation of charter schools. Over the past five years, the charter school movement, which aims to bring accountability and academic achievement to underperforming public schools, has grown tremendously in California, with an accelerated growth in Los Angeles. The momentum the charter school movement has produced has also helped to build widespread consensus that the status quo in public education is unacceptable.
In Los Angeles, the time for change is now. Drop-out rates reflect the inequity in public schools where the achievement gap is staggering. A 2008 study found that out of the nation’s 50 largest cities, Los Angeles is ranked 42nd by graduation rate with a staggering 45.3 percent of students completing high school with a diploma. However, we are beginning to see the effects of our impact on the systemic level. In August 2009, the Los Angeles Times highlighted how the dropout rate in the Los Angeles United School District dropped by 17 percent in the 2007-2008 school year.
Life
Los Angeles County is 4,060 square miles of theaters, music, art, museums, television, motion pictures, and sporting events. It’s also diverse. Los Angeles has two Chinatowns, a Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Ethiopian cuisine on Fairfax Avenue, and Leimert Park, which is a center of African-American art. The entire area is a treasure trove of Latino history and culture.
Los Angeles is a product of 1,001 vibrant neighborhoods, making it fun for corps members to experience a little bit of everything during their two-year commitments. Each distinctive neighborhood has its own flavor, from Hollywood with its booming live theater scene and 21 new productions opening every week, to Palos Verdes with its ocean-front whale watching.
Corps members can live in a wide variety of communities within the Los Angeles County area. Most corps members who share housing find two to three-bedroom houses or apartments in beach communities or more-central city neighborhoods. The beach communities, which are a vital part of Los Angeles, have their own unique landmarks and cultures. Santa Monica is famous for a pier built in 1906, Redondo Beach is a haven for surfers, and Long Beach is home to the largest Cambodian community in the United States. Additionally, downtown Los Angeles is in the midst of urban revitalization. Its new lofts and commercial development attract many new residents.
Corps Culture
The Los Angeles corps is cohesive and supportive. The Teach For America • Los Angeles staff coordinates professional development activities for corps members, including professional learning communities, visits to high-performing schools, all-corps conferences, committee leadership opportunities and differentiated support for special education and early childhood teachers as well as observations and check-ins with program directors. Many corps members serve on school site-based decision-making committees or as department chairs and curriculum developers, driving instructional plans and initiatives that improve student achievement.
Los Angeles corps members have the opportunity to collaborate with a local base of over 1200 alumni on a wide range of social justice and long-term change initiatives. In addition, more than 43 alumni serve as principals and school administrators throughout Los Angeles. Our alumni continue to impact Los Angeles education in positions of political leadership, such a Steve Zimmer (Los Angeles ‘92), a newly elected member of the Los Angeles United School District Board of Education.
