Each day we see the realities of educational inequity juxtaposed against the concrete evidencethat when students in low-income communitiesare given opportunities they deserve, they excel.

Teach For America's impact

Mission
Our mission is to build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting our nation's most promising future leaders in the effort. We recruit outstanding recent college graduates and working professionals from all backgrounds and career interests to commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools.

Your son, daughter, family member, or friend will play an important role in working to make this vision a reality. As a corps member, they can change the life trajectory of students in low-income communities. In the process, they will grow personally and professionally, developing an advanced set of leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills that will serve them throughout their lives, regardless of their career path.

Effect on student achievement
Firsthand experience has shown us that, when given the opportunity, students in low-income communities can and will achieve at high levels. Our corps members work relentlessly to ensure that more students growing up today in our country's lowest-income communities are given the educational opportunities they deserve. A growing body of rigorous external research demonstrates that corps members have a positive impact on their students’ achievement:

Studies on Teach For America's Impact
Teach For America teachers are more effective than other teachers, including more experienced teachers and those fully certified in their field, and especially in math and science. (The Urban Institute/CALDER, 2008-09)
Corps members have a greater impact on student achievement than the veteran and certified teachers in their schools. (Mathematic Policy Research, 2004)
Principals report that Teach For America corps members are well prepared and have a significant and positive impact on their schools and on student achievement. (Policy Studies Associates, 2009) 95 percent of the principals rated corps members as effective as other beginning teachers in terms of overall performance and impact on student achievement. 61 percent rated corps members as more effective than other beginning teachers. 94 percent of the principals reported that corps members have made a positive impact in their schools.