Who we are
Corps and Alumni
The life of a corps member
Who we are looking for |
Regional placement |
||
| Success in the classroom |
Support in the classroom |
Who we are looking for
The life of a corps member can be challenging yet also remarkably rewarding. For this reason, we are searching for individuals with the leadership skills necessary to change the prospects of students growing up today and, ultimately, to effect fundamental changes in our society that enable us to be a place of opportunity for all. We recruit individuals of all majors, career interests, and backgrounds, and we look for those who demonstrate the leadership qualities that we have found lead to success in the classroom: demonstrated past achievement, perseverance in the face of challenges, strong critical thinking and organizational skills, the ability to influence and motivate others, the desire to work relentlessly in pursuit of our mission, and high expectations for students and families in low-income communities.
Leaders come in many forms with varied past experiences, so there is no one profile of an ideal applicant. There are many ways to demonstrate these qualities, and we view applicants holistically and evaluate their fit with our criteria within the contexts of their particular activities, jobs, and interest areas. Read more about who we are looking for and check out our 2006 corps member profile.
Click on the video player below to watch parents of corps members and alumni talk about their son or daughter's experience teaching.
Regional placement
Teach For America places corps members in 26 regions across the country. Urban sites include Atlanta, Baltimore, the Bay Area, Charlotte, Chicago, Connecticut, Houston, Los Angeles, Memphis, New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, St. Louis, and Metro D.C. Rural sites include Eastern North Carolina, Hawaii, the Mississippi Delta (in Arkansas and Mississippi), New Mexico, the Rio Grande Valley, South Dakota, and South Louisiana. Three of our sites have both urban and rural placements: Greater New Orleans, the Las Vegas Valley, and Miami-Dade. Learn more about our placement regions
In assigning accepted applicants to particular regions, Teach For America works to meet applicants' regional preferences, while meeting districts' needs and considering district and state requirements for each position. Those applicants who are invited to an interview rank each region as highly preferred, preferred, or less preferred, and they can indicate any special circumstances they would like us to consider, such as being placed with a spouse. In 2006, we were able to place 95 percent of accepted applicants in one of their highly preferred sites and 99 percent in one of their highly preferred or preferred sites. Applicants receive a regional assignment once they are accepted to Teach For America. Teach For America rarely changes an applicant's initial regional assignment except in cases in which a special circumstance makes it necessary for the applicant to be assigned to a particular site.
Success in the classroom
Our corps members have been successful in ensuring that their students make academic progress, even in their first years of teaching. In June 2005, Kane, Parsons & Associates, an independent research firm, evaluated the performance of Teach For America corps members by surveying the principals of schools where they teach. Nearly three-quarters of principals (74 percent) regard Teach For America teachers as more effective than other beginning teachers, while the majority of principals (63 percent) regard Teach For America teachers as more effective than the overall teaching faculty, with respect to their impact on student achievement. Read additional results from this study and others about Teach For America
While nothing Teach For America can do will make the experience of teaching in a low-income area easy, we have learned a lot through our own experience and from collaboration with and input from leaders in education and teacher education that has enabled us to develop a very strong training and professional development program. Once admitted, our corps members attend a rigorous summer training institute that is designed around our theory of Teaching As Leadership, based on recent research in education, and Teach For America's 16 years of experience working in preparing teachers to attain significant academic gains with students in under-resourced schools. When corps members arrive in their placement sites, and for the two years that follow, our ongoing support and professional development program builds on their summer training institute experience and the foundation of knowledge they received.
Hear what principals and others are saying about our corps members and alumni
Also, hear from our corps members about the training they receive and their ongoing professional development.
Support in the classroom
One of the most powerful mechanisms through which Teach For America helps corps members realize their potential as teachers is the regional support network that forms among corps members. Teach For America strives to place corps members in schools with other corps members and alumni, thus enabling them to collaborate on projects and to support each other's development. Last year, more than 92 percent of corps members were placed in schools with other corps members and/or alumni.
In addition, Teach For America regional program directors observe and engage in structured reflection with corps members several times throughout the year to help assess student performance against goals and determine the areas in which teachers can improve their practice to influence those results. In order to develop their knowledge and skills, corps members attend content area and grade level groups facilitated by excellent teachers, observe other excellent teachers, and participate in professional discussions with corps members and staff. Teach For America regional staff also work with local school districts, schools of education, professional associations, and other organizations to connect corps members to the best professional development and teaching resources available. In sum, regional program staff members help corps members identify their own professional development needs, which in turn allow corps members to take responsibility for accessing the most appropriate tools and resources to ensure their students' success in the classroom.
