Our corps members are reflective and authentic classroom leaders, who work in partnership with students and families to deliver rigorous and data-informed content and to create joyful learning environments where all students belong. Together, we will seek to build more excellent education systems through bold leadership and a deep understanding of self in relation to others.

Started in 2019, Accelerate is a program designed to provide structured development and support to teachers and their mentors, along with close partnership and alignment with school leaders. Participants engage with Accelerate programming over a two-year period, receiving direct classroom observation, individualized coaching support, and collective learning in group development. Accelerate was founded upon the belief that pairing individual coaching and collective learning leads to strong participant development, powerful learning, and a committed community.  

The Early Childhood Accelerate program partners with the Kansas City Pre-K Cooperative to provide support to certified Pre-K teachers in 6 different centers across the city. This support includes classroom observations, 1:1 coaching, center based group coaching, and whole group professional development. 

While Kayla was working toward her master’s degree at Mississippi State University, she became interested in the K-12 education system and its role in preparing students for higher education. Committed to bringing the skills she learned in graduate school back home to KC, Kayla joined the Kansas City corps in 2018 as a history teacher.

In 2022, Kayla won the Kansas City Public School’s Teacher of the Year award and then also went on to win the Missouri Regional Teacher of the Year.

During the 2022-2023 school year, Andrew Killen started his 14th first day of school as a teacher at his placement school. Mr. Killen was a first year corps member at East High School in 2009, when the building reopened in Kansas City Public Schools. Since then he has been the state-tested Algebra 1 teacher, department chair, sponsored the EHS bike club, and revitalized the agriculture program at the school. Students in Mr. Killen’s agriculture classes care for animals, learn aquaponics, tend to garden beds, and have a full orchard to maintain.

Lauren joined Teach For America in 2010 and taught English Language Arts at Urban Community Leadership Academy. Today, Lauren is currently serving her second term as a State Senator for District 17. As a state legislator, Lauren advocates for a number of policy issues, including funding for early literacy programs.