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.

Colorado

"Teach For America teachers bring great energy and dedication into Denver’s highest-need classrooms. The program is an important part of our core strategy of finding, developing, and supporting talented teachers so that they can drive classroom improvements and really make a difference in the lives of our students."

- Tom Boasberg, Denver Public Schools Superintendent

Teach For America • Colorado is playing a critical role in improving schools and communities. This year, a corps of more than 180 of the nation’s top recent college graduates is working in underserved schools across Colorado to ensure that students facing the challenges of poverty are given the educational opportunities they deserve. Our alumni are leaders in the classroom, in education more broadly, and across all sectors. Together, they are making educational equity a reality in Colorado. Learn about living and teaching in Colorado.

Press Corps Impact Alumni Impact Regional Supporters Contact Us down Executive Director

Press

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Corps Impact

During the 2009-10 school year, more than 180 corps members are directly impacting the lives of approximately 11,000 students in Colorado. Cecilia Shanahan is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.

Hilary King (Colorado Corps ’08)
Teaching Placement: First grade at McGlone Elementary School
Education: George Washington University (B.A. Economics)
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Class Results: ”When I entered my classroom in October, my students had not had a full-time teacher and were reading at a kindergarten level. I focused on fluency and comprehension skills and, by the end of the school year, my students had made two years of growth and read above a second grade level--making them ahead of their peers in the next year.”

Principal Satisfaction

  • 83 percent of recently-surveyed principals (in schools with Teach For America corps members) reported that they would hire another Teach For America teacher.*
  • 94 percent of principals surveyed regard Teach For America teachers as effective as, if not more effective than, other beginning teachers in terms of overall performance and impact on student achievement.*

*"Teach For America 2009 National Principal Survey,” Policy Studies Associates, July 2009.

Impact on Student Achievement
A growing body of research shows that corps members have a positive impact on their students' achievement. Read more about our impact.

Student Profile*

  • Students served who are eligible for free/reduced lunch: 77%
  • Students served who are African-American and/or Latino: 86%

*From Denver Public Schools and the Colorado Department of Education and including only the schools where corps members have been placed

Colorado: Corps Member Placement

Assignment % of Corps*
Pre-K, Kindergarten 14%
Elementary School, Lower (1-2) 19%
Elementary School, Upper (3-5) 28%
Secondary Math 9%
Secondary English 13%
Secondary Science 13%
Secondary Other 4%
Bilingual 8%
ESL 22%
Special Education 3%

*Percentages are rounded and do not add up to 100 percent; corps members who teach bilingual, ESL, or special education are also accounted for in the grade-level/subject placement percentages

Characteristics of the 2009 Corps

Corps Profile
Average GPA: 3.6
Average SAT: 1344
Held leadership roles on campus: 89%
People of color: 30%

*Percentage of senior classes who applied to Teach For America

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Alumni Impact

Fostering Alumni Leadership for Systemic Change
As the number of corps members grows, so does our alumni base. By 2010, we will have over 225 Teach For America • Colorado alumni pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.

  • Nationally, more than 60 percent of corps members continue to work in education,
    including more than 360 who are school leaders.
  • 93 percent of all alumni report they are supporting Teach For America’s mission
    through their career, volunteer activity or graduate study.

Nicole Veltzé (Bay Area Corps ’93)
Education: University of Washington (M.A. Curriculum & Instruction: Educational Technology)
Current Position: Principal, Skinner Middle School
Impact of Her Work: Nicole became principal of Skinner —a historically low-performing school — in 2006 with the charge of increasing academic performance. She transformed Skinner by creating an environment of high student expectations. In three years, math proficiency has increased by 18 percent and attendance has increased from 87 to 91 percent.

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Regional Supporters

We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Colorado. The foundations, corporations and individuals listed below have made it possible for Teach For America to continue to recruit, select, train, and support teachers who are working to eliminate educational inequity in our city.

Advisory Board
Zachary Neumeyer (Chair)
Retired Co-Chairman & CEO
Hilton Hotels Corporation
Phillip Caplan
Founder
Urban West Group, Inc.
Sean VanBerschot
Executive Director
Teach For America – Colorado
James Kelley
President
Vestar Capital Partners
David Koff
Senior Partner
InterMedia Partners
Mark Smith
President
East West Partners Denver


Corporation, Foundation and Public Support

We thank the following lead corporate supporters for their extraordinary support of our work:

Daniels Fund WFF

$500,000 and above

Anschutz Foundation
Daniels Fund
Walton Family Foundation

$100,000 - $199,999

JFM Foundation
Piton Foundation

$50,000 - $99,999

Donnell-Kay Foundation
Gates Family Foundation
Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation

$20,000 - $49,999

Carson Foundation
JP Morgan Chase

$10,000 - $19,999

Anthony & Delisa Mayer Foundation
Jerome V. Bruni Foundation
Riverfront Park Community Foundation
Willard L. Eccles Foundation

$5,000 - $9,999

Charles Schwab
Marsico Family Foundation
Quadna, Inc.

$1,000 - $4,999

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck



Public Support

$100,000 - $199,999

Aurora Public Schools
Denver Public Schools
Harrison School District Two

$50,00 - $99,999

 

$20,000 - $49,999

Mapleton Public Schools

$10,000 - $19,999

Edison Schools
West Denver Preparatory Charter School

$5,000 - $9,999

Atlas Preparatory Charter School
AXL Academy

$1,000 - $4,999

Cesar Chavez Academy – Denver
Colorado High School Charter
Denver School of Science and Technology
Denver Venture Charter School
KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy
P.S.1 Charter School
Vanguard Classical School

Individuals
Individuals and families support Teach For America by attending a special event or by participating in our Sponsor A Teacher program. Sponsors provide critical annual leadership support of $5,000 or more to help us recruit, select, train and support corps members in Colorado schools profoundly affected by the achievement gap.

$100,000 and up

Carrie and John Morgridge

$10,000 - $24,999

Jan Perry Mayer
Taryn Walsh

$5,000 - $9,999

Barbara and Tim Atkeson
Louis L. Fine, MD and Victoria Howard-Fine
Elizabeth and Steve Holtze
June-Yon Kim
Gail Klapper
Ann and Hal Logan
Tim Macdonald and Jodi Blomberg
Zachary Neumeyer
Elizabeth and Adam Paulsen
Susan Powers and Russ Wayman
2007 Colorado Charter Corps Members
Colorado Alumni

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Contact

To support Teach For America • Colorado with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:

Teach For America • Colorado
Sean VanBerschot, Executive Director
Mahlet Menwyelet, Operations Coordinator
1391 Speer Boulevard
Suite 710
Denver, CO 80204
p 303-893-4483, f 303-893-0414
sean.vanberschot@teachforamerica.org
mahlet.menwyelet@teachforamerica.org

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Executive Director

Sean VanBerschotSean VanBerschot joined Teach For America’s staff in 2004 as executive director in New Mexico. During his three years there, he increased the regional funding base by 200 percent, increased the corps size by 31 percent, and led the corps to reach its benchmarks for student achievement. VanBerschot was a member of the charter Teach For America corps in New Mexico, teaching third and fifth grades in Smith Lake. After completing his corps commitment, he taught sixth grade social studies in Rio Rancho, where he not only led his students to achieve dramatic academic gains, but also was the school’s basketball coach and newsletter editor, served on the superintendent advisory committee, and was active as a community organizer. Prior to joining the corps, VanBerschot received his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Illinois. He went on to earn a master of arts in teaching from Western New Mexico University.

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