When I walk into one of our public schools, I immediately know which classrooms are led by Teach For America corps members. The teachers are energetic, and ambitious goals for student achievement are posted on the walls. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Teach For America, and the current state of our schools cannot change without effective leadership like that of Teach For America corps members and alumni.
- Michelle Rhee (Corps ’92), Chancellor, D.C. Public Schools
This year, a corps of 242 of the nation’s most promising future leaders are teaching in the national capital area as a part of Teach For America • Metro D.C. They are working to ensure their students have the educational opportunities they deserve. Our alumni are a leadership force, working from within education and every professional sector to effect broader change. Together they are helping us make educational equity a reality in Metro D.C. Learn about living and teaching in Washington, D.C.’s greater metropolitan area.
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Executive Director |
Recent press releases
Recent press coverage
During the 2007-08 school year, 242 corps members are directly impacting the lives of more than 20,000 students in Metro D.C. Lisa Guido is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
Lisa Guido (Metro D.C. Corps '06) |
Lisa Guido teaches history in Anacostia’s Ballou Senior High School. In her first year of teaching, Lisa set very ambitious expectations for her students, despite Ballou’s history of poor test scores. In a district where 65 percent is the traditional passing grade, she set the bar at 80 percent. Though her students initially resisted, those who were not passing quizzes were soon begging to retake them. Lisa’s students rose to her challenge, and by the end of the year, they achieved over 80 percent mastery of the objectives that Lisa wrote based on New York State’s Regents Exam. Lisa was so encouraged by her students’ success that she and other Teach For America corps members spent last summer organizing Ballou’s 10th grade academy, a program that integrates rigorous English and social studies content through a collaboration between teachers.
Metro D.C.: Our Impact on Students and Schools Today
| School Year | Corps Members | Students Reached |
|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | 91 | 7,735 |
| 2006-07 | 154 | 13,090 |
| 2007-08 | 242 | 20,400 |
| 2008-09 | 300* | 25,500* |
| 2009-10 | 375* | 31,875* |
| 2010-11 | 400* | 34,000* |
| 2011-12 | 500* | 42,500* |
* projected |
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Principal Satisfaction
*"Teach For America 2007 National Principal Survey,” Policy Studies Associates, July 2007.
Impact on Student
Achievement
According to a highly regarded study by Mathematica Policy Research, corps members outpaced fully certified and veteran teachers in their schools in moving their students ahead academically. Read national results.
Student Profile
Metro D.C.: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | # of Corps Members | % of Corps |
|---|---|---|
| Math and Science | 41 | 17% |
| Special Education | 39 | 16% |
| Social Studies | 26 | 11% |
| English | 30 | 13% |
| Elementary | 51 | 21% |
| Early Childhood Education | 38 | 16% |
| ESL or a foreign language | 17 | 7% |
| Total | 242 | 100% |
*Percentages are rounded and may not add up to 100 percent.
Characteristics of the 2007 Corps
| Corps Profile | Top alma maters by market share* |
|---|---|
| Average GPA: 3.6 | Duke University, Spelman College, Amherst College: 10% |
| Average SAT: 1321 | Princeton University, Yale University: 7% |
| Held leadership
roles on campus: 95% |
Georgetown University, Stanford University, and Harvard University: 6% |
| People of color: 28% | Howard University: 5% |
*Percentage of senior classes who applied to Teach For America
Fostering Alumni Leadership for Systemic Change
As the number of corps members grows, so does our alumni base. By 2010, we will have 1,200 Teach For America • Metro D.C. alumni pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
Michelle Rhee (Baltimore Corps '92) |
Jason Kamras (Metro D.C. Corps '96) |
Teach For America alumni fuel Metro D.C.’s pipeline for educational leadership. Newly appointed Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Deputy Chancellor Kaya Henderson are effectively transforming D.C. Public Schools by ensuring every aspect of the system is designed to support students’ academic achievement. Susan Schaeffler heads KIPP DC, a network of the district’s highest-performing charter schools. More than 20 Teach For America alumni lead schools as principals in the Metro D.C. region. Abigail Smith shapes education policy in the mayor’s office, and Sekou Biddle drives change as an elected member of the D.C State Board of Education. In 2005, Jason Kamras was the first teacher from D.C. public schools to be named the National Teacher of the Year.
Growing Our Impact: Funding Needs, 2007-2011
Each additional recruit is another dedicated teacher for children growing up in low-income communities in Metro D.C., and another talented leader with the insight and commitment necessary to sustain the reform efforts underway, which is critical to the ongoing vitality of our region.
| Year | Corps Size | Total Revenue Needs |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 242 | $3.6 million |
| 2008 | 300* | $5.9 million* |
| 2009 | 375* | $7.8 million* |
| 2010 | 400* | $9.4 million* |
| 2011 | 500* | $10.5 million* |
*projected |
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We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Metro D.C. 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.
To support Teach For America • Metro D.C. with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Teach For America • Metro D.C.
Amy Black, Executive Director
Yoav Lurie, Managing Director, Development
1411 K Street, NW, 12th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
p 202-465-7800, f 202-465-7801
amy.black@teachforamerica.org
yoav.lurie@teachforamerica.org
Amy Black holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Tennessee. As a 1997 Teach For America corps member in Baltimore, she taught seventh- and eighth-grade English while also earning a master of education. By her third year of teaching, her eighth graders’ writing scores on the rigorous Maryland assessment exam were 83 percent higher than the state average and the highest in the Baltimore City Public School System. Black went on to earn a master’s degree in international affairs from Georgetown University, and spent two years as a Presidential Management Fellow, rotating through several State Department offices, including a six-month assignment in South Africa. Upon her return to Washington, D.C., Black oversaw communication to international audiences regarding President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
Black became the executive director of Teach For America • Metro D.C. in 2005. Since that time, the corps in Metro D.C. has grown from 90 to 250 teachers in the midst of their two year commitment and is on track to exceed 400 teachers by 2010. Last school year, the Teach For America • Metro D.C. region launched an early childhood pilot. As a result of the pilot’s success, Teach For America now places early childhood teachers in ten other cities with more early childhood expansion sites planned through 2010. This year, the region also began placing teachers in Prince George’s County Public Schools while continuing to serve children in District of Columbia Public Schools and D.C. Public Charter Schools.
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