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Corps and Alumni
New York
Hear about Teach For America's impact in New York from corps members, alumni, and donors.
I am thrilled to be able to support Teach For America corps members and the work they do. . . . They embody extraordinary talent and the will to take no excuses in their mission to make our nation a better nation. They are impact players.
- Joel Klein, New York City Schools Chancellor
Teach For America • New York is playing a critical role in improving schools and communities. This year, a corps of more than 800 of the nation’s top recent college graduates is working in underserved schools across New York 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 New York. Learn about living and teaching in New York.
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Press | |
Corps Impact |
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Alumni Impact |
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Board & Supporters |
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Contact Us | |
Executive Director |
Press
Recent press releases
Recent press coverage
Corps Impact
In the 2009-10 school year, more than 800 corps members are reaching more than 40,000 students in New York. Marialena Rivera is one example of the positive impact our corps members have on academic achievement.
John Bennett (New York Corps ’08) |
Class Results: ”At the beginning of the year, none of the special needs students in my homeroom were on grade level. By the end of the year, 89 percent of my students passed the state exams and 100 percent of them met or exceeded their Individualized Education Plan goals.”
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.*
- 96 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
Approximately 84 percent of students taught by corps members are eligible to receive free or reduced price lunch.
| Ethnicity | % of Students Taught by Corps Members |
|---|---|
| African-American | 40% |
| Latino/Hispanic | 55% |
| Asian-American | 3% |
| Caucasian | 2% |
New York: Corps Member Placement
| School Year | % of Corps* |
|---|---|
| Pre-K, Kindergarten | 4% |
| Elementary School (1-6) | 30% |
| Secondary Math | 10% |
| Secondary English | 12% |
| Secondary Science | 8% |
| Secondary Social Studies | 10% |
| Special Education (1-8) | 17% |
| Bilingual | 4% |
| ESL | 5% |
*Percentages are rounded and do not add up to 100 percent; corps members who teach bilingual or ESL 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.
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 3,000 Teach For America • New York alumni pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector throughout the country.
- 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.
Joel Rose (Houston Corps ’92) |
Impact of His Work: Joel is currently piloting the School of One within the
New York City Department of Education. School of One is a program that
provides teachers with the technology and resources needed to create
personalized learning programs for each of their students, allowing
teachers to be more effective in working to close the achievement gap.
Board and Supporters
We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in New York. 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 |
|---|
| Roger S. Aaron Partner Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP |
| Joseph V. Amato President and CIO Neuberger Berman |
| Feroz Dewan Managing Director Tiger Global Management |
| Victoria Elenowitz Managing Director, Golden Seeds Chair Advisory Council, Yale Entrepreneurial Institute |
| Paul J. Fribourg Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Continental Grain Company |
| Edes P. Gilbert Consultant Resoure Group 175 |
| Charles T. Harris III Executive Partner SeaChange Capital Partners |
| Sue Lehmann |
| Robert H. Niehaus Chairman Greenhill Capital Partners |
| Scott Nuttall (Co-chair) Partner Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. |
| Nancy Peretsman Managing Director Allen & Company LLC |
| Larry Robbins Chief Executive Officer Glenview Capital Management |
| Sarah Robertson |
| John Rodin Partner, Director of Research Glenview Capital Management |
| Howard Schiller Chief Operating Officer of Investment Banking Division Goldman, Sachs & Co |
| Robert W. Scully (Co-chair) Retired Office of the Chairman Morgan Stanley |
| Betsey Shiverick President Betsey Shiverick Interiors, Ltd. |
| David S. Williams Chief Executive Officer Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP |
| Mark Zurack Professor Columbia Business School & Cornell University |
| Leadership Council Co-Chairs |
|---|
| Carrie Braddock, Centerbridge Foundation Feroz Dewan, Tiger Global Management Nick Renwick, King Street Capital Spencer Robertson, PAVE Academy John Rodin, Glenview Capital Management Scott Shleifer, Tiger Global Management |
| Young Professional Committee |
|---|
| Kwad Acheampong Shirley E. Cho Colin Dowdall Rex Farrand Ashleigh M. Gibson Jason Harris Leslie-Bernard Joseph Kwame Owusu-Kesse Michael Kosty Jennifer Legum Levan Moulton Evan Piekara Brittany S. Ryan Alixandra Seibald Adam Sklar Nicole Swartzentruber Brian Wilkins Jeff Zalaznick John Zutter |
Contact
To learn more about staff opportunities at Teach For America • New York or to request any additional information about Teach For America • New York please contact:
Jeff Li
Executive Director
519 8th Avenue, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10018
p 212-279-2666 x43128, f 212-279-2663
jeff.li@teachforamerica.org
To support Teach For America • New York with a gift or to request additional information about our Sponsor A Teacher program or corporate sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
Jen Early
Managing Director, Individual Giving
519 8th Avenue, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10018
p 212-279-2666 x43111, f 212-279-2663
jen.early@teachforamerica.org
To learn more about the Teach For America • New York Annual Benefit Dinner, please contact:
Meagan Hinchliffe
Managing Director, Planning, Ops & Special Events
519 8th Avenue, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10018
p 212-279-2666 x43118, f 212-279-2663
meagan.hinchliffe@teachforamerica.org
To learn more about alumni affairs and school leadership, please contact:
Peter Rider
Vice President, Alumni Affairs and Talent Recruitment
519 8th Avenue, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10018
p 212-279-2666 x43143, f 212-279-2663
peter.rider@teachforamerica.org
To learn more about Teach For America • New York, including corps member placement and certification, please contact:
Leah Shalev
Director, District and School Partnerships
519 8th Avenue, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10018
p 212-279-2666 x43138, f 212-279-2663
leah.shalev@teachforamerica.org
To learn more about corps member training and support, please contact:
Karn Engelsgjerd
Vice President, Program
519 8th Avenue, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10018
p 212-279-2666 x43114, f 212-279-2663
karn.engelsgjerd@teachforamerica.org
Executive Director
As Executive Director of Teach For America – New York, Jeff is responsible for maximizing Teach For America's impact in New York by ensuring the effectiveness of corps members and alumni as a force for immediate and long-term change, growing a diverse and sustainable funding base, and raising community awareness and support. Jeff shapes the overall vision for the region, sets the region’s overarching goals and strategies, and supports the team to drive effectively toward these goals.
A graduate of Stanford University, Jeff Li began his professional career as a management consultant for The Boston Consulting Group in 1998. While at BCG, Jeff worked in a wide variety of industries to provide strategic consultancy services to Fortune 500 companies.
Jeff then joined Teach For America in 2003 as a corps member in New York, where he achieved significant academic gains teaching third grade in a public school in the South Bronx while earning a M.S. in Childhood Education at the Bank Street College of Education.
After his two-year corps commitment, Jeff continued to work in education and served as a founding math teacher of a high-performing KIPP charter school in New York City. In the school’s first year, his fifth grade students moved from the 48th to the 94th percentile in math achievement, as measured by the nationally-normed Stanford 10 exam. In his last year of teaching, 100 percent of Jeff’s seventh grade students scored proficient (40 percent) or advanced (60 percent) on the New York State mathematics exam, compared to 55 percent in the district. In recognition of these and other achievements, Jeff was awarded the 2008 American Star of Teaching award for New York State by the U.S. Department of Education. In addition to teaching, Jeff also served as Co-Principal during the school’s fourth year.
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