Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching

 

The Teach For America Alumni Awards for Excellence in Teaching are presented annually to alumni teachers who are transforming students’ lives through extraordinary leadership and an unwavering belief in the potential for all children to succeed.
 
In addition to being honored for their exemplary work, applicants impact current corps members, fellow alumni, and the future of our organization by allowing us to test, inform, and refine what we believe to be the teacher strategies most predictive of student achievement.
 

 

2012 Award Recipients

  • Edward Chambers, Eastern North Carolina Corps ’92
    9th, 11th, and 12th Grade English teacher
    Columbia High School, Columbia, SC
  • Taylor Delhagen, New York Corps ’06
    10th Grade Global History and Global Citizenship teacher
    Achievement First Brooklyn High School, New York, NY
  • Eric Diamon, New York Corps ’04
    5th Grade Literature teacher
    North Star Academy: Vailsburg Middle School, Newark, NJ
  • Candice Frontiera, Hawai'i Corps ’07
    7th and 8th Grade Math teacher
    Kalakaua Middle School, Honolulu, HI
  • Sanee Ibrahim, Bay Area Corps ’05
    8th Grade Language Arts teacher
    Renaissance Academy, San Jose, CA
  • Laura Kretschmar, Greater New Orleans Corps ’95
    5th and 6th Grade Math and Science teacher
    Lighthouse Community Charter School, Oakland, CA
  • Belzie Mont-Louis, New York Corps ’04
    7th Grade Reading teacher
    Orchard Gardens Pilot School, Boston, MA
  • Jennifer Pennell-Tan, New York Corps ’07
    Pre-Kindergarten teacher
    CS 211, New York, NY
  • Isaac Pollack, Mid-Atlantic Corps ’06
    9th Grade Biology teacher
    Sci Academy, New Orleans, LA
  • Lavinia Rogers, Greater Newark Corps ’01
    10th-12th Grade French teacher
    TEAM Charter Schools: Newark Collegiate Academy, Newark, NJ

See 2012 Award Finalists.

Selection Process

Award recipients and finalists were selected from a pool of 240 candidates - from a national base of over 7,000 alumni teachers - by a team of teachers, school leaders, and Teach For America staff members. Our recipients range widely in terms of experience and the settings in which they teach, but all demonstrate outstanding leadership, embody our core values, and exhibit an unwavering commitment to educational equity and excellence. 

Award Vision & Objectives

In addition to providing our organization with a means of recognizing the exemplary work of our alumni teachers, the Teach For America Alumni Awards for Excellence in Teaching also allow us to learn from the best practices and approaches of our outstanding alumni teachers. Furthermore, the award platform will provide applicants with the opportunity to share their experiences and instructional practices widely within our organization in a way that can impact corps member and alumni teacher success. Finally, we believe that the lessons learned from our strongest alumni teachers will allow us to test, inform and refine what we currently believe to be the teacher strategies most predictive of student success.

Supporters

The Teach For America Alumni Awards for Excellence in Teaching have been very generously underwritten by the Seedlings Foundation, with the vision of recognizing and learning from our alumni teachers. In addition, the Amgen Foundation – Teach For America’s Founding National Math & Science Partner – will support one Award to an alumnus who has demonstrated significant impact and commitment to strengthening math and science education in underserved communities. We are grateful for the support of both of these organizations in allowing us to honor and learn from the work of our alumni in the classroom.

  • The Teach For America Alumni Awards for Excellence in Teaching
    These awards will be presented annually to up to 10 alumni teachers who are making a transformational impact on their students’ lives. 
  • Lavinia Rogers, Greater Newark '01
    Lavinia Rogers is a French teacher in Newark whose decision to shift her instructional approach - after teaching for 7 years - yielded outstanding results.
  • Taylor Delhagen, New York '06
    Taylor Delhagen's expertise led not only to the transformation of the Humanities department but built a foundation of critical thinking for the entire school.
  • Candice Frontiera, Hawai'i Corps '07
    Candice Frontiera changed her middle school's math curriculum to implement algebra and pre-algebra for all students so that they could be competitive in engineering or science courses in high school or college.
  • Belzie Mont-Louis, New York Corps '04
    Belzie Mont-Louis strives to create a curriculum that is culturally relevant and responsive to her students and additionally prepares them to perform at highly competitive schools.
  • Jennifer Pennell-Tan, New York Corps '07
    Jennifer Pennell-Tan utilizes the notion of a “therapeutic classroom” to create an environment that is inclusive, child-centered and joyous.
  • Edward Chambers, Eastern North Carolina Corps ’92
    Over his 20-year teaching career, Edward Chambers has held his students to rigorous academic outcomes while also providing mentoring and support through frequent Saturday meetings with both students and parents.
  • Sanee Ibrahim, Bay Area Corps ’05
    Sanee Ibrahim pioneered an 8th grade student advocacy project in which students sought to address the digital divide that exists among middle schools across the San Francisco Bay Area. 
  • Laura Kretschmar, Greater New Orleans-Louisiana Delta Corps '05
    In her students' words, Laura Kretschmar's 15-year teaching career has been transformational because "students she used to teach are now in college ... One of them is an 8th grade teacher next door."

 
We are so excited about this group of educators and what their sustained impact on students’ lives can teach us and others in the field about what is possible in the classroom.
Wendy Kopp, founder and CEO of Teach For America
[Laura's] work has been transformational because students she used to teach are now in college and graduated with high qualifications. One of them is an 8th grade teacher next door.
Alycia Picon, student of Laura Kretschmar, Greater New Orleans Corps '95