Teach For America • Greater Philadelphia-Camden corps members will be assigned to teach in Philadelphia or Camden across traditional school district schools or charter schools. Our charter school partners allow students in the community the choice to attend specialized schools at no cost to their families. One of the most exciting aspects of teaching in Philadelphia or Camden is the ability for corps members to quickly take on leadership roles in their school and district. Frequently, corps members will be assigned content based leadership within their schools by the end of their corps commitment and also take on roles as representatives for their unions, or as committee leaders. Teach For America • Greater Philadelphia-Camden corps members are able to immediately use their leadership skills to effect change at their school sites. One doesn’t have to travel far between each of these cities to find needs for dedicated Teach For America corps members to help address their achievement gaps.
The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is composed of eight regions and serves approximately 215,000 students, making it the seventh largest district in the nation. About 80 percent of Philadelphia students live in poverty, and half of the children who begin school in the first grade drop out of school before graduating.
The past six years have been filled with dynamic changes intended to improve the public schools. In December 2001, state leaders seized control of the public schools from the school board and replaced it with a school reform commission, a five-person panel appointed by the governor and mayor. So far, SDP has expanded summer school to serve 75,000 students, increased the availability of advanced placement coursework, and added an extended-day, after school program for low-performing students. The most significant reform, however, has been turning over management of the 54 lowest-performing elementary and middle schools to five different private companies, nonprofit organizations, and universities. This dramatic plan–known as the multi-provider model for public education–is being watched closely by the rest of the nation, which is divided over the potential success of such a step. Because corps members are placed in schools run by the school district, schools managed via the multi-provider model, and at Philadelphia charter schools, corps members will have a unique opportunity to participate in, and bear witness to, these significant educational reforms.
Similar to Philadelphia, corps members placed in Camden are faced with the tremendous challenge to close the achievement gap within their classrooms, district, and city. Camden’s residents are in dire need of the relentless dedication and commitment of Teach For America corps members. More than one-third of its residents live below the poverty line, and half do not have a high school diploma or GED. The 17,000 students who attend Camden City Public Schools continue to perform well below their peers in higher-income areas. Less than 54 percent of fourth graders scored proficiently on state literacy tests in 2006, and only 29 percent of eighth graders achieved proficiency. Students in Camden also performed significantly below their peers in 2006 statewide mathematics tests, with only 40.3 percent of fourth graders, 11.3 percent of eighth graders, and 21.3 percent of eleventh graders scoring proficiently. While new educational leadership in Camden seems promising, student achievement levels continue to be markedly below state averages.
Teach For America joins a growing population in Camden that shares the goal of improving the city's schools. Despite the enormous challenges that face Camden schools, there have been several recent efforts to improve student achievement. A monumental New Jersey State Supreme Court decision (Abbott vs. Burke) recognized Camden as one of 30 disadvantaged districts in the state. Subsequent rulings determined that this district is entitled to receive enhanced state funding to provide disadvantaged students with greater resources to compete with those in New Jersey's wealthier school districts. With No Child Left Behind, Camden has increased school accountability by focusing on standards-based instruction. Camden City Public Schools also welcomed a new regional superintendent this year, who left her previous placement as a superintendent in Philadelphia’s central region. Corps members in Camden have a tremendous opportunity to create significant change in this school system and become leaders of reform in their efforts.
| School Districts: |
|---|
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Philadelphia School District of Philadelphia |
| Camden Camden City Public Schools |
| Ethnic Breakdown-Student Population School District of Philadelphia |
|---|
| 65% African-American |
| 15% Caucasian |
| 15% Latino/Hispanic |
| 5% Asian-American |
| < 1% Native American |
| N/A Other |
| Ethnic Breakdown-Student Population Camden City Public Schools |
|---|
| 55% African-American |
| 1% Caucasian |
| 42% Latino/Hispanic |
| <1%Asian-American |
| <1% Native American |
| <1% Other |
| Ethnic Breakdown-Philadelphia |
|---|
| 45% African-American |
| 40% Caucasian |
| 8% Latino/Hispanic |
| 5% Asian-American |
| < 1% Native American |
| 2% Other |
| Ethnic Breakdown-Camden |
|---|
| 54% African-American |
| 16% Caucasian |
| 30% Latino/Hispanic |
| <1% Asian-American |
| <1% Native American |
| <1% Other |
| Percentage of Students Qualifying for Free/Reduced-Price Lunch |
|---|
| 80% Philadelphia |
| 81% Camden |
| Placement-Greater Philadelphia-Camden |
|---|
| 3% early childhood education (ages 3-5) |
| 13 % elementary teachers (grades K-6) |
| 53% middle school teachers (grades 7-8) |
| 31% secondary teachers (grades 9-12) |
K-12 grade level placements
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Our corps members
Placement regions
Corps and Alumni
