One added feature of South Louisiana currently is that there’s a desire for change. Having come from a state where reform efforts are met with suspicion, it has been pleasant to be in a place where people want to change and think it’s possible.
-Vanesa Botero-Lowry
(S. Louisiana Corps '05)
There are serious economic disparities in South Louisiana that contribute to a severe achievement gap in the region. Louisiana has the fifth highest poverty rate in the nation. Generational poverty is strikingly high in rural parishes where there is little industry or employment. In 2006, in the parishes in which our corps members teach, only 35 percent of fourth graders and 32 percent of eighth graders scored at the basic level on the state's standardized test. Forty percent of public school freshmen in the South Louisiana region do not graduate from high school.
In addition, South Louisiana has an alarmingly high rate of students who receive special education services and, therefore, a pressing necessity exists for special education teachers. Students in special education are capable of achieving at high levels, but many receive inadequate services in the schools. We urgently encourage applicants to consider filling this critical need for South Louisiana’s students.
Louisiana residents and politicians are actively addressing issues of accountability, standards, teacher quality, and equitable distribution of resources. In recent years, Louisiana ranked among the top 10 states in the nation for its efforts to improve school and student performance. Corps members and alumni are having a tremendous impact upon their students and their communities; both from within the classroom and from many different sectors as well. In the school districts, Teach For America corps members and alumni are active partners with the Autonomous Schools Network and school districts to build the momentum and movement for Louisiana’s school reform. Additionally, corps members and alumni are creating tutoring programs to help students qualify for college scholarships, filming documentaries of local children to highlight issues of economic and social inequality, and working in the state government to affect change in policy.
| School Districts: |
|---|
| East Baton Rouge Parish Schools |
| East Feliciana Parish Schools |
| St. Helena Parish School System |
| St. Landry Parish Schools |
| Ethnic Breakdown-Student Population (South Louisiana Parishes: East Feliciana, East Baton Rouge and St. Landry ) |
|---|
| 86% African-American |
| 12% Caucasian |
| < 1% Latino/Hispanic |
| 1% Asian-American |
| < 1% Native American |
| < 1% Other |
| Ethnic Breakdown-South Louisiana (South Louisiana Parishes: East Feliciana, East Baton Rouge, and St. Landry) |
|---|
| 44% % African-American |
| 54% Caucasian |
| 1% % Latino/Hispanic |
| < 1% % Asian-American |
| < 1% Native American |
| < 1% Other |
| Percentage of Students Qualifying for Free/Reduced-Price Lunch |
|---|
| 83% |
| Placements |
|---|
| 31% regular education elementary (grades 1-5) |
| 21% secondary special education (grades 6-8) |
|
48% regular education secondary (grades 6-12) 96% teach at a school with another corps member or alumnus |
| 1-12 grade level placements |
Our corps members
Placement regions
Corps and Alumni
