St. Louis

Students in the city of St. Louis face a very different educational reality than their higher-income peers in surrounding St. Louis County schools.

Quick Stats
Site Since: 2002
Corps Size: 193
Average summer temperature: 80 ° Average winter temperature: 30 °
Car: Access to a car is essential

Beginning teacher's salary: $30,000-36,000

Although only eight miles separate the city of St. Louis from the county seat of Clayton, 49 percent of St. Louis Public Schools students graduate from high school, compared to 97 percent of students attending school in Clayton. Over 90 percent of the students in St. Louis’ low-income schools are African-American, and less than 10 percent of seventh-graders in these schools achieve a proficient score in Communication Arts on the Missouri Assessment Program state exam. St. Louis has a great need for strong teachers and leaders of education reform to join the dedicated St. Louis community in eliminating educational inequity.

Life

With 79 unique and culturally diverse neighborhoods and a low cost of living, St. Louis corps members have many housing options to choose from. Some corps members live in the beautiful turn-of-the-century homes turned apartments of the Central West End, which draws residents seeking eclectic restaurants, trendy art galleries, and cozy neighborhood pubs. Other corps members prefer young, vibrant Soulard or downtown St. Louis, where they reside in newly restored French-influenced Victorian homes and early 20th century factory buildings-turned lofts. Corps members also live in the diverse Tower Grove and Shaw neighborhoods, near the Missouri Botanical Gardens, where one can find an array of ethnic restaurants, neighborhood cafes, local bars, and independent bookstores.

Corps Culture

St. Louis has a strong sense of community which fosters a tightly-knit corps. St. Louis staff members help to cultivate strong professional relationships with corps members in many ways.

• Buddy System - pairing incoming corps members with returning corps members early in the summer to provide additional support and perspective to the incoming corps.
• Program Director Team Dinners – dinners are held throughout the year with around 35 new and returning corps members and are hosted by the Program Directors who support corps member professional development.

The St. Louis corps focuses on building community and on continually improving teaching skills. This has had a dramatic impact in St. Louis.

• The 2009 St. Louis Teacher of the Year is Emily Massengale (St. Louis Corps ‘06). She is one of six finalists for Missouri Teacher of the Year.
• Two Teach For America alumnae are principals in St. Louis Public Schools and one alumnus is the principal of the new KIPP Inspire Academy in St. Louis.

St. Louis corps members find success during and after their two years in the classroom because of their commitment to continually improving and the strong support of community leaders.