NEW TEACH FOR AMERICA TEACHERS HEADED TO RIO GRANDE VALLEY’S HIGHEST-NEED PUBLIC SCHOOLS THIS FALL

Local Teachers Join Record-Setting National Corps of 4,100—The Largest in the Organization’s 20-Year History

MCALLEN, Texas, May 27, 2009—Teach For America today announced that it will bring in 110 new teachers for high-need schools in the Rio Grande Valley this fall. With the addition of these teachers, Teach For America’s Rio Grande Valley corps will total nearly 200. The newest Rio Grande Valley corps members are part of a national incoming corps of 4,100, which is the largest in Teach For America’s history. Teach For America corps members commit to teach for at least two years in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in the pursuit of educational equity.

“Qualified, talented teachers are crucial to the continued improvement of America’s public schools,” said Rep. Rubén Hinojosa. “With this year’s record class of excellent corps members, Teach For America will provide more children in underserved public schools with high-quality classroom instruction and seed the growth of educational leadership in deep South Texas for many years to come.”

Including the Rio Grande Valley, corps members will head to classrooms in 34 regions across the United States, encompassing six new sites: Boston; Dallas; Milwaukee; Nashville, Tenn.; Tulsa, Okla.; and Wilmington, Del. In rural areas such as South Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta, the number of incoming corps members will more than double from last year.

Teach For America recruits on more than 450 college campuses, seeking seniors and recent graduates from all academic majors and backgrounds who have demonstrated outstanding achievement, perseverance, and leadership. Admission to the teacher corps was even more selective than in previous years, with a record 35,000 individuals applying to join. At more than 130 colleges and universities, more than 5 percent of the senior class applied, including 8 percent at Rice University. Applicants also included more than 300 seniors at the University of Texas at Austin, and 25 seniors from the University of Texas-Pan American, marking an increase over last year.

“Continuing our work in the Valley over the past 18 years, we have recruited an outstanding group of corps members to join us this fall,” said Robert Carreon, executive director of Teach For America in the Rio Grande Valley. “I know they are excited to get into the classroom and contribute to our community’s efforts to provide a high-quality education to our children.”

The large number of highly qualified candidates allowed Teach For America to increase not only the size of its 2009 corps but also its strength. Incoming corps members earned an average GPA of 3.6 and a combined SAT score of 1333, and 89 percent held leadership positions as undergraduates. Almost one-third of incoming corps members are people of color, and one-quarter received Pell Grants. Nearly 10 percent are African-Americans, which is double the percentage of African-Americans enrolled at the colleges where Teach For America primarily recruits.

A growing body of research on Teach For America demonstrates the effectiveness of corps members in the classroom. In March, the Urban Institute released updated data from a 2008 study of the impact of Teach For America corps members teaching high school in North Carolina. The update, which employed larger sample sizes, confirmed that Teach For America teachers have a positive effect on student achievement relative to other teachers, including experienced teachers, traditionally prepared teachers, and those fully certified in their field.

The new corps members will also contribute to the long-term impact of Teach For America alumni locally. The Rio Grande Valley is already home to more than 100 Teach For America alumni, 90 percent of whom are continuing to teach. Beyond their corps commitments, two-thirds of the 14,400 Teach For America alumni across the country are working full-time in education and one-third continue as excellent classroom teachers. Some 380 Teach For America alumni serve as school principals or superintendents, more than 500 work in government or policy, and more than 20 serve as elected officials.

About Teach For America
Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit to teach for at least two years in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in expanding educational opportunity. In the 2008-09 school year, 6,200 corps members are teaching in over 1,600 schools in 29 regions across the country while more than 14,000 Teach For America alumni continue working from inside and outside the field of education for the fundamental changes necessary to ensure educational excellence and equity. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org.