Teach For America Expanding To Ohio, Bringing Some 200 Dedicated Teachers To The State's Highest-Need Schools Over The Next Three Years

National Nonprofit Joins Local Efforts to Expand Educational Opportunity, Marking First Simultaneous Launch of Two Sites in a Single State

For Immediate Release

Contact: Rebecca Neale | Teach For America
202.906.9207 | rebecca.neale@teachforamerica.org

NEW YORK, March 7, 2012—Teach For America announced today that it will expand to the Southwest and Northeast regions of Ohio, with plans to bring at least 70 top college graduates and professionals this fall to teach in some of the state’s highest-need public schools, and at least 70 additional corps members in each of the following two years. This marks the first time in Teach For America’s 22-year history that it has launched two sites simultaneously in a single state. The expansion is based on support from school and district partners as well as civic and business leaders across Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Dayton, Ohio, and Covington, Ky.

“I’m pleased to welcome Teach For America as a partner in our state’s efforts to improve educational outcomes for all Ohio students,” said Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Stan Heffner. “As a former teacher, I know the immense challenges teachers face, and I am grateful for the incredible work of all teachers who are working to put students on a path to success in their choice of careers or college and beyond.”

Working in partnership with communities, Teach For America recruits, trains, and supports talented and diverse individuals from all backgrounds who commit two years to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the movement to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. This year, more than 9,000 first- and second-year Teach For America corps members are teaching in low-income communities across 43 urban and rural regions nationwide. More than 450 of them grew up or attended school in Ohio.

Teach For Americais in the process of selecting its 2012 teacher corps from a record applicant pool of more than 48,000. Among this year’s applicants are nearly 1,200 Ohioans, including nearly 175 from Miami University and nearly 350 from Ohio State. In its 2011 corps of 5,100 teachers, 34 percent are people of color, 31 percent received Pell Grants, 22 percent were the first in their family to attend college, and 23 percent were graduate students or professionals before joining Teach For America.

“We are so gratified by the welcome we have received from the state of Ohio,” said Wendy Kopp, chief executive officer and founder of Teach For America. “The leadership of Gov. Kasich, the legislature, and many others across the state has made our decision to come to Ohio an easy one, and we’re excited to build on local reform efforts by providing a new pipeline of talented teachers and education leaders.”

The Teach For America network includes nearly 24,000 alumni across the country who are working from within education and every other professional sector to level the playing field for children and families in low-income communities. Ohio is home to more than 300 Teach For America alumni. Nationally, two-thirds of alumni remain in education, including some 8,000 teachers and 650 principals and school leaders.

“It’s great that communities across Ohio have partnered with Teach For America to help recruit new effective educators for some of our highest-need urban schools,” Gov. Kasich said.  “I’m confident that the long-term leadership and dedication of these teachers will have positive impacts in schools across our state.”

Partnerships with a broad coalition of community groups, corporations, local philanthropists, and local school leaders enabled Teach For America to join Ohio’s efforts to expand educational opportunity. In 2010, the Ohio legislature passed a bipartisan bill enabling Teach For America corps members to obtain teacher certification across grades and subject areas, and the legislation was signed by Gov. Kasich. Additionally, the state of Ohio awarded Teach For America funds from its federal Race to the Top allocation to support the launch of Teach For America in Ohio.

Teach For America corps members will enter the candidate pool for open teaching positions in high-need schools and subject areas. For the coming school year, Teach For America will partner with Cincinnati Public Schools, Covington Public Schools in Northern Kentucky, and public charter schools across Southwest and Northeast Ohio.

Teach For America also developed partnerships with the University of Cincinnati and Cleveland State University, where Teach For America corps members will have the option to enroll in graduate-level coursework for additional professional development. Teach For America selected each school based on its history of fostering innovation in education and its focus on preparing teachers for urban schools.

A growing body of independent research shows that corps members are having a positive impact on student achievement—including recent studies from Tennessee, North Carolina and Louisiana. The most recent research, from Tennessee, found that Teach For America corps members had greater impacts on student achievement than the average new fourth-to-eighth-grade teacher in the state across all subject areas and grade levels and was the top new-teacher preparation program in the state. Additionally, in an independent survey by Policy Studies Associates, Inc., 85 percent of principals who employ Teach For America corps members reported that the corps members made a positive impact on their schools.

In conjunction with the expansion announcement, Teach For America named Cincinnati native Ben Lindy as the founding executive director of Teach For America-Southwest Ohio. The executive director in Northeast Ohio has not yet been announced. Ohio is the 35th state where Teach For America partners with communities to bring an additional source of effective teachers to under-resourced schools.

 

About Teach For America

Teach For America works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding individuals of all academic disciplines to commit two years to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the movement to end educational inequity. Today more than 9,000 corps members are teaching in 43 urban and rural regions across the country, while nearly 24,000 alumni are working across sectors to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 

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Additional Remarks

“Teach For America’s expansion into Ohio is a boost to the education system in areas that are under-resourced.  All children deserve a quality education, and Teach For America is working hard to eliminate inequities within underserved communities. I look forward to seeing the positive impact the organization will have on students and families in Cincinnati and Cleveland.”—Sen. Rob Portman

“I’m pleased that Cincinnati will benefit from the Teach for America program in the coming year.  Our students will benefit from this program’s collaboration with our local schools, and our community will benefit from the crop of young talent the program will attract.” —Rep. Steve Chabot (Ohio-1st District)

“When we strengthen Northeast Ohio schools, we strengthen the future of Northeast Ohio.  I am proud to welcome Teach for America to our region, and look forward to seeing the great impact they will have on our classrooms and community.”—Rep. Betty Sutton (Ohio-13th District)