National Nonprofit Joins Local Efforts to Expand Educational
For Immediate Release
Contact: Rebecca Neale | Teach For America
202.906.9207 | rebecca.neale@teachforamerica.org
CLEVELAND, March 7, 2012—Teach For America announced today that it will expand to Northeast Ohio, with plans to bring up to 50 top college graduates and professionals this fall to teach in some of the region’s highest-need public schools, and at least 50 additional corps members in each of the following two years. The organization launched its Northeast Ohio region based on support from civic, education, and business leaders across the Greater Cleveland area.
Also today, Teach For America announced a regional expansion to Southwest Ohio, marking the first time in its 22-year history that two Teach For America sites have opened simultaneously in a single state. Ohio is the 35th state where the organization partners with communities to bring an additional source of effective teachers to under-resourced schools.
“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 America is 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 more than 60 applicants from Case Western Reserve University, 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’re excited to expand our impact to Northeast Ohio, where there is such a strong commitment to educational equity,” said Wendy Kopp, chief executive officer and founder of Teach For America. “Thanks to the generosity of our community partners, local foundations, and many other supporters, and the leadership of Gov. Kasich, we’ll be able to build on this commitment and strengthen the pipeline of leaders working to expand opportunity for all of the state’s children.
In 2010, the Ohio legislature passed a bipartisan bill enabling Teach For America corps members to obtain teacher certification across all grades and subject areas, and the legislation was signed into law by Gov. Kasich.
“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.”
For the coming school year, Teach For America will partner with public charter schools and networks across the region including Breakthrough Schools, I CAN Schools, Mosaica network schools, and Stepstone Academy, where corps members will enter the candidate pool for open teaching positions in high-need schools and subject areas. Teach For America is continuing conversations with school districts and charter schools across Northeast Ohio to explore whether additional partnerships are possible as the organization continues to admit teachers for the fall of 2012.
“We are thrilled to partner with Teach For America-Northeast Ohio,” said Alan Rosskamm, chief executive officer of Breakthrough Schools. “The brain-gain associated with bringing this group of bright, young, talented people to Cleveland is a real win for our city.”
Teach For America’s 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 currently 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.
Teach For America also developed a partnership with 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 Cleveland State based on its history of fostering innovation in education and its focus on preparing teachers for urban schools.
Partnerships with a broad coalition of community groups, local philanthropists, and local school leaders enabled Teach For America to join Northeast Ohio’s efforts to expand educational opportunity. Local foundations, including the Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, The Nord Family Foundation, and the Lennon Trust, invested funds to support the recruitment, selection, training, and ongoing support of highly effective teachers for the region. 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.
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 that Teach For America 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.
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.
Additional Remarks from Supporters
“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
“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.”—Congresswoman Betty Sutton
“Teach For America is an organization that gets it—that all students deserve an excellent education. I’m glad Northeast Ohio gets an opportunity, at long last, to have Teach For America’s outstanding teachers help move our region forward.”—Chris Hitchcock, Executive Director, the Lennon Trust
“Teach For America teachers have a track record of results leading students to achieve remarkable academic success, and we welcome their partnership. Teach For America harnesses the energy of thousands of our nation's most promising young leaders in the effort to close the achievement gap, and I look forward to the impacts they will make in our schools and community.”—Jason Stragand, Co-Founder and Chief Academic Officer, I CAN Schools
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