Our Organization

Our Vision
One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.

All kids—no matter where they live, how much money their parents make, or what their skin color is – deserve access to a great education. But in our country today, a significant achievement gap exists between low-income children and their wealthier peers. It’s not easy to close this gap, but hundreds of proof points show that it’s possible. It takes committed leaders in our classrooms today who will continue to fight for students tomorrow. Teach For America’s mission is to build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by developing such leaders.

We recruit committed recent college graduates and professionals of all backgrounds to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools
We train and develop these corps members so that they have an immediate positive impact on their students
We foster the leadership of our alumni as they address this problem from all sectors

The work we do is about people – our students, who have the potential to achieve at the highest levels, and their parents, who want the best for them; our corps members, who work relentlessly to put their students on different academic trajectories; our alumni, who work in education and across all sectors to accelerate the pace of change; and our staff members, supporters, and partners, who make our efforts possible. These individuals bring a rich diversity of experiences to our work but are united by a shared vision that one day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.

In the 2012-13 school year, more than 10,000 corps members will teach 750,000 students while nearly 28,000 alumni will continue to deepen their impact as educational leaders and advocates.

Shannen Coleman (Baltimore '03), co-chair of the Baltimore Education Coalition, at a rally she helped organize for teachers, parents, and students.
’12 corps members at P.S. 86 during New York City Institute, one of Teach For America’s nine resident teacher-preparation programs where corps members further develop the skills and mindsets that will enable them to teach successfully.
Peter Ostrower (New York ’10) leads a book club for 7th graders at Achievement First Endeavor Middle School.
Nearly two-thirds of Teach For America teachers continue working education after their two years, including Vanessa Bangser (New York ’05), a Success Academy Bronx 2 school leader.
Our hundreds of staff members across the country are united by a deep commitment to improving educational opportunities for kids. Here, New York City based staff members meet informally to talk about their projects.
In 2011, over 11,000 corps members, alumni, supporters and staff in Washington, D.C. for Teach For America's 20th Anniversary Summit, the largest event in our organization's history.