Teach For America Teachers to Reach More Than 42,000 Students Throughout Louisiana
For Immediate Release
Contact: Kaitlin Gastrock | Teach For America
(646) 315-1396 | kaitlin.gastrock@teachforamerica.org
BATON ROUGE, La., May 24, 2010—Teach For America announced today that 100 of the organization’s new teachers will come to South Louisiana this fall to teach in the highest-need public schools. With an additional 205 new Teach For America corps members heading to New Orleans schools, corps members will be reaching more than 42,000 students throughout the state. These Louisiana teachers are among more than 4,500 new Teach For America corps members nationwide, the largest incoming corps in the organization’s 20-year history.
The 100 new teachers in South Louisiana will boost the size of the region’s total corps by more than 30 percent, allowing it to impact 12,000 students. These teachers were chosen through a highly selective process that attracted a record 46,000 applicants. At more than 120 colleges and universities, more than 5 percent of the senior class applied to Teach For America, including 12 percent of all seniors at Ivy League schools and 5 percent of seniors at Southern University and Tulane University.
“Louisiana is fortunate to have some of the country’s top college graduates leading our classrooms to high levels of academic achievement next year,” said Louisiana Secretary of Economic Development Stephen Moret. “The leadership and dedication of these new Teach For America teachers are key to the state’s commitment to prepare all students to succeed in college and in their careers.”
“We are thrilled to be able to expand our impact in the highest-need classrooms and to continue building a pipeline of future leaders for our community,” said Michael Tipton, executive director of Teach For America in South Louisiana. “These 100 new teachers will join our current corps members and alumni, forming a base of nearly 300 individuals working tirelessly in our region to make a difference in the lives of Louisiana students today and for generations to come.”
Teach For America, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, will place more than 8,200 first- and second-year corps members in 39 regions across the country this fall.
This year’s incoming corps members have an average GPA of 3.6 and 89 percent held a significant leadership position. The fastest-growing segments of the corps are graduate students and professionals seeking to have an immediate impact in education. Twenty-eight percent of incoming corps members received Pell Grants. Almost one-third are people of color, including 7 percent who are Hispanic and 11 percent who are African American, which is more than double the percentage of African American graduates at the colleges where Teach For America primarily recruits.
A growing body of rigorous research demonstrates the effectiveness of Teach For America teachers. A new study from the University of North Carolina compares the effects on student achievement of graduates from the UNC teacher-preparation system with teachers from other pathways, including Teach For America. At every grade level and subject studied, students taught by Teach For America corps members did as well as or better than those taught by traditionally prepared UNC graduates. Middle school math students of Teach For America teachers received the equivalent of an extra half-year of learning.
Teach For America’s track record of achieving results for students has earned the organization support from a wide range of political and community leaders across Louisiana.
“For the past 30 years, I have been on the front lines in the effort to reform education in Louisiana, and it is clear that quality, dedicated teachers play a critical role in that effort,” said U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu. “This new class of teachers coming to Louisiana from the Teach For America program will help us continue to ensure that our students are well-prepared to meet the challenges of competing in the global economy.”
“I am pleased that Teach For America will be bringing some of our nation’s top college graduates into Louisiana classrooms this fall,” said U.S. Representative Rodney Alexander. “Our state strives to offer a quality education to our future generation of leaders. Innovative programs, such as this, are one more way that we can ensure our students receive the educational opportunities they so deserve.”
The new corps members in South Louisiana will join more than 100 Teach For America alumni in the region who are working from within education and every other professional sector to expand opportunities for students and families in low-income communities. Of the 20,000-plus Teach For America alumni nationwide, two-thirds remain in education, including 450 who are school principals or superintendents.
About Teach For America
Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in expanding educational opportunity. This fall, more than 8,200 corps members will be teaching in 39 regions across the country, while more than 20,000 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.
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