50 New Teach For America Teachers Join Local Efforts to Expand Educational Opportunity

INDIANAPOLIS, June 7, 2011—Teach For America announced today that 50 new teachers will teach in Indianapolis beginning this fall as part of the largest entering national corps in the organization’s history. With the addition of these teachers, more than 115 corps members will be working in high-need public schools in Indianapolis Public Schools, township districts, and local charter networks this fall, collectively reaching more than 7,000 students.

 “These dedicated new teachers will strengthen Indianapolis’s public school classrooms and help ensure that all of our students are getting a great education,” said David Harris, founder and chief executive officer of The Mind Trust. “They are an integral part of the region’s solution to preparing all students to succeed in college and in their careers.”

Teach For America’s new national corps totals 5,100 teachers who are top graduates from colleges and universities across the country. These corps members represent a wide variety of personal and academic backgrounds and professional experiences. One-third identify as people of color, including 12 percent who are African American and 8 percent who are Hispanic. Twenty-two percent are the first in their family to graduate from college, and nearly one-third received Pell Grants. Twenty-three percent are graduate students or professionals. 

This year, nearly 48,000 individuals applied to Teach For America, and 14 percent were accepted. Applicants included 12 percent of the graduating class at DePauw University and 9 percent of seniors at the University of Notre Dame.

 “We are thrilled to see so many exceptional individuals joining our Indianapolis corps,” said Pat O’Donnell, executive director of Teach For America in Indianapolis. “These 50 new teachers are eager to join our community’s efforts to expand educational opportunity for all of our kids. They are poised to have a real impact both as corps members and as long-term educators and leaders in our city.”

Teach For Americais building a strong pipeline of leaders in education. Two-thirds of Teach For America alumni are working full-time in the field, with more than 550 alumni serving as school principals or school system leaders. In Indianapolis, five alumni currently serve as school leaders in IPS and charter school networks. Five additional alumni are slated to begin the Indianapolis Principal Fellowship program this fall, a program designed to recruit and train Teach For America alumni to become exceptional school leaders. A total of 150 Teach For America alumni are living and working in Indianapolis.

A growing body of rigorous research demonstrates the effectiveness of Teach For America corps members in the classroom. Recent studies from Louisiana, North Carolina, and Tennessee found that corps members have a positive impact on student achievement. The Tennessee study identified Teach For America as the most effective of the state’s 42 teacher-preparation programs, with corps members demonstrating a greater impact on student achievement than the average new teacher in every evaluated subject area.

“I’m pleased to hear that Teach For America will be joining us in Indianapolis again this fall,” said Congressman André Carson. “The path to educational and career success for our children requires quality teachers. The talented individuals recruited by Teach For America are welcome additions to the dedicated teachers already working in Indianapolis Public Schools.”

School leaders in Indianapolis give corps members high marks. One hundred percent of local principals who employ Teach For America corps members report seeing a positive impact in the classroom. 

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. Today, more than 9,000 corps members are teaching in 43 regions across the country while nearly 24,000 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 http://www.teachforamerica.org.