Nonprofit Organization Dedicated to Expanding Educational Opportunity Is One of Only Ten New Companies Honored
For Immediate Release
Contact: Carrie James | Teach For America
415.271.2000 | carrie.james@teachforamerica.org
New York, January 20, 2011—FORTUNE announced today that Teach For America, the national nonprofit organization that enlists top college graduates in the movement to end educational inequity, ranks No. 82 on the magazine's annual list of “Best Companies to Work For.” This is Teach For America's first time on the list. The organization, which is one of only ten new companies to be included, is the only non profit outside of the healthcare industry among this year's honorees.
Teach For America recruits, trains, and supports promising future leaders who commit to teach for two years in urban and rural schools and work throughout their lives to expand educational opportunity. More than 8,200 Teach For America teachers are working in 31 states and the District of Columbia, and the program's 20,000 alumni are a leadership force in the movement for educational equity and excellence.
Teach For America's nearly 1,500 staff members play a critical role in the effort to eliminate our nation's academic achievement gap. Staff members bring a range of backgrounds and experiences, with approximately half being Teach For America alumni, and one-third identifying as people of color, including 10 percent who identify as African American, and 7 percent who identify as Latino or Hispanic. More than 600 staff members have earned graduate degrees, and Teach For America is among the top 100 companies where M.B.A. students said they would most like to work, according to CNN.
“Our staff members are deeply committed to our mission. They are working tirelessly every day to foster and support the impact of our corps members and alumni,” said Wendy Kopp, founder and CEO of Teach For America. “We know that ultimately our impact is a function of the caliber and diversity of our team and the strength of our culture, our people-development programs, and our management systems, so we work hard to continuously increase our effectiveness in these areas.”
To pick the 100 Best Companies to Work For, FORTUNE partners with the Great Place to Work Institute to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America. Three hundred eleven companies participated in this year's survey. Two-thirds of a company's score is based on the results of the Institute's Trust Index survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. The survey asks questions related to their attitudes about management's credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie. The other third of the scoring is based on the company's responses to the Institute's Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefit programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring practices, internal communications, training, recognition programs and diversity efforts. Any company that is at least seven years old with more than 1,000 U.S. employees is eligible.
“This recognition is a tribute to the amazing work of our staff members across the country, and the team spirit that's palpable in everything they do,” said Aimée Eubanks Davis, Teach For America's chief people officer. “Having such a cohesive, committed group across the board has helped to keep Teach For America operating with a focus on results and continuous improvement as we build the movement to end educational inequity.”
The full list and related stories can be found at fortune.com/bestcompanies.
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 8,200 corps members are teaching in 39 regions across the country while 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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Teach For America was named one of America's top 100 Ideal Employers in Universum's 2011 American Student Survey.
Teach For America was named one of Fortune magazine's top 100 employers to work for.
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