We need all the dedicated and passionate teachers we can get, and this program is a very effective way to introduce young people to the many rewards of a career in education. I hope this program continues to flourish, and continues to send us good teachers for CMS.
- - Dr. Peter Gorman, Superintendent Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools
This year, a corps of 125 of the nation’s most promising future leaders are teaching in our city’s lowest-income classrooms as a part of Teach For America • Charlotte. They are working to ensure their students have the educational opportunities they deserve. Our alumni are a leadership force, working from within education and every professional sector to effect broader change. Together they are helping us make educational equity a reality in Charlotte. Learn about living and teaching in Charlotte.
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Press | |
Corps Impact | |
Alumni Impact | |
Financial Sustainability | |
Regional Supporters | |
Contact Us | |
Executive Director |
Recent press releases
Recent press coverage
During the 2007-08 school year, 125corps members are directly impacting the lives of more than 10,600 students in Charlotte. Lowery Crews is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
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Lowery Crews (Charlotte Corps '06) |
Lowrey Crews teaches eighth grade science at Wilson Middle School. Lowrey’s goal was for his students to show significant improvement on the end-of-year district assessment and to gain exposure to real world examples of what they learned in the classroom. After receiving funding from NASA, Lowrey’s students used advanced math, science, writing and computer skills to build and program robots, create web pages, film public service announcements, and write research papers. Lowrey also raised more than $2,000 to take 60 students on a tour of North Carolina colleges to instill the ultimate goal of attending college. In May, Lowrey’s students scored above the district average on their end-of-year assessment and Lowrey won the district-wide Outstanding First-Year Teacher award. Lowrey’s students are experiencing the power of our movement to end educational inequity.
Charlotte: Our Impact on Students and Schools Today
| School Year | Corps Members | Students Reached |
|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | 105 | 8,925 |
| 2006-07 | 120 | 10,200 |
| 2009-10 | 300* | 25,500* |
Principal Satisfaction
*"Teach For America 2007 National Principal Survey,” Policy Studies Associates, July 2007.
Impact on Student Achievement
According to a highly regarded study by Mathematica Policy Research, corps members outpaced fully certified and veteran teachers in their schools in moving their students ahead academically. Read national results.
Student Profile
Charlotte: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | # of Corps Members | % of Corps |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 20 | 16% |
| Science | 22 | 17.6% |
| Special Education | 13 | 10.4% |
| Social Studies | 13 | 10.4% |
| English | 21 | 16.8% |
| Elementary | 32 | 25.6% |
| Foreign Language | 4 | 3.2% |
| Total | 125 | 100% |
*Percentages are rounded and may not add up to 100 percent.
Characteristics of the 2008 Corps
| Corps Profile | Top alma maters by market share* |
|---|---|
| Average GPA: 3.6 | Spelman College: 16% |
| Average SAT: 1320 | Morehouse College, Williams College, Yale University: 11% |
| Held leadership roles on campus: 95% | Duke University, Georgetown University, University of Chicago, Wake Forest University, Wesleyan University: 10% |
| People of color: 29% | Amherst College, Harvard University, Haverford University, Notre Dame University, Princeton University, Rice University: 9% |
*Percentage of senior classes who applied to Teach For America
Fostering Alumni Leadership for Systemic Change
As the number of corps members grows, so does our alumni base. By 2010, we will have over 200 Teach For America • Charlotte alumni pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
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Candice Williams (Charlotte Corps '04) |
Candice Williams is one of many alumni continuing her commitment to our mission by serving as a campus director for Citizen Schools. In this role, Candice manages an after-school program in on e of Charlotte’s FOCUS schools where students engage in apprenticeships focusing on leadership, communication, technology, and teamwork. The Charlotte program maintains a 95 percent daily attendance rate and was rated among the top 10 campuses out of 30 campuses nationwide. Candice’s efforts to ensure that students receive necessary academic support after school and develop important skills for their future careers fuels our collective goal of closing the achievement gap.
Growing Our Impact: Funding Needs, 2004-2010
Each additional recruit is another dedicated teacher for children growing up in low-income communities in Charlotte, and another talented leader with the insight and commitment necessary to sustain the reform efforts underway, which is critical to the ongoing vitality of our Charlotte.
| Year | Corps Size | Revenue Needs |
|---|---|---|
| 2007-08 | 125 | $2.8 million |
| 2008-09 | 220* | $3.85 million* |
| 2009-10 | 300* | $6.5 million* |
*projected |
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We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Charlotte. The foundations, corporations and individuals listed below have made it possible for Teach For America to continue to recruit, select, train, and support teachers who are working to eliminate educational inequity in our city.
| Advisory Board |
|---|
| David Dooley (Chair) Executive Vice President RT Dooley Construction Company |
| Dan Cottingham Senior Vice President Cottingham Chalk |
| Dan Fleishman Senior Vice President Director of Sponsorships & Alliances, Wachovia Corporation |
| Edward Kizer Retired |
| Jane Lewis-Raymond Vice President and General Counsel Piedmont Natural Gas |
| Steve Luquire Partner/President Luquire George Andrews Inc. |
| Louis Mosley Principal in Charge Bovis Lend Lease |
| Susan Porter Realtor Bissell & Hayes |
| Ernie Reigel Chairman Moore & Van Allen |
| Ron Sherrill President and CEO SteelFab, Inc. |
| Landon Wyatt Partner Childress Klein Properties |
To support Teach For America • Charlotte with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Teach For America • Charlotte
Aaliyah El-Amin, Executive Director
Julie Fowler, Development Manager
5700 Executive Center Drive
Suite 101
Charlotte, NC 28212
p 704-569-1033, f 704-569-2599
aaliyah.el-amin@teachforamerica.org
julie.fowler@teachforamerica.org
Aaliyah El-Amin graduated from Davidson College with a degree in sociology and was a 2000 corps member in Atlanta, where she taught fourth and fifth grade. After she completed her two-year Teach For America commitment, the leadership at her placement school asked her to stay on and manage the Co-nect Project, an initiative that linked project-based learning, high-quality teaching techniques, and technology. During that time, El-Amin also served as the Leadership Team Chair, working with the school leadership team and serving as the liaison between the grade levels and the administration. In 2004, she brought her expertise to Teach For America’s Houston Summer Institute as a curriculum specialist. El-Amin became the executive director of Teach For America • Charlotte in September 2005. She holds a master’s degree in early childhood education from Georgia State University and received educational leadership certification from the University of Georgia.
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