When I walk into one of our public schools, I immediately know which classrooms are led by Teach For America corps members. The teachers are energetic, and ambitious goals for student achievement are posted on the walls. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Teach For America, and the current state of our schools cannot change without effective leadership like that of Teach For America corps members and alumni.
- Michelle Rhee (Corps ’92), Chancellor, D.C. Public Schools
Teach For America • D.C. Region is playing a critical role in improving schools and communities. This year, a corps of 290 of the nation’s top recent college graduates is working in underserved schools across the D.C. Region to ensure that students facing the challenges of poverty are given the educational opportunities they deserve. Our alumni are leaders in the classroom, in education more broadly, and across all sectors. Together, they are making educational equity a reality in the D.C. Region. Learn about living and teaching in Washington, D.C.’s greater metropolitan area.
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Recent press releases
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During the 2008-09 school year, 290 corps members are directly impacting the lives of more than 15,000 students in the D.C. Region. Florence McLeod Davis is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
Florence McLeod Davis (D.C. Region Corps '07) |
At the beginning of the year, Florence McLeod Davis’ (Corps ’07) ninth grade students were significantly behind in reading, math, and science. On average, her students were reading at a seventh grade level and performing at a sixth grade level in math. Florence set ambitious goals for her students and created a learning environment rooted in high expectations. By the year’s end, 90 percent of Florence’s students were at the ninth grade level in both reading and math, and her students were performing at a tenth grade level in science. Every day, D.C. Region corps members like Florence reach our area’s most underserved students and work relentlessly to ensure that they excel academically.
Principal Satisfaction
*"Teach For America 2007 National Principal Survey,” Policy Studies Associates, July 2007.
Impact on Student
Achievement
A growing body of research shows that corps members have a positive impact on their students' achievement. Read more about our impact.
Student Profile*
*Percentages vary depending on school district
D.C. Region: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | % of Corps* |
|---|---|
| Pre-K, Kindergarten | 4% |
| Elementary School, Lower (1-2) | 17% |
| Elementary School, Upper (3-5) | 19% |
| Secondary Math | 17% |
| Secondary English | 15% |
| Secondary Science | 17% |
| Secondary Social Studies | 13% |
*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 1,200 Teach For America • D.C. Region alumni pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
Teach For America alumni fuel our area’s pipeline for educational leadership. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee (Corps '92) leads a senior team, including Deputy Chancellor Kaya Henderson (Corps '92) and Jason Kamras (Corps '96), the city’s first-ever National Teacher of the Year. Abigail Smith (Corps '92) serves as the mayor’s education policy advisor, and Sekou Biddle (Corps '93) is one of five elected D.C. state school board members. More than 10 percent of the city’s schools are now run by alumni, including KIPP D.C., a network of high-performing charter schools run by Susan Schaeffler (Corps '92). Together, our alumni are changing the face of education in the D.C. Region.
Growing Our Impact: Funding Needs, 2007-2011
Each additional recruit is another dedicated teacher for children growing up in low-income communities in the D.C. Region, 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 region.
| Year | Corps Size | Total Revenue Needs |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 242 | $3.6 million |
| 2008 | 300* | $5.9 million* |
| 2009 | 375* | $7.8 million* |
| 2010 | 400* | $9.4 million* |
| 2011 | 500* | $10.5 million* |
*projected |
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We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in the D.C. Region. 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.
To support Teach For America • D.C. Region with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Teach For America • D.C. Region
Emily Barton, Executive Director
Yoav Lurie, Managing Director, Development
1411 K Street, NW, 12th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
p 202-465-7800, f 202-465-7801
emily.barton@teachforamerica.org
yoav.lurie@teachforamerica.org
Emily Barton is the executive director of Teach For America • D.C. Region, overseeing the region’s programmatic and development efforts and forging new partnerships to strengthen the region. Emily first joined Teach For America staff as the executive director of Teach For America • Connecticut, where she expanded the program to 115 teachers reaching over 10,000 students and raised over $2.4M to support development. A 2004 South Louisiana corps member, she led her seventh grade math students in Opelousas, La. to 1.8 years of growth in her first year in the classroom and 2.7 years of growth in her second. Emily earned a B.A. at Yale University.
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