Teach For America brings the best and the brightest young people to our communities in Philadelphia and Camden. As these young people teach in our highest-need schools and become life-long leaders in our communities, Teach For America corps members are building a movement to close the educational achievement gap that exists right here in Philadelphia and Camden. We need more Teach For America teachers and alumni in our region.
- Bob Hall, Regional Advisory Board Chair, Greater Philadelphia-Camden
This year, a corps of nearly 300 of the nation’s most promising future leaders are teaching in our city’s lowest-income communities as a part of Teach For America • Greater Philadelphia-Camden. 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 Greater Philadelphia-Camden. Learn about living and teaching in Greater Philadelphia-Camden.
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During the 2007-08 school year, nearly 300 corps members are directly impacting the lives of more than 24,000 students in Greater Philadelphia and Camden. Stephanie Washam is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
Stephanie Washam (Greater Philadelphia-Camden Corps '06) |
Stephanie Washam teaches pre-K at Acelero Learning in Camden, NJ. Knowing that many of her students would be starting school with lower competencies in language and math, Stephanie decided to run a workshop before school that focused on small group literacy and math reinforcement. In this smaller setting, she was able to provide struggling students one-on-one instruction while following objective-centered activities. The morning program proved successful, as Stephanie tracked significant increases in the math and literacy scores of her students attending the morning sessions. At the end of her first year in the classroom, 100 percent of the 4-year-olds and 80 percent of the 3-year-olds Stephanie taught met the state pre-K standards for kindergarten readiness.
Greater Philadelphia-Camden: Our Impact on Students and Schools Today
| School Year | Corps Members | Students Reached |
|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | 260 | 22,100 |
| 2007-08 | 294 | 24,990 |
| 2009-10 | 300-400* | 25,000-34,000* |
*projected |
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
Greater Philadelphia-Camden: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | # of Corps Members | % of Corps |
|---|---|---|
| Early Childhood | 8 | 2.7% |
| Elementary | 39 | 13.3% |
| English | 62 | 21.1% |
| Mathematics | 62 | 21.1% |
| Science | 56 | 19.0% |
| Social Studies | 23 | 7.8% |
| Spanish | 7 | 2.4% |
| Special Education | 36 | 12.2% |
| Other | 1 | 0.3% |
| Total | 294 | 100% |
*Percentages are rounded and may not addup to 100 percent.
Characteristics of the 2007 Corps
| Corps Profile | Top alma maters by market share* |
|---|---|
| Average GPA: 3.6 | Duke University, Spelman College, University of Chicago: 10% |
| Average SAT: 1321 | University of Notre Dame, Rhodes College: 9% |
| Held leadership
roles on campus: 95% |
Princeton University: 7% |
| People of color: 28% | Georgetown University, Stanford: 6% |
*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 700 Teach For America alumni in Greater Philadelphia and Camden pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
Nick Torres (New York City Corps '93) |
Kelli Seaton (Greater Philadelphia-Camden Corps '04) |
Nick Torres and Kelli Seaton are just two of the many alumni making incredible progress towards our vision in Greater Philadelphia and Camden. Nick taught a third and fourth grade bilingual class in the Bronx, NY. He is now the president of Congreso de Latinos Unidos, a Philadelphia agency dedicated to strengthening Latino communities through a variety of social services, including health, education, leadership development, and advocacy. Kelli taught English for three years at Martin Luther King High School in the West Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia. She was recently named principal of the newest charter school run by Mastery, a network of high-performing charter schools in Philadelphia.
Growing Our Impact: Funding Needs, 2006-2010
Each additional recruit is another dedicated teacher for children growing up in low-income communities in Greater Philadelphia-Camden, 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 | Revenue Needs |
|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | 260 | $3 million |
| 2007-08 | 294 | $3.185 million |
| 2009-10 | 300-400* | $4.5-6.0 million* |
*projected |
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We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Greater Philadelphia-Camden. 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.
| Greater Philadelphia-Camden Advisory Board |
|---|
| Robert J. (Bob) Hall (Chair) Senior Vice President and Philadelphia Complex Manager UBS Financial Services |
| Philip H. Behr Managing Partner Behr Capital Partners |
| James M. Buck III Partner TDH / Private Equity Management Company |
| Susan S. Burch Community Leader Gladwyne, PA |
| Howard A. Burde Partner Blank Rome LLP |
| John Coyne (Chair Emeritus) President Brinker Capital Holdings and Brinker Capital Securities |
| Edward A. Montgomery, Jr. Vice President United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania |
| Therese M. Obringer Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer Lincoln Financial Group |
To support Teach For America • Greater Philadelphia-Camden with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Teach For America • Greater Philadelphia-Camden
Mike Wang, Executive Director
Mamie Doyle, Development Director
714 Market Street, Suite 420
Philadelphia, PA 19106
p 215-592-9260, f 215-592-9261
mike.wang@teachforamerica.org
mamie.doyle@teachforamerica.org
Mike was a 1999 South Louisiana corps member where he taught reading and world geography to high school students. After teaching for two years, he served as education policy advisor to Louisiana Governor Mike Foster, working on the creation and expansion of a statewide pre-kindergarten program for low-income children, the expansion of Louisiana's charter school laws, and the implementation of No Child Left Behind. Mike subsequently served as director of policy for Louisiana's Lt. Governor and as the executive director of the Louisiana Serve Commission, where he oversaw the state's AmeriCorps programs. Immediately prior to joining Teach For America as Greater Philadelphia-Camden's executive director, Mike worked at Blank Rome LLP, the Philadelphia law firm, and at McKinsey & Co., the strategic consulting firm. Mike is currently in the process of completing his J.D. at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and was recently selected as a recipient of the Philadelphia Business Journal's 40 Under 40 Award.
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