History
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Corps and Alumni
Houston
Teach For America is unique in its ability to channel outstanding leadership into the education sector at an unparalleled rate. Throughout their teaching commitment, corps members operate on a mission to increase student achievement through whatever means necessary. Year after year, their passion and dedication distinguish them as some of our city’s finest teachers. We are proud to support Teach For America’s work in Houston.
- Nancy and Rich Kinder, Kinder Foundation
This year, more than 450 of the nation’s most promising future leaders are teaching in our city’s lowest-income classrooms as a part of Teach For America • Houston. They are working to ensure their students have the educational opportunities they deserve. Our alumni, a leadership force 700 strong, are working from within education and every professional sector to effect broader change. Together they are helping us make educational equity a reality in Houston. Learn about living and teaching in Houston.
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Corps Impact |
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Alumni Impact |
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Regiona Supporters |
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Press
Recent press releases
Recent press coverage
Corps Impact
During the 2009-10 school year, more than 450 corps members are directly impacting the lives of approximately 33,000 students in Houston. Paulette Escobar is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
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Paulette Escobar (Houston Corps '06) |
Paulette teaches third grade bilingual students at Windsor Village Elementary in the Houston Independent School District. At the beginning of her first year of teaching, her students were scoring 40 percent or less on benchmark tests for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). Paulette worked to invest her students and their parents in constantly measuring and celebrating their academic growth, such that her students began requesting more quizzes and tests in order to chart their improvement. Their hard work resulted in huge success: 95 percent of her students passed the TAKS, with nine students receiving a commended score; and her class grew multiple grade levels in reading and math on the Stanford 10, another assessment. Paulette intends to continue teaching while pursuing a master’s degree in dual language acquisition.
Principal Satisfaction
- 94 percent of recently-surveyed principals (in schools with Teach For America corps members) reported that they would hire another Teach For America teacher.
- 95 percent of principals surveyed regard Teach For America teachers as effective as, if not more effective than, other beginning teachers in terms of overall performance and impact on student achievement.*
*"Teach For America 2009 National Principal Survey,” Policy Studies Associates, July 2009.
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
- Students served who are eligible for free/reduced lunch: 82%
- Students served who are African-American and/or Latino: 88%
Houston: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | # of Corps Members | % of Corps |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 32 | 9% |
| Science | 42 | 12% |
| Special Education | 10 | 3% |
| Social Studies | 25 | 7% |
| English | 73 | 21% |
| Elementary | 123 | 35% |
| Early Childhood | 7 | 2% |
| Bilingual | 21 | 6% |
| English as a Second Language | 17 | 5% |
| Total | 350 | 100% |
*Percentages are rounded and may not add up to 100 percent.
Characteristics of the 2009 Corps
| Corps Profile |
|---|
| Average GPA: 3.6 |
| Average SAT: 1344 |
| Held leadership roles on campus: 89% |
| People of color: 30% |
*Percentage of senior classes who applied to Teach For America
Alumni Impact
Fostering Alumni Leadership for Systemic Change
As the number of corps members grows, so does our alumni base. By 2010, we will have over 765 Teach For America • Houston alumni pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
- Nationally, more than 60 percent of corps members continue to work in education,
including more than 200 who are school leaders. - 91 percent of all alumni report they are supporting Teach For America’s mission
through their career, volunteer activity or graduate study.
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Anthony Jewett (Corps '03) |
Anthony Jewett and Reid Whitaker are two of the many alumni continuing to work toward our vision in Houston. After teaching third grade dual-language for Teach For America, Anthony Founded Bardoli Global, Inc, a Houston-based social enterprise dedicated to dramatically increasing opportunities for historically underrepresented student leaders of color to participate in life-changing study abroad and international exchange programs.
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Jarrett (Reid) Whitaker (Corps '02) |
Jarrett Reid Whitaker began his career at Port Houston Elementary as a Teach For America • Houston corps member. For his exemplary campus leadership, Reid earned the H-E-B “Rising Star” Excellence in Education award in 2005 and went on to work as a science content specialist for the Houston Independent School District and the Rice University Center for Education. Reid is a graduate of the Houston A+ Challenge Critical Friends Coaching Training. In the summer of 2007—only five years after joining Teach For America—he accepted a principal position at Port Houston Elementary, making him one of the youngest principals in the district.
Regional Supporters
We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Houston. 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.
| Houston Regional Board |
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| Lori Vetters (Chair) Principal Mir-fox, Rodriguez, P.C |
| Laura Arnold President Arnold Family Foundation |
| Bill Berry Retired Executive VP, Exploration and Production ConocoPhillips |
| Leslie Blanton Community Volunteer |
| Cathy Chapman Owner Chapman Design |
| Paul Chapman Executive VP, Chief Development Officer Belmont Village, L.P. |
| Marty Goossen President, Houston Region JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. |
| Bob Graham Retired, Former Chairman, AIM Investments |
| Ben Guill Retired President First Reserve Corporation |
| Ann Kennedy Former Executive Director/CEO Houston Symphony |
| Neda Ladjevardian Community Volunteer |
| D. Mark Leland Executive VP and CFO El Paso Corporation |
| Lisa Mathis Community Volunteer |
| Anne Mendelsohn Associate to the President MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| Bonnie New, M.D. Environmental & Occupational Health Consulting |
| Mariloli Odum Community Volunteer |
| Eric Pulaski Chairman and CEO SmartVault Corporation |
| Douglas M. Selman Retired Vice President, Research and Development ExxonMobil Chemical Company |
| Josephine Smith Community Volunteer |
| Y. Ping Sun Of Counsel Yetter, Warden & Coleman LLP University Representative Rice University |
| Phoebe Tudor Community Volunteer |
| Fran Vallejo Vice President and Treasurer ConocoPhillips |
Contact
To support Teach For America • Houston with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Executive Director
Terry Bruner
Executive Director
4669 Southwest Freeway
Suite 600
Houston, TX 77027
p 713-523-4100 x15, f 713-523-5454
terry.bruner@teachforamerica.org
Development
Aisha Crumbine
Managing Director, Development
4669 Southwest Freeway
Suite 600
Houston, TX 77027
p 713-523-4100 x49, f 713-523-5454
aisha.crumbine@teachforamerica.org
To support Teach For America • Houston with an individual gift or donation, please contact:
Sharma Shackleford
Manager, Individual Giving
4669 Southwest Freeway
Suite 600
Houston, TX 77027
p 713-523-4100 x47, f 713-523-5454
sharma.shackleford@teachforamerica.org
To request information about corporate and foundation support or corporate involvement with Teach For America • Houston, please contact:
Jessica Like
Manager, Corporate and Foundation Relations
4669 Southwest Freeway
Suite 600
Houston, TX 77027
p 713-523-4100 x40, f 713-523-5454
jessica.like@teachforamerica.org
To learn more about corps member placement and certification, please contact:
Karrie Aldrich
Director, District Strategy
4669 Southwest Freeway
Suite 600
Houston, TX 77027
p 713-523-4100 x32, f 713-523-5454
karrie.aldrich@teachforamerica.org
To learn more about alumni affairs and school leadership, please contact:
Erica Lee
Director, Alumni Affairs
4669 Southwest Freeway
Suite 600
Houston, TX 77027
p 713-523-4100 x39, f 713-523-5454
erica.lee@teachforamerica.org
