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Miami-Dade
We are thrilled with our growing partnership with Teach for America and we see our working together as critical to raising achievement in our most fragile schools.
- Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
The Teach For America corps members are part of a vital strategy to eliminate the achievement gap in Miami-Dade. They bring unparalleled leadership, diversity, and skill into our classrooms, significantly advancing the high-need students of Miami-Dade County.
- Dennis Scholl, Director of Programs, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Teach For America represents equality in education. Their teachers demonstrate to our youth the importance of perseverance in order to overcome overwhelming obstacles. They reinforce that every child has the right to learn, with no exceptions, and dedicate their lives to helping all children achieve academic success.
- David P. Samson, President, Florida Marlins and the Florida Marlins Community Foundation
Teach For America • Miami-Dade is playing a critical role in improving schools and communities. This year, a corps of nearly 100 of the nation’s top recent college graduates is working in underserved schools across Miami-Dade 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 Miami-Dade. Learn about living and teaching in Miami-Dade.
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Corps Impact |
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Alumni Impact |
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Regional Supporters |
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Executive Director |
Press
Recent press releases
Recent press coverage
Corps Impact
During the 2009-10 school year, nearly 100 corps members are directly impacting the lives of approximately 7,000 students in Miami-Dade. Kelli Valdez is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
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Kelli Valdez (Miami-Dade Corps '07) |
When Kelli Valdez (Corps ‘07) began teaching second grade at Chapman Elementary, not one of her students was reading on grade level. Undeterred, Kelli set high expectations for her class, aiming for 1.5 grade levels of growth for the year. The class monitored its progress using bar graphs, and Kelli also volunteered at an after-school program to give her students additional help. By year’s end, Kelli’s students surpassed their goal by growing, on average, two full grade levels in reading. One student, Luis, entered Kelli’s classroom unable to read or write in English, and was at a second grade reading level when he left. Like Kelli, our corps members are working throughout Miami-Dade to give students the academic opportunities they deserve.
Principal Satisfaction
- 97 percent of recently-surveyed principals (in schools with Teach For America corps members) reported that they would hire another Teach For America teacher.
- 97 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
A growing body of research shows that corps members have a positive impact on their students' achievement. Read more about our impact.
Student Profile
- Students served who are eligible for free/reduced lunch: 80%
- Students served who are African-American and/or Latino: 97%
Miami-Dade: 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% |
Characteristics of the 2008 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 450 Teach For America • Miami-Dade 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 360 who are school leaders. - 93 percent of all alumni report they are supporting Teach For America’s mission
through their career, volunteer activity or graduate study.
Regional Supporters
We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Miami-Dade. 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 |
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| Maria Alonso SVP & Market Development Manager Bank of America |
| Marjorie Baron |
| C.L. Conroy (Chair of Friendship Circle) President The Conroy Martinez Group |
| Robert Gordon Senior Financial Advisor Investor Solutions |
| Evelyn Langlieb Greer Attorney Hogan, Greer & Shapiro |
| Jack Lowell (Chair) Vice Chairman Flagler Real Estate Services LLC |
| Leslie Saiontz Founder and Owner Kidding Around Stores |
| Karen Short Vice President of Operations Avisena |
| Elissa Vanaver Vice President, Human Resources Assistant to the Publisher Miami Herald Media Company |
| Stephen Vechitto Principal Advenir |
| Corporation, Foundation and Public Support Show more + |
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We thank the following lead corporate supporters for their extraordinary support of our work:
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$1,000,000 and above |
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| John S. and James L. Knight Foundation |
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$100,000 and above |
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| Helios Education Foundation Miami-Dade County Public Schools The Peacock Foundation |
Volunteer Florida, AmeriCorps Naresh Nagpal and the Nagpal Family |
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Contact
To support Teach For America • Miami-Dade with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Teach For America • Miami-Dade
Michelle Paul, Operations Coordinator
Marvin Rocha, Development Director
3252 NE 1st Avenue, Suite 212
Miami, Florida, 33137
p 786-245-8412, f 786-245-8418
michelle.paul@teachforamerica.org
marvin.rocha@teachforamerica.org
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Executive Director
Rebecca Fishman Lipsey manages the Teach For America • Miami-Dade region with 97 corps members who collectively reach more than 7,000 students in need each year. Rebecca has tripled community fundraising efforts, raising critical community awareness and support for solving the achievement gap in Miami-Dade. Under her leadership in 2008, 25% of corps members received or were nominated for the highest district honor for new teachers, the Rookie Teacher of the Year award. She began her work with Teach For America as a 2004 New York corps member. She led her 4th and 5th grade students to 1.5 years of growth in her first year of teaching and 1.77 years of growth in her second. Rebecca joined staff as a program director where her corps members demonstrated record breaking satisfaction levels. She then served as managing director of program overseeing approximately 200 teachers in their work with 6,000 students across Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. She maximized the program’s impact by fostering partnerships with principals, teachers, community members, and leaders in the educational reform movement. In her role as executive director, Rebecca is building a pathway to increase the impact and scale of the corps in Miami-Dade in partnership with an extraordinary staff, district team, and principals, to ensure that every child in the region has access to an extraordinary education. Rebecca was the valedictory speaker from her graduating class at the University of Pennsylvania and holds a M.Ed. from Bank Street College of Education.
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