Thousands of Louisiana children have received a quality education and have gone on to college because of Teach For America.
-Former U.S. Senator John Breaux of Louisiana
This year, a corps of more than 70 of the nation’s most promising future leaders are teaching in our city’s lowest-income classrooms as a part of Teach For America • South Louisiana. 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 South Louisiana. Learn about living and teaching in South Louisiana.
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Corps Impact | |
Alumni Impact | |
Financial Sustainability | |
Regional Supporters | |
Contact Us | |
Executive Director |
Recent press releases
Recent press coverage
During the 2007-08 school year, over 70 corps members are directly impacting the lives of more than 6,000 students in South Louisiana. Emily Everett is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
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Emily Everett (Corps '06) |
Emily Everett teaches second grade at Scotlandville Elementary in East Baton Rouge Parish. At the beginning of her first year, Emily was faced with a distressing example of just how early the achievement gap forms: 48 percent of her class was reading on a kindergarten level. Determined to change this, Emily created reading plans that combined kindergarten, first, and second grade skills. Realizing that no student could truly grasp three years of content in a normal school day, Emily provided extensive tutoring after school and on weekends. As a result, her students ended their second grade year reading, on average, at a third grade level. Emily’s students are experiencing the power of our movement in South Louisiana.
South Louisiana : Our Impact on Students and Schools Today
| School Year | Corps Members | Students Reached |
|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | 77 | 6,545 |
| 2007-08 | 74 | 6,290 |
| 2008-09 | 95* | 8,075* |
* projected |
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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
South Louisiana : Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | # of Corps Members | % of Corps |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 10 | 13.5% |
| Science | 12 | 16.2% |
| Special Education | 14 | 18.9% |
| English | 12 | 16.2% |
| Elementary | 25 | 33.8% |
| Foreign Language | 1 | 1.4% |
| Total | 74 | 100% |
| Urban | 39 | 52.7% |
| Rural | 35 | 47.3% |
| Total | 74 | 100% |
*Percentages are rounded and may not add up 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% |
Tulane University: 4% |
| People of color: 28% | Louisiana State University: 1% |
*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 775 Teach For America • South Louisiana alumni pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
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Ramsey Green (South Louisiana Corps '01) |
Ramsey Green is one of the many alumni who continue to work toward our vision. As a corps member, Ramsey taught high school social studies in Franklin, Louisiana. Following his two-year commitment, he pursued a master of public administration degree at the University of Pennsylvania before returning to become the education policy director for the Louisiana Recovery Authority in Baton Rouge. Ramsey is now helping to rebuild devastated schools as the budget director for the Recovery School District. Through this position, he maintains his commitment to Teach For America’s mission of educational equity for all students.
Growing Our Impact: Funding Needs, 2007-2009
Each additional recruit is another dedicated teacher for children
growing up in low-income communities in South Louisiana,
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2007-08 |
74 |
$820,000 |
| 2008-09 |
95* |
$1 million* |
| 2009-10 |
105* |
$1.2 million* |
*projected |
We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in South Louisiana. 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 |
|---|
| Cordell Haymon (Chairman) Vice-President SGS Petroleum Service Corporation |
| Scott Ridley (Vice Chairman) Senior Vice President Regional Manager Business Banking Capital One, N.A. |
| Murphy Bell Attorney At Law Jackson and Bell Law Firm |
| Ty E. Carlos Vice-President JPMorgan Chase |
| Michael Gaudet CFO, Polymer Additives Albemarle Corporation |
| Willie Johnson Senior Vice-President of Community Development Baton Rouge Area Chamber |
| Dan Juneau (Emeritus) President Louisiana Association of Business and Industry |
| Linda Lightfoot Community Volunteer |
| Roger Moser Community Volunteer |
| Donna Saurage Community Volunteer |
| Harold Schoeffler Owner Manager Schoeffler Cadillac |
| Joseph G. “Joe” Simmons Attorney At Law |
| Karen Soniat Director, Communications and External Relations Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center |
| Larry Wilkinson Chemist ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Co. |
| Joanna Wurtele Community Volunteer |
| Lori Bertman (emerita) Bertman and Associates |
| William Jenkins (emeritus) Louisiana State University |
| Nanette Noland (emerita) The Powell Group |
| Jennifer Eplett Reilly (emerita) JER and Co. |
| Mary Ann Sternberg (emerita) Louisiana State University |
To support Teach For America • South Louisiana with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Teach For America • South Louisiana
Michael Tipton, Executive Director
P.O. Box 65148
Baton Rouge, LA 70896
p 225.381.8163, f 225.381.8234
michael.tipton@teachforamerica.org
Michael Tipton joined Teach For America's staff in 2007 after cofounding and teaching for two years at Mott Hall Bronx High School in New York City. As a teacher, he created a team-taught and thematically based humanities program integrating freshman-level English and American history content, and ultimately led his students to an average increase of three years in American history proficiency as measured by the New York State Regents Exam. In addition, Tipton created an after-school economics program that prepared students for the rigors of the International Baccalaureate program, coordinated the school's service learning program, and served as the student council advisor. He graduated summa cum laude from Louisiana State University with dual degrees in political science and history and completed his M.S. in teaching social studies at Pace University in New York.
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