How are school districts able to hire
corps members?
In all Teach For America regions, corps members are eligible to obtain state-issued teaching certificates, licenses, or permits, which enable school districts to hire them. Corps members must possess a bachelor's degree and demonstrate subject area mastery by completing undergraduate coursework and/or passing certain tests, and typically corps members must enroll in state-approved coursework. The tests and coursework vary in each region and for each position and, while it is ultimately each corps member's responsibility to ensure that he/she is on track to meet the requirements in his/her region, Teach For America works with school districts, states, and schools of education to ensure that corps members have access to coursework, test information, and preparation tools to meet these requirements.
How are corps members considered to be "highly
qualified teachers" as defined by No Child Left Behind?
The No Child Left Behind Act defines a highly qualified teacher as one who holds a bachelor’s degree, has full state certification, and has demonstrated subject area competence in each subject taught (typically by passing a test or completing undergraduate coursework). For the purposes of No Child Left Behind, teachers who are participating in an alternative route program to teacher certification may be considered to meet the "full state certification" requirements for highly qualified teacher status if they are permitted by the state to assume functions as a regular classroom teacher and demonstrate satisfactory progress toward full certification in their programs. The requirements for alternative teaching certification programs vary by region. Read more about certification in each of our regions.
Will I be certified after my two years?
In many cases, the ongoing coursework that corps members take as part of their region’s alternative teaching program leads to full certification by the end of the two years. In other cases, corps members choose to take additional coursework beyond their two-year commitment to become fully certified. Most Teach For America regional offices have established partnerships with universities, districts, or other alternative routes to certification programs to facilitate corps members’ work toward certification and in many regions corps members are also able to earn master’s degrees within the two years. Learn about certification in each of our regions.
How does Teach For America prepare teachers to excel in the classroom?
Over the past 18 years, through rigorous research and evaluation, Teach For America has developed a clear understanding of how successful teachers in low-income communities attain exceptional results with students. We use this knowledge base and experience to identify individuals who have the potential to excel, and to develop a pre-service training and two-year professional development program that enables more corps members to have a powerful impact on the academic and life prospects of their students.
Corps members complete 25 – 30 hours of independent work and observation of experienced teachers before attending a local orientation to the schools and communities in which they will be teaching and a rigorous five-week summer training institute. At the institute, corps members teach in summer school programs in local school districts, receive feedback from veteran teachers, and participate in a regimen of seminars and practice sessions designed to build the capabilities required to advance student achievement. Corps members typically describe the institute as intense, challenging, and rewarding.
Click here to learn more about summer preparation institutes.
Click here for the institute schedule.
Building on their pre-service training, Teach For America works with corps members through a two-year program of teacher support and professional development. Full-time program directors observe corps members at least four times per year, reflect with them on student progress towards goals, and problem-solve with them to improve their practice. In addition, corps members receive toolkits that include sample assessments, standards, and teaching resources appropriate for their particular grade level, subject and district; meet periodically in content-area, grade-level groups to share best practices; and complete coursework toward full teacher certification and master’s degrees.
Click here to learn more about our ongoing professional development support.
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