Over 5,000,000 people from all over the globe call Houston home, making this one of our country’s most ethnically and culturally diverse metropolitan areas. Houston holds the headquarters of 22 Fortune 500 companies and the offices of many others; it boasts the country’s largest medical center, five professional sports teams and the second-largest theater district in the country.
Despite the tremendous prosperity of the city, 72 percent of students attending public schools live in poverty, and 30 percent are learning English as a second language. In 2008, 400 corps members will work to change the academic prospects of nearly 37,000 Houston students.
| Quick Stats |
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| Site Since: 1991 |
| Corps Size: 338 |
| Average yearly temperature: 67.9° |
| Car: Access to car is essential |
Salary: See cost of living  |
Want to know more about life as corps member? Visit our corps member perspective page for videos, photo galleries, and more.
Corps members in Houston immerse themselves in their community’s culture.
Houston boasts an international community and world-class entertainment, dining, and recreational options. What’s more, Houston’s cost of living is the second lowest among urban regions in the United States, meaning that corps members can afford to live as they wish. On average, first-year teachers in Houston earn a relatively high teacher’s salary of $40,000. They inhabit urban lofts and apartment complexes in the center of the city, Victorian homes, and spacious housing near Rice University.
Because corps members usually find housing before they know their school placements, they tend to reside within the 80 square miles that comprise the center of the city. More than half share living spaces with other teachers. Corps members frequently live with each other and explore the city’s global cuisine and myriad recreational options together. On the weekends, corps members may lesson plan together at Onion Creek Cafe, run in Memorial Park, or discover a new ethnic restaurant in the Montrose district. For entertainment, they can root for the Astros, enjoy live local music, take in a free opera at Miller Outdoor Theater, or meet up with other corps members at one of hundreds of local nightspot.
For more information on life in Houston, please click on Dwight Vidale’s video clip on our Corps Member Perspectives page.
Houston staff members develop strong professional relationships with each corps member through classroom observations and one-on-one meetings. Throughout the year, past corps members and other professionals who excel in the classroom lead corps members in workshops designed to target customized areas for teacher improvement. The Houston corps’ focus on rapidly improving teaching skills pays off — our corps members are having a tremendous impact on their students' academic performance, even in the most challenging situations.
For more information on our program director support system, please view Angelica Taliaferro’s video clip on our Corps Member Perspectives page.
Houston corps members make a difference inside their classrooms as well as in their community. In 2006-07, current corps members reported holding almost 150 leadership roles while teaching at their placement campuses. Some corps members accept campus-wide or community-based leadership roles after their two-year commitment. Former corps members comprise a number of the staff members and school leaders at local schools for youth from low-income homes.
Other corps members find opportunities to leverage community awareness and support of Teach For America’s mission to become future leaders at financial institutions, research facilities, universities, and area businesses after their two-year commitment. Recent alumni have pursued careers in medicine, journalism, business, law, and public policy. Because of Houston’s strong community support for corps members and high corps member success rates, our corps members are positioned for success during and after their two years in the classroom.
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