Overview

Chicago has been called the most segregated city in the world. It is a city defined by stark demographic and neighborhood contrasts, and economic disparities are perpetuated by a school system unable to meet the needs of the city’s low-income and minority students.

In 2007, at north suburban Winnetka’s New Trier High School (in a high-income community), 86.7 percent of students met or exceeded state standards. At Harper High School on Chicago’s south side, where the majority of students qualify for free lunch, only 4.4 percent of students met or exceeded these same state standards.

Across Chicago and in Northwest Indiana, Teach For America – Chicago’s 399 corps members, 350 alumni teachers, and 28 alumni school leaders work tirelessly to eliminate these disparities and make a direct impact on the life paths of their students while simultaneously effecting long-term change on the Chicago area’s education system.

Life

Chicago has been, and still is, a prominent destination for people looking for new opportunities, both from within the United States and abroad. The city exemplifies this history through its 77 distinctive neighborhoods, which are shaped by traditions brought from countries such as Mexico, China, Germany, and Nigeria, among many others.

Corps members choose to live in a variety of neighborhoods, with some of the more popular choices being:

• Logan Square, a West Side neighborhood that is populated primarily by families and single professionals, and known for its picturesque boulevards, eclecticism, and affordable housing costs.
• Lakeview, the North Side neighborhood that is home to Wrigley Field, recent college graduates, and vibrant nightlife.
• Hyde Park, a lakefront community on Chicago's South Side, that is home to the DuSable Museum, the University of Chicago, and President Barack Obama.

Please note that all Chicago Public Schools teachers who work in traditional public schools (about 50 percent of the Chicago Corps) are required to live within the Chicago city limits. They have six months from the time of being hired to establish city residency.

Corps Culture

Chicago corps members eagerly take on this challenging work to provide educational equality for Chicago and Northwest Indiana’s students, and the cohesion of our regional movement helps each corps member persevere through these challenges. Chicago’s corps members, alumni, and regional staff work together to provide resources for collaboration, social support, and professional development, such as:

• Professional development days
• A mentoring program in which Chicago-area alumni mentor first-year corps members
• Learning Teams and Affinity Groups, which allow corps members with similar grade levels, content areas, backgrounds, etc. to support each other personally and professionally
• Vision Dinners, which give corps members the opportunities to share feedback on a variety of topics
• Social events organized by a committee of corps members

In addition to these structures, about 78 percent of our corps work in schools with other corps members or alumni, and many choose to share apartments with each other, too. On weekends and after school, our corps members often spend time together lesson planning at the local coffee shop, running and biking along the lakefront path, taking in live music of all genres at various venues, and enjoying great food and drinks in any of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.