Houston
Overview
Over 5 million people from all over the globe call Houston home, making it the fourth most populous city in the nation and 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, 80 percent of students attending public schools live in poverty, and 30 percent are learning English as a second language. In 2009, over 450 corps members will work to change the academic prospects of nearly 42,000 Houston students.
Life
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. All those things lead to Houston being named the Best City to Live, Work and Play by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.
On average, first-year teachers in Houston earn a relatively high teacher’s salary of $43,000. They inhabit urban lofts and apartment complexes in the center of the city, Victorian homes in the Heights and Montrose, and spacious housing near Rice University. 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 nightspots.
Corps Culture
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 professionals lead corps members in workshops designed to target customized areas for teacher improvement. 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 an impact in their community as well. In 2008-2009, current corps members reported holding almost 175 leadership roles while teaching at their placement campuses. Some corps members accept campus-wide or community-based leadership roles after their two-year commitment.
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.
Teaching
The Houston Independent School District (HISD), which serves almost 210,000 students, is the largest public school system in Texas. While HISD has made significant progress, the achievement gap still exists in Houston's low-income communities. HISD has the highest dropout rate in the state of Texas, with students from low-income homes comprising over 70 percent of high school dropouts. Among 10th graders in 2008, 77 percent of Caucasian students in HISD met grade-level requirements on state-administered exams, while only 35 percent of African-American students and 41 percent of Hispanic students met minimum grade-level standards on the same exams.
Despite the enormous challenges facing their students, corps members work to build better life opportunities for youth at their schools. According to a recent principal satisfaction survey, ninety-eight percent of principals in the Houston region consider Teach For America teachers at least as effective as the overall teaching faculty with respect to their impact on student achievement.
Approximately one-fifth of the 2009 corps works in two public charter school networks for youth from low-income homes: KIPP and YES Prep Public schools, both founded by Teach For America Alumni. Working in these charter school networks provides our corps members with incredible insight into what is possible for students from low-income homes given high expectations and a willingness to work hard for the best outcome.
View a map of our placement areas.
Certification and Testing
According to Texas state law, any uncertified teacher must be enrolled in an Alternative Certification Program (ACP) in order to enter the classroom.
All Houston corps members are required to participate in an Alternative Certification Program (ACP), in which they become certified in one year. Houston corps members gain teaching certification by participating in the ACP determined by their district. After completing all requirements of ACP, corps members receive a five-year Texas Teaching Certificate.
Houston Independent School District’s ACP includes a college coursework component, which allows corps members to take between three and five courses at the University of St. Thomas specific to their content and certification area.
Certification costs range from $4,900 to $6,700, which can be deducted from corps members' paychecks. Additionally, corps members have the opportunity to begin a master's program at a local university during their two-year corps commitment. Applicants assigned to teach in Houston will receive more information about certification exams once accepted.
Placements
| Elementary |
41% |
| Secondary |
59% |
| Teach at a school with another corps member or alumnus |
95% |
Placements Available
-
general subject elementary
-
specific subject secondary
-
special education
-
bilingual
|
Living and Education Expenses
Salary and Taxes
| Salary |
$38,500 - $45,000 |
| Taxes |
15.1% - 16.53% |
Cost of Living
| Housing Single |
$700 - $1,000 |
| Housing Shared |
$400 - $800 |
| Health Insurance |
$140 |
| Utilities |
$60 |
| Daycare |
$500 / month |
| Monthly Tranist Pass |
N/A |
| Car Insurance |
$83 |
| Car Required |
Access to car is essential |
Start-up Costs
| Testing Costs |
$120 - $240 |
| Up-front Certification Costs |
$350 |
| How do you pay start-up costs? |
TGL |
Ongoing Costs through the Two-year Commitment
| Ongoing Certification Costs |
$4,900 - $6,700 |
| Use AmeriCorps award for testing/certification costs? |
No |
| How is teaching certification structured in this state/region? |
1 year - Through training partner |
| Is it possible to complete a master's degree at the end of two years? |
Yes |
| Is the completion of a master's degree required as part of the two-year commitment? |
No |
| Extra Master's Degree Costs |
Varies Greatly |
| Partner Universities |
University of St. Thomas or University of Houston |
Notes and Clarifications
- Beginning teacher salary: If you have a master's degree in education, are placed in a bilingual classroom, or in a math/science classroom you may receive additional compensation.
- Avg. health insurance: In some placement districts, health insurance premiums are pre-tax deductions.
- Total tax rate: Federal + state + city. Only applies to starting salaries.
- Up-front certification: Expenses that must be paid before your first day of teaching.
- Paying start-up costs: Can you pay for testing and up-front certification costs with transitional grants and loans or do you have to pay out-of-pocket?
- Ongoing certification: Total certification costs over two-year teaching commitment.
- AmeriCorps award for certification: Can you use your AmeriCorps award to pay testing/certification costs?
- Master's in two years: Is it possible to complete a master's degree at the end of two years?
- Master's required: Is the completion of a master's degree required as part of the two-year commitment?
- Extra master's degree costs: Additional total cost to obtain a master's degree (on top of ongoing certification costs); does not include AmeriCorps award.
- Partner university(ies): These universities partner with Teach For America for ongoing certification requirements, and in some cases, the fulfillment of a master's degree in education.
