Nashville
Overview
As members of a site in only its second year, Nashville corps members will have the opportunity to greatly influence and lead the region’s movement toward educational equality. Nashville corps members will help shape and set the vision for Teach For America’s role within a new community and school system. Additionally, Nashville corps members will join a deeply committed community of reformers looking to Teach For America to play a vital role in education reform in the city.
Nashville is home to 24 post-secondary institutions, making education a priority for residents and city leaders. Despite the regional focus on education, the Metropolitan Nashville Public School District struggles with an achievement gap across socio-economic lines. Now, civic leaders are calling on Teach For America to join the local effort to eliminate educational inequity in the region. In fact, Mayor Karl Dean notes that the city will “focus, number one, on schools” during his time as mayor of Nashville. True to this statement, he has remained committed to improving the public school system and working with local leaders to make necessary changes, such as bringing a Teach For America corps.
Life
Nashville is an electric city with a large community of young professionals. Home of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the annual CMA Music Festival, and the headquarters of several music associations, it isn’t surprising that Nashville is known as “Music City.” Live music is plentiful and easy to find in all genres on every night of the week. Nashville is also an exciting place to enjoy professional and college sports.
Nashville is a very affordable city, and corps members should have no trouble affording an exciting and comfortable lifestyle with their teaching salary. Metropolitan Nashville is divided into over a dozen communities, each with its own unique character and style. Because the Metropolitan Nashville Public School District covers the large metropolitan area, corps members will most likely want to live near their school site and will likely need a car in order to get to and from school and enjoy the broad range of activities in the city.
Convenience and hospitality are some of the many highlights of Nashville. In one minute, you can be in downtown eating or shopping and ten minutes later be at a farm outside of Nashville riding horses. Parts of East Nashville are quickly becoming more popular: houses are being redone and new restaurants and bars are opening. All of these areas are a 10 – 15 minute drive from the schools Nashville corps members teach in and are great places to unwind after a day in the classroom.
Corps Culture
Corps members are welcomed by a committed community of educational and civic leaders in Nashville who are dedicated to education and social reform in the city. Once in Nashville, corps members can expect to participate in all-corps gatherings, exchange best teaching practices with other corps members of the same grade level or content area, and attend cultural and social gatherings with colleagues and friends. Being a smaller corps has many advantages. As stated by Mansi Kachalia (Nashville Corps ’09), “ We plan get-togethers as often as possible and have started to form great friendships. The stresses of a new job and a new city have been lessened because of the bonds we are forming.”
Teaching
The Metro Nashville Public School District is in a time of great transition. As a result of declining student achievement, the state of Tennessee instituted a partial takeover of the management of the school system. A quick snapshot of the urgency of the situation comes with a simple comparison with Williamson County Schools, a contiguous suburb of Nashville. In 2007, more than 90 percent of students in Williamson County passed the Algebra I Gateway exam (a state-wide graduation requirement) with more than 70 percent scoring at the “advanced” level; in Metro Nashville, only 60 percent passed and only 20 percent scored at the “advanced” level. Corps members presently teach in more than 20 schools in the district.
View a map of our placement areas.
Certification and Testing
In order to begin teaching, Nashville corps members are required to take and pass exams called The PRAXIS Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers. Specific tests vary according to position.
Nashville corps members can become licensed to teach after taking four courses through our university partner, Lipscomb University. Corps members can also choose to earn a Master of Education (M.Ed.), which requires students to take as few as four courses in addition to the licensure coursework, depending on the concentration area. Both programs combine Teach For America’s required professional development with practical, applied coursework.
It is possible that corps members could attain both certification and a Master’s degree during their two years. However, corps members pursuing a Master’s degree will likely choose to take summer coursework to reduce their course load during the school year. Lipscomb University offers corps members a 26 percent discount in tuition.
Placements
| Elementary |
25% |
| Secondary |
75% |
| Teach at a school with another corps member or alumnus |
81% |
Placements Available
-
elementary
-
social studies/history
-
math
-
science
-
English Language Arts
-
ELL
-
Spanish and French
|
Living and Education Expenses
Salary and Taxes
| Salary |
$34,000 |
| Taxes |
19.79% |
Cost of Living
| Housing Single |
$700 - $900 |
| Housing Shared |
$400 - $550 |
| Health Insurance |
$108 |
| Utilities |
$60 |
| Daycare |
$640 / month |
| Monthly Tranist Pass |
$78 |
| Car Insurance |
$68 |
| Car Required |
Access to car is essential |
Start-up Costs
| Testing Costs |
$340 |
| Up-front Certification Costs |
$400 |
| How do you pay start-up costs? |
Out-of-pocket |
Ongoing Costs through the Two-year Commitment
| Ongoing Certification Costs |
$6,400 |
| Use AmeriCorps award for testing/certification costs? |
No |
| How is teaching certification structured in this state/region? |
1 year - Through University |
| 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 |
$6,200 - $9,300 |
| Partner Universities |
Lipscomb University |
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.
