Phoenix
Overview
State and community leaders are committed to altering the outlook of Arizona’s most disadvantaged students and have welcomed corps members to greater Phoenix for the past 15 years. During that time, the corps size has ballooned to over 300 teachers and Phoenix alumni have become vehicles of change at the school, local, and state levels. With a robust environment that rewards fresh ideas and perseverance, the time to affect change on Arizona’s neediest kids has truly arrived.
Life
Phoenix continues to be extremely affordable for its corps members, especially when measured against the expenses of living in other large cities. Corps members can elect to comfortably live in historic, central city neighborhoods, leafy suburban streets, or amenity-rich apartment developments. As America’s fifth largest city, Phoenix offers renowned art institutions, a truly vibrant cultural scene, and a lively nightlife. The abundant sunshine lends itself to true outdoor living at its best: there are over 100 city parks, 140 public tennis courts, 29 public swimming pools, eight municipal golf courses, and six mountain parks/preserves containing more than 100 miles of biking and hiking trails.
Corps Culture
Phoenix corps members, buoyed by the support of regional staff, take on tremendous ownership of their students’ achievement. Corps member led planning groups and mentor development programs provide a strong collaborative network where Phoenix corps members faithfully rally around one another in the pursuit of results.
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Phoenix’s unique Educational Leadership Series provides ongoing development for corps members both in the classroom and as educational leaders in their community.
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The annual Southwest Summit is an opportunity for Phoenix corps members to connect with the broader education movement and engage in sessions attended by corps members from Las Vegas Valley, New Mexico, and Colorado.
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Corps members can take part in Excellent School Visits where they have the opportunity to observe the successful practices of high-performing public and private schools.
With nearly 500 Teach For America alumni living and working in Arizona, the vibrant alumni community has become a launch point for corps members deciding to stay in education or explore other fields after their two years.
Teaching
Evidence of the achievement gap in Phoenix, specifically along socioeconomic and racial lines, is unmistakably clear:
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Third graders in Phoenix's Roosevelt Elementary School District scored at the 26th percentile in Language Arts Literacy on the nationally norm-referenced TerraNova exam. 95 percent of district students are Latino or African-American and 90 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
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Third graders in the more affluent Scottsdale Unified School District scored at the 75th percentile on the same exam. 77 percent of students in Scottsdale are White and only 20 percent are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
In response, Phoenix corps members have joined along side veteran teachers and administrators in their schools to create systematic plans to significantly increase these results. For the 2009-10 school year, Teach For America in Phoenix is broadening its impact in high-need areas. We have brought in the first cohort of early childhood education teachers and one-fourth of the Phoenix corps is teaching math or science. For the 2010-11 school year we are exploring teaching placements in surrounding communities within an hour’s drive of central Phoenix.
View a map of our placement areas.
Certification and Testing
While the requirements to become an Arizona teacher are rigorous, the benefits are immense. Corps members must pass the Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessment (AEPA), and through partnerships with Arizona State University and Rio Salado College over their two years, the majority of Phoenix corps members end their commitment as a fully certified Arizona teacher.
In Arizona, most corps members teach with the state’s Intern Certificate for two years and then, provided they have fulfilled all coursework and testing requirements, receive the state’s Provisional Certificate. For secondary and special education corps members who remain in Arizona beyond two years, the Arizona Department of Education offers a $5,000 Transition to Teaching grant on the first day of their third year of teaching.
Placements
| Pre-K |
4% |
| Elementary |
36% |
| Secondary |
37% |
| Special Education |
22% |
Placements Available
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12% mathematics
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13% science
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11% English
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3% social studies
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Living and Education Expenses
Salary and Taxes
| Salary |
$30,000 - $38,000 |
| Taxes |
17.06% - 18.33% |
Cost of Living
| Housing Single |
$650 - $1,000 |
| Housing Shared |
$450 - $600 |
| Health Insurance |
$40 |
| Utilities |
$60 |
| Daycare |
N/A / month |
| Monthly Tranist Pass |
$55 |
| Car Insurance |
$160 |
| Car Required |
Access to car is essential |
Start-up Costs
| Testing Costs |
$210 - $310 |
| Up-front Certification Costs |
$129 |
| How do you pay start-up costs? |
Out-of-pocket |
Ongoing Costs through the Two-year Commitment
| Ongoing Certification Costs |
$4,400 - $4,800 |
| Use AmeriCorps award for testing/certification costs? |
Yes |
| 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 |
$12,200 - $12,600 |
| Partner Universities |
Arizona State University or Rio Salado College |
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.
