Rio Grande Valley
Overview
The rich history of the Rio Grande Valley reflects a unique blend of Texan and Mexican customs, languages, and lifestyles.
Chad Richardson, professor of sociology at the University of Texas Pan-American, describes the Valley as a region where "rural meets urban, traditional confronts modern, enormous wealth grinds against abject poverty, and First World meets Third. Here, highly diverse groups mix, mesh, and mash into a kaleidoscope of cultural and social combinations."
Life
Corps members in the Rio Grande Valley reside in a three-county area encompassing 4,244 square miles of lakes, rivers, farmland, and beaches. One of the greatest advantages of living in this region is the diversity of housing options in any of the small or larger communities that line the Valley. The appealing features of each town vary, but many corps members choose to live in the towns of Brownsville, Weslaco, McAllen, Rio Grande City, and Roma because of proximity to their schools. There is ample shopping and dining on both sides of the border and the mountains of Mexico's interior are only a two-hour drive away. South Padre Island, one of the leading weekend getaways on the Gulf of Mexico, is just a short trip from anywhere in the Valley.
Corps Culture
The Teach For America • Rio Grande Valley corps is cohesive and focused on student success. In 2009, there are 196 corps members teaching in the Rio Grande Valley. In addition, there are over 100 Teach For America alumni still living in the region, with the vast majority still in the classroom. The entire Rio Grande Valley corps meets on a monthly basis for professional development meetings specifically designed to meet corps members' teaching needs and serve as a clearinghouse for sharing best practices and effective teaching strategies. On a regular basis, corps members, alumni, and local master teachers come together to collaborate on various aspects of excellent instruction. Corps members also have the opportunity to attend workshops at the regional education service center and observe exemplary teachers in Valley schools to further their own practice.
Teaching
The Rio Grande Valley is growing rapidly and is home to some of the poorest counties in the nation. A large number of corps members' students live in colonias (unincorporated neighborhoods often lacking in basic infrastructure such as paved roads, running water, and electricity), which hinders their ability to study or even get to school.
The achievement gap in Texas and the Rio Grande Valley is apparent when looking at student achievement across economic levels. Students who receive free and reduced price meals complete high school at a rate of just above 50 percent, compared to Highland Park, an upper-middle class area of Dallas, where roughly 98 percent of students complete high school.
Secondary corps members often assume the responsibility and leadership of Advanced Placement courses in our partner high schools, providing rigorous instruction that will help their students close the achievement gap in their post-secondary education. At the elementary level, Rio Grande Valley corps members work in primarily bilingual settings to provide their students with a foundation in literacy and math that will truly set them up for success.
View a map of our placement areas.
Certification and Testing
All Rio Grande Valley corps members become certified to teach within one year. They must enroll in an alternative certification program during their first year of teaching. This year, all Rio Grande Valley corps members are receiving Texas certification through Project P.a.C.E. (Preparing and Certifying Educators), an independent, state-certified program. If any corps members have already been certified in another state, we will work together to determine the best method of becoming certified in Texas. In previous cases, corps members have been able to automatically transfer, taken required tests, and have temporarily enrolled in an alternative certification program while their credentials were being reviewed.
The Project P.a.C.E. certification process mainly involves a year-long literacy seminar, which is designed to enhance literacy instruction in all grade levels and content areas. Along with these seminars, corps members are observed by a Project P.a.C.E. supervisor and a school-based mentor teacher. The average time commitment for Project P.a.C.E. is approximately four hours per month for a year.
For certification, corps members must also pass a state exam for teachers (TExES) in their content area during the Teach For America summer training institute, and the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities exam during their first year of teaching. Together, these tests cost approximately $164. In addition to certification, two percent of corps members go on to obtain a master's degree from the University of Texas - Pan America (UTPA) following their completion of alternative certification. The cost of the master's program is $9,500 (for non-Texas residents) or $2,500 (for Texas residents), and coursework can be completed in two years.
Placements
| Elementary |
24% |
| Secondary |
76% |
| Teach at a school with another corps member or alumnus |
98% |
Placements Available
-
general subject elementary
-
specific subject secondary (English, math, science, social studies)
-
special education
-
bilingual
|
Living and Education Expenses
Salary and Taxes
| Salary |
$36,100 - $40,500 |
| Taxes |
14.44% - 15.69% |
Cost of Living
| Housing Single |
$350 - $500 |
| Housing Shared |
$200 - $400 |
| Health Insurance |
$25 |
| Utilities |
$60 |
| Daycare |
$320 / month |
| Monthly Tranist Pass |
N/A |
| Car Insurance |
$130 |
| Car Required |
Access to car is essential |
Start-up Costs
| Testing Costs |
$120 |
| Up-front Certification Costs |
N/A |
| How do you pay start-up costs? |
-1 |
Ongoing Costs through the Two-year Commitment
| Ongoing Certification Costs |
$3,195 |
| 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 |
$2,500 - $9,500 |
| Partner Universities |
-1 |
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.
