Overview

In our charter year, Teach For America • Tulsa welcomed a corps of more than 80 of the nation’s most promising future leaders who are teaching in our city’s lowest-income classrooms and working to ensure their students have the educational opportunities they deserve.

Working hand-in-hand with Tulsa Public Schools and the Community Action Project has allowed our corps to have the opportunity to impact over 5,700 students. The unprecedented collaboration of district leaders, community funders, and school leaders with Teach For America has established Tulsa as a city primed for significant education reform.

Life

With just under one million people in the metro area of Tulsa, the city has many big city benefits while maintaining the luxuries of a smaller city. Tulsa houses five professional sports teams, a major zoo and aquarium, and a brand-new arena that draws all major artists and performers. Traffic is minimal, housing is affordable, and the economy is doing very well in comparison to the rest of the nation. As a result, Forbes recently listed Tulsa as number five on their “America’s Most Livable Cities” list. Corps members have found it easy in finding apartments and houses to rent, from South Tulsa to downtown. Partnerships with two of the biggest apartment realtors in town allow corps members to get a variety of discounts on affordable living. The city of Tulsa as a whole is great for cost of living. Corps Members have found it easy to relax in one of Tulsa’s many parks, or go out on the town with variety of Tulsa nightlife.

Corps Culture

Being a charter corps is what truly draws the Tulsa corps members together. Corps members are motivated and united by knowing that the impact they make will be closely watched all around the city. A good majority of the corps in Tulsa have at least two other corps members in their school, and some schools have closer to ten corps members in one school. Prominent Teach For America alumni, including Pastor Ray Owens, who was a corps member in Los Angeles in the charter year of Teach For America, call Tulsa their home. Being a charter corps with the same mission in mind has allowed the Tulsa corps to become close friends, plan many outings together, and live in close quarters with one another for quick access to personal and professional support.