As I reflect on the conversations I’ve shared with leaders from education and across a variety of sectors over the past five years, I've noticed a significant shift in how we talk about creating the strongest teaching force possible in Connecticut. We've helped overhaul teacher evaluation systems and our alternative teacher certification program, and recent legislative changes as a result of Race to the Top and emerging programs in Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven have already shown promising progress for students in our low-income communities.

After just five years, there are now 175 Teach For America • Connecticut corps members teaching in traditional and charter public schools in Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford. They join nearly 400 Teach For America alumni working in education and other fields to help bring a quality education to all students in Connecticut. The progress we've made so far with the help of leaders at the district and state level proves that we can dramatically change the life prospects of our state’s low-income students within a matter of years, not decades. As Teach For America becomes a central force in the movement to close Connecticut's achievement gap, we need more leaders working both within the education system and across all levels of government.