Philadelphia is a city of contrasts. On one corner you’ll find historic landmarks and upscale boutiques. On the next –abandoned buildings. Despite the tension between poverty and prosperity, approximately 200,000 students attend school here and need to learn. In Camden, poverty is nothing short of overwhelming. Isolated, and consistently in fiscal crisis, Camden’s population and economic prospects are shrinking. Again, these students need to learn.

Our cities are at a tipping point. We at Teach For America look at each classroom as an opportunity to prove that all children can achieve at high levels. At Bethune elementary school, alum Kate McNulty (Greater Philadelphia Corps ’08) led her students to 90% proficiency/advanced level on state assessment tests. This improvement places Kate’s students at a higher proficiency level than that of students at Lower Merion High School, one of the wealthiest public school districts in Pennsylvania.

The classroom impact does not stop there. We have developed a pipeline of talent that has ignited growth at traditional public schools like Rhodes High School and the increasingly successful charter school networks like Scholar Academies.

Each transformational classroom represents a basic idea: the potential of all students to learn no matter their socio-economic status, background, or parental involvement. We will continue to spread this message throughout this region.