Los Angeles

Los Angeles has long been a city calling to those in search of new opportunity. From the Gold Rush that brought Mexican settlers traveling north through California and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad on which thousands of Chinese laborers arrived, to African Americans who came for work during World War II and the influx of immigrants and fame-seekers from around the world, millions have flocked to LA in pursuit of the American Dream.

Despite the great hope our city represents, we are failing to deliver on its promise for many of our children. In 2011, the federal government labeled nearly 75% of the schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District failing based on low test scores. Sadly, Latino and African-American students are more likely to attend these lower-performing schools and have less effective teachers than their white and Asian peers.

But Los Angeles is a city of reinvention, and hundreds of innovators are working alongside the community to create change for its students. Teach For America - Los Angeles is proud to have been a partner in this work for over 20 years. More than 600 corps members and alumni in Los Angeles teach over 45,000 students every day. Dozens of our alumni have expanded their reach to school leadership and political and social entrepreneurship endeavors. In neighborhoods where inequities persist, more and more top-performing schools are being built on the shoulders of alumni, supporters, and the community at large.

Teach For America - Los Angeles corps members, alumni, and staff believe that change is possible, and we are motivated to reach the day when schools in our city are once again considered “the best in the West.”