In the 20 years since Teach For America arrived in the Rio Grande Valley, we have brought more than 1,000 teachers who are dedicated to giving all students in South Texas access to a high-quality education. Critically, these teachers have helped prove that all children – even those growing up in poverty as deep as any community in the nation – can achieve at the highest levels if they receive an excellent education.

In fact, students taught by Teach For America corps members have achieved results on state standardized tests that outpace the gains of any other demographic group in the entire state of Texas. And beyond the classroom, corps members serve as community leaders and mentors in communities where just one in six adults has a college degree.

Today, we are facing one of the most exciting educational opportunities in the Valley’s history. After securing a federal leadership training grant, we recently partnered with the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school district and IDEA Public Schools to launch The Rio Grande Valley Center for Teaching and Leading Excellence, a program to recruit and train teachers to achieve their teaching and leadership career goals. I am confident that this program will significantly expand our impact on educational outcomes for children in low-income communities here.