Teach For America Placement Schools

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Where Corps Members Teach

The geographic region of the Twin Cities is relatively small. You can drive between the two schools that are farthest from each other in about 25 minutes. Yet, the ethnic makeup of the students that our teachers reach is among the most diverse in the country – African-American, East- and West- African, Hmong, Latino, White, and Native American students. While our efforts are focused in K-12 public schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul, we see opportunities to increase placements in the metro area, place corps members in pre-K and early childhood classroom settings, explore partnerships with outstate communities, and reach more Native American students through our Native Achievement Initiative.

Get to Know Hiawatha Leadership Academy

Hiawatha Leadership Academy in south Minneapolis is led by Shannon Blankenship (New York ‘01), and about 60% of its staff are corps members or alumni. The school has been featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune for its ability to produce high academic results in spite of the fact that more than 90% of its students live in poverty. Students achieved 70% proficiency in math and 68% proficiency in reading, far above state averages for low-income, minority students. Blankenship describes Hiawatha's teachers as having “high expectations, focused on results, using data, and really doing whatever it takes to make sure that our students are on the path to college.” In describing the Teach For America corps members and alumni at his school, Blankenship says, “they are self-reflective, hard-working, and student-focused at all times.”