Teacher Leadership

Teachers are the heart and soul of the movement to expand educational opportunity. Today, 13,500 alumni are full-time pre-K through 12th grade teachers. The impact of their commitment to students, students' families, and communities can never be understated.

Alumni Spotlights: Why I Teach

alumni-spotlights-why-i-teach

LAUREEN WIMBLEY (HOUSTON ‘07)

Why I Teach: Students Of Color Who Look (And Don't Look) Like Me

“While I may not be teaching kids who look just like me, they are in many ways a portrait of my younger self...I teach kids who need role models. I can affirm their existence not simply out of sympathy or compassion, but because I empathize with their upbringing. I am fulfilling my passion and my responsibility, choosing to return each year to a low-income community, similar to the one I grew up in, and empowering our kids.”

WHITNEY WARE BIRENBAUM (BALTIMORE ‘05)

Why I Teach: 4 Criteria For Making Project-Based Learning Impactful

“Middle school students are at an important crossroads in their lives. In my Humanities classroom, my goal is to create a space where they can develop the belief that their voices matter. I want students to expand their curiosity about the world, and to learn the necessary skills to change it for the better.”

JAMES SHERIDAN (HOUSTON ‘00)

Why I Teach: Coaching Kids To Break The Impossible

“We have such power as teachers and coaches. We can give our students the leadership that spurs action, the word that inspires a student to believe, and the hope that what seems impossible is totally within reach.”

Alumni Leading from the Classroom

An infographic showing a breakdown of alumni working in different roles within education.

Resources for Teachers

We aim to provide a portfolio of support and resources to alumni teachers. Current resources include:

Support for alumni seeking to advance their careers in teaching: If you are moving to a new state and need to transfer your certification, consult this resource. In winter 2018, you will have access to a new virtual career development and networking platform built specifically for alums!
Education School Partnerships: Teach For America has partnerships with a number of universities who actively recruit and offer special benefits to corps members and alumni seeking advanced degrees in education. Each school handles partnership details differently. Please contact admissions offices directly to confirm the process for receiving a deferral, fee waiver, and for additional scholarship qualification details.
Online Teaching Communities: The TFA Teaching Communities provide new and early career TFA teachers access to content resources and online coaching support within a 24 hour Q&A turn-around.
Online Modules: Virtual Learning Modules are an emerging professional learning tool that has been adopted by Teach For America and other organizations in the education ecosystem. Virtual learning modules are accessed as needed by the learner and are self-paced. Teach For America has an ever-expanding library of modules that cover a range of topics and content areas.
Support for alumni teachers to engage in education policy, including:
- The U.S. Department of Education’s Teaching Ambassador Fellowship is designed to involve teachers in the development and implementation of national education policy and offers two year-long tracks, one of which is specifically for full-time teachers.
- The Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellowship is a two-year program that selects small cohorts of early-career teachers in high-poverty schools who want to work on policy issues and have a voice in decisions that affect their profession.
- Our partner organization, Leadership for Educational Equity, helps alumni and corps members who are interested in policy, advocacy, and organizing to engage civically with their communities to end educational inequity.
Annual Awards & Fellowships for Teachers: We maintain a list of popular awards and fellowships available to all teachers.

Teacher Leadership