About Us

Established in the Greater Baton Rouge area in 1990, Teach For America Greater Baton Rouge has partnered with communities to tackle the barriers that stand between children and opportunities. We take pride in our festivals, our food, and our culture, but we are especially proud of the resilient spirit woven into the fabric of our region. As the location of the first bus boycott of the Civil Rights Era, the region has a rich heritage filled with courageous visionaries committed to moving our communities forward through collective change.

Given our own commitment to the growth of our community, Teach For America Greater Baton Rouge has been dedicated to developing the leaders and coalitions required for children to gain access to the education they deserve.

In recent years, we have seen a diverse group of leaders across Louisiana come together to tackle the inequities plaguing our systems. Teach For America and the community came together almost 30 years ago to bolster the efforts that were already underway to end educational inequity and expand excellent opportunities for more students. Today more than 300 Teach For America leaders are working alongside our urban and rural communities proving every year that all Greater Baton Rouge students can achieve at the highest levels.

As our region enters the greatest period of economic growth since the late ‘90s, we find ourselves within a modern-day movement toward social change. A growing number of organizations across our region are working to address the historical causes of challenges—racial and socioeconomic disparities. In partnership with educators and advocates of all backgrounds, we’re proud of the role Teach For America leaders have consistently played in passionately ensuring access and opportunity for students in Greater Baton Rouge from inside and outside the classroom. Our connected community is reaching unprecedented growth in bringing children the tools and resources they need to achieve their goals.

Today, our 25 alumni school leaders and more than 100 classroom leaders are impacting thousands of children in our community each day. At the same time, Teach For America leaders are working in various ways to bring innovative improvements to the systems that impact children. Some leading non-profits that address community needs, some working as advocates to build effective coalitions, and some working in the Louisiana Department of Education to create policies and laws that will change the trajectory of Louisiana students.

When diverse, committed leaders come together to solve an issue, incredible things can happen—our network is proof of it.

Some of our corps members teach within East Baton Rouge (EBR) Parish school district where they have the opportunity to work close to the seat of our state government in the capital city of Baton Rouge.  Here, students and families have access to an array of public charter, magnet, and traditional public schools.  

Outside of teaching, many corps members volunteer with one of our local nonprofits, BRYC, which is currently led by a TFA alumnus and employs many TFA SLA alumni. And many of our CMs coach sports and lead extracurricular activities within their schools.

Our Community 

South Louisiana is home to a diverse group of people and organizations committed to the growth of the Capital region. We have worked with multiple organizations to ensure we maximize our impact from the Walls Project to the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition to Metromorphsis.

Following the shooting of Alton Sterling and the floods of 2016, the racial and economic disparities across our region were more visible than ever before. At the same time, we witnessed an outpour of compassion as neighbors came together to support one another through the shared challenge. The discussions that surfaced over time made our collective progress an even higher priority.

While the State Department of Education works diligently to create progressive policies and structures to support public education, organizations like Urban Congress on African American Males and Dialogue on Race bring members of our community together to understand and solve some of our most complex issues.

We are indeed gaining momentum toward change, but it still requires a greater number of committed leaders to work alongside us. By joining the movement in Greater Baton Rouge, you have the chance to contribute to a number of efforts driving historic change in our region while being a part of growing community centered around our unique culture. From crawfish boils to festivals, bringing your leadership to the region is an opportunity you will never forget.