NEW YORK, September 23, 2026 — As Teach For America (TFA) marks its 35th anniversary, a new study conducted by Bellwether finds that TFA alumni played influential roles in major education reform and systems change efforts across Denver, Camden, and New York City, helping to shape, implement, and sustain initiatives associated with improved educational opportunities and student outcomes.

Groundwork for Change: How Teach For America Alumni Shaped Education in Three Cities, which builds on Bellwether's landmark Eight Cities analysis, examines how TFA alumni contributed to education systems change over the last two decades. Through extensive document review, quantitative analysis of student outcomes data, and interviews with more than 40 education leaders, policymakers, advocates, and community stakeholders, the study offers a first-of-its-kind examination of the long-term contributions of TFA alumni beyond the classroom.

"At Teach For America, we've always believed that change happens on the ground, and that local leaders are key to creating lasting progress for children and communities," said Aneesh Sohoni, CEO of Teach For America. "This study highlights the many ways alumni have worked together at all levels of local education systems, and across sectors, to help realize outcomes that matter for kids–in deep partnership with educators, families, policymakers, and community leaders. And it reinforces the importance of experiences like TFA that bring young people into close proximity with communities that will shape the kind of leaders they will become and the types of challenges they will commit to solving over the long term.”

The study was designed to better understand both the conditions that enable meaningful systems change and the ways TFA alumni have contributed to those efforts over time. By making the findings public, the organization hopes to both inform its own work and share lessons that can help advance progress across the broader education sector.

“At Teach For America, we are committed to learning honestly and comprehensively from the full arc of our program’s history—from the moments that have affirmed our impact to the lessons that have challenged us to grow,” said Christopher Leake, senior vice president of Program Impact, Learning and Evaluation at Teach For America. “That commitment to reflection, learning, and continuous improvement is essential to how we strengthen our impact with the communities we serve. This study offers an important opportunity to better understand the role our alumni have played within broader efforts to improve education systems, and what those efforts can teach all of us about how lasting change takes root.”

The study found that across three distinct cities with different political environments, governance structures, and reform approaches, TFA alumni helped provide leadership capacity at critical moments of change. Alumni served in a wide range of roles, including school and system leadership, local and state government, advocacy organizations, nonprofits, and community-based organizations. Their influence often extended beyond high-profile positions to the day-to-day work of implementing reforms, building coalitions, and supporting long-term sustainability.

Key Findings

The Bellwether study found that Teach For America alumni played significant roles in advancing educational opportunities across Denver, Camden, and New York City. Alumni contributed by:

• Shaping and strengthening reform strategies
• Turning policy goals into action
• Founding and leading high-quality public schools
• Building coalitions to sustain change

The report found these contributions were part of broader community-led efforts and highlighted common leadership traits among alumni, including a focus on student outcomes, collaboration, and data-informed decision-making.

Lessons for the Field

Beyond documenting alumni contributions, the study highlights broader lessons about what sustained education systems change requires. Across all three cities, successful reform efforts were supported by a combination of clear vision, aligned leadership talent, visible examples of success, and meaningful engagement with families and communities. The findings suggest that leadership-development organizations can play an important role in strengthening the local capacity needed to drive and sustain change.

"Our analysis underscores that systems change requires a deep bench of leaders who can pair a bold vision with trust and follow-through to make it work on the ground,” said Melissa Steel King, a senior partner at Bellwether and one of the report’s authors. "Across these cities, alumni helped expand the pipeline of leadership talent who shared a set of capabilities and mindsets that supported broader efforts to improve educational opportunity. The report highlights the importance of investing in leaders at all levels of the system who can work alongside communities to navigate complex challenges and pursue lasting change.”

About Teach For America

Teach For America works in partnership with communities across the country to reach One Day when every child has access to an excellent education. Founded in 1990, Teach For America finds, develops, and supports a growing network of leaders who expand opportunity for children from classrooms, schools, and every sector and field that impacts a young person’s education. Today, Teach For America is a force of over 70,000 alumni, corps members, and Ignite fellows working in pursuit of profound change so that one day every child has the opportunity to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility. Teach For America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Threads.

About Bellwether

Bellwether is a national nonprofit that works to ensure young people achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and flourishing communities. Bellwether partners with leaders and organizations to deepen and accelerate their impact and aims to amplify the insights, innovations, and ideas necessary to advance educational options in this country.

Contact:
Rachel Tennenbaum
rachel.tennenbaum@teachforamerica.org
408.250.2877