SANTA CLARA, CA, January 7, 2020 — Teach For America Bay Area has received a three-year, $450,000 grant from the Texas Instruments Foundation to recruit and train a diverse cohort of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) educators to teach students at high-need schools in Santa Clara County, California. In addition to addressing the shortage of STEM educators in Santa Clara County schools, the grant aims to prepare more students from low-income communities for success in STEM subjects, college majors, and careers.

“TI takes a collaborative approach in working with like-minded organizations such as Teach for America to improve teacher effectiveness and student success in STEM subjects,” said Andy Smith, Executive Director of the TI Foundation. “We’ve seen the long-lasting impact of Teach for America’s methodology in North Texas, where TI is headquartered, and are excited to expand our support for TFA to Santa Clara County, where we have a large employee base and where there is a significant need for high-quality STEM teachers.”

In a recent report, Stanford’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) determined that students who had TFA corps members as teachers gained an average of 54 additional days of learning in math and 39 additional days in reading. The investment by the TI Foundation will allow Teach For America Bay Area to build on its commitment to providing diverse and talented educators to high-need schools in Santa Clara County. Today, nearly 550 Teach For America members, both corps members fulfilling their two-year teaching commitment and alumni, work in Santa Clara County schools, with the majority of corps members educating students at schools in East San Jose. With support from the TI Foundation, Teach For America Bay Area will focus its recruitment and retention efforts on many of the hard-to-fill STEM roles at its partner schools and ensure that more students achieve academic success in STEM subjects and have the opportunity to access careers in STEM fields.

“While the Bay Area is one of the top areas in the country for STEM jobs, over 60% of Bay Area students fail state STEM assessments and there is an ongoing shortage of STEM teachers,” said Teach For America Bay Area’s Executive Director Paul Keys. “We are eager to partner with organizations, like the TI Foundation, who see the connection between high-quality STEM educators and the success of local students. By bringing more STEM educators to Santa Clara County, we can ensure that more students from low-income communities have the tools they need to succeed in STEM subjects and access the many STEM jobs and opportunities right here in the Bay Area.”

In addition to addressing the STEM teacher shortage, Teach For America Bay Area is committed to recruiting STEM educators who reflect the communities and students they serve. Currently, 74% of all Bay Area STEM corps members identify as a person of color or from a low-income background. In Santa Clara County and Silicon Valley, 85% of Teach For America corps members identify as a person of color or from a low-income background. With the support of the TI Foundation, Teach For America Bay Area will continue to recruit a diverse cohort of STEM educators to meet the needs of Santa Clara County schools and to prepare more students for success in STEM subjects, majors, and careers.