On June 12, 2017, we welcomed 2017 corps members to our inaugural summer teacher training institute at Barry University! The institute is Teach For America’s five-week-long rigorous pre-service training -- the springboard for a continuum of training and support -- designed to prepare incoming first-year teachers to be effective leaders as employees of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Sessions focused on instructional practices and skills were coupled with the hands-on experience of teaching summer school students at two school sites, providing summer learning opportunities for nearly 800 high-need students.

As 100 incoming corps members prepared for the first day of school, they had the opportunity get to know the local education landscape, invest deeply in relationships with parents, families and community members, and work closely with fellow teachers and administrators. The Miami-Dade institute galvanized a strong community of corps members, cultivated leaders responsive to the needs and interests of their students and armed participating teachers with the practices, tools and convictions to own their personal development and clarify their stake in the broader effort to create an excellent public school education that expands opportunity for students growing up in poverty. This institute is designed to ensure a significant, positive impact on the personal and academic growth of students.

“We are so excited to host institute here, in Miami. It gives us a unique opportunity to offer insight to the rich cultural and local context of this community, from our corps members’ first interactions with our school district partners and students. It’s really important to build those ties to Miami, so the leaders we develop can deeply connect with the community and lead students to transformational academic and personal outcomes.”   -Samantha Hoare, Executive Director of Teach For America-Miami-Dade.

“The dynamic energy of Teach for America’s young educators has been an integral part of the progress made by some of our most fragile schools. We thank these motivated teachers for their courage, tenacity, and dedication, providing students inspiration, guidance and a valuable education to ultimately accelerate academic achievement, boost graduation rates and maximize college readiness.”  -Alberto M. Carvalho, MDCPS Superintendent of Schools

Teach For America has been a community partner in Miami-Dade County since 2003. During the 2016-2017 school year, approximately 175 corps members taught at nearly 40 of Miami-Dade’s highest-need schools. Teach For America’s South Florida alumni network of 485 leaders continues the commitment to ending inequity in education working both inside classrooms and schools. Eighty percent of alumni in the Miami area work in the field of education. Others serve as thought leaders and advocates from the many fields that shape the context in which schools operate to foster change and create opportunity for Miami students who are growing up in poverty.