Researchers from the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) released a study today that finds Teach For America corps members and alumni educators in Atlanta are making a positive difference in student learning and academic achievement.

The study, Performance Estimates of Teach For America Teachers in Atlanta Metropolitan Area School Districts, which measures the effectiveness of Teach For America corps members and alumni teachers relative to comparably experienced non-Teach For America teachers in the same schools across Atlanta, Clayton County, and Gwinnett County Public Schools, is the first to evaluate Teach For America teacher effectiveness in the Atlanta area. It examined nine years of data throughout the 2013-2014 academic year and evaluated student test scores on Georgia’s Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) for grades 4-8 in reading, English language arts, math, science, and social studies, as well as the End of Course Tests (EOCTs) at the high school level in math, literature, biology, and U.S. history.

Researchers found that Teach For America teachers are having a positive impact on student achievement overall, most notably in four subject areas: social studies, science, American literature, and math 2.

Founded in 2000, Teach For America–Metro Atlanta has more than 150 corps members and 1,200 alumni living and working in the region. Corps members, who include career-changers, military veterans, and recent college graduates, make an initial two-year commitment to teach in Atlanta’s highest-need classrooms, bringing a deep belief in their students’ abilities to achieve and overcome the challenges of poverty, racism, and systemic inequity in education. After their corps years, Teach For America alumni maintain a lifetime commitment to ending educational inequity. The majority of Teach For America alumni in Atlanta continue to work in education full-time, and include more than 400 teachers, 127 of whom have been recognized as Teacher of the Year by their schools; over 30 principals and assistant principals; four members of the Atlanta Board of Education; and local school system leaders. Others are leading nonprofits, businesses, and working as community advocates.

To read Performance Estimates of Teach For America Teachers in Atlanta Metropolitan Area School Districts, visit caldercenter.org.