JACKSONVILLE, FL, November 8, 2023—As students continue to onboard with the onset of the new school year, the nation is in the midst of teacher shortages and unprecedented student achievement gaps, based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores released this year. 

Teach For America (TFA), a nonprofit that works to confront educational inequity by recruiting and placing corps members as teachers in low-income public schools, is committed to developing new pathways for college students entering the teaching profession and modernizing solutions for student learning.

• Teach For America Jacksonville and Duval County Public Schools recently announced the launch of the Ignite Fellowship–a high-impact tutoring initiative for students that provides personalized small group tutoring to address learning gaps fueled by the pandemic. 
• Ignite Fellows began the Fall Fellowship this week and are current college students that lead virtual tutoring in elementary reading and middle school math. With the help of veteran teachers, they are trained to foster belonging with their students.
• Ignite exposes college students to the teaching profession. Nationally, more than half of Ignite tutors who were college seniors applied to become Teach For America corps members, and they were accepted into the program at a rate four times higher, about 80%, compared to other applicants.
• The national fellowship piloted in the 2021-2022 school year and brought 728 tutors to dozens of public schools across the county. This fall, the initiative doubled its impact by growing to meet demand from school partners across 10 new states. Nearly 100% of the inaugural cohort of fellows said they gained insights about the state of education and their role in working towards educational equity. 
• Nationally, Ignite is projected to grow by 40%,  year-over-year, to 2,300 fellow placements this year. These tutors will partner with 3,500 students in 95 schools across 28 different communities this school year.

The Ignite Fellowship is one of several key initiatives Teach For America has launched to drive progress toward its 2030 goal, which aims to double the number of students reaching key educational milestones.

About Teach For America

Teach For America works in partnership with communities across the country to expand educational opportunities for children. Founded in 1990, Teach For America finds, develops, and supports a diverse network of leaders who expand opportunity for children from classrooms, schools, and every sector and field that shapes the broader systems in which schools operate. Today, Teach For America is a force of nearly 70,000 alumni, corps members, Ignite fellows, and staff working in pursuit of profound systemic change so that one day every child has an equal 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 and Twitter.

Contact

Mercedes Blue | (706) 566-1452 | Mercedes.Blue@TeachForAmerica.org