You come to the Oklahoma City and Lawton communities to join a force committed to catalyzing change, operating with a spirit of generosity otherwise known as the Oklahoma Standard. There is something special about the way our region rallies around one another whether that is around tragedy, challenge, team, or growth. Take it from the lips of Shawna Taets (Oklahoma ‘14) when she says, "Oklahoma City is always happy that you are here—I feel entirely welcomed by this community and the people within it, and they are so invested in building up this city and making it great."
Eligibility Requirements
To become certified to teach in Oklahoma City or Lawton, corps members must complete the following requirements:
- Pass background checks as required by Teach For America and the State of Oklahoma.
- Pass two content specific tests (Praxis II or OSAT). It is a corps member's responsibility to register and pay for their exams (between $90-$120 each). Two exams are required.
- Complete all Teach For America-provided professional development. All professional development is provided by Teach For America Oklahoma City at no extra cost to corps members. The number and frequency of these professional development sessions vary by time of year and year in the corps, however, you can expect a formal engagement every other week.
- Complete additional certification requirements. This can include meetings with a teacher coach, completion of annual surveys, and submission of teaching portfolio.
Corps members obtain certification at the end of two-year service and is contingent upon completion of above requirements.
DACA
In Oklahoma, nearly 7,500 residents benefit from DACA, including some teachers. Many of them work in schools with large Hispanic enrollments.
LGBTQ Legal Protections
Learn more about LGBTQ employment protections in Oklahoma.
Community Supports
Our region believes in creating an inclusive community for every corps member to have the necessary supports to thrive in their leadership journey. The following identity based affinity and resource groups are available:
- Regional Collective Board - alumni of color board
- AAPI Affinity Group
- African American Affinity Group
- Latinx Affinity Group
- Multi-racial/ethnic Affinity Group
- Christian Affinity Group
- LGBTQ Affinity Group
- Native American Affinity Group
- White Ally Affinity Group
Other faith-based supports exist to support corps members from all religious backgrounds, such as:
- Numerous Christian churches from various denominations available
- Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City
- Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City
- Buddha Mind Monastery