Learn more about Teach For America's work in the Rhode Island region.
Teach For America Rhode Island launched in 2010 to meet a critical need in the state: the recruitment of more teachers from diverse backgrounds to work in high-need subject areas in the most underserved schools. At the time, Rhode Island’s four-year graduation rate was 75 percent, and just over half of Rhode Island seniors went directly onto a two or four year college the next fall. School and student success is deeply varied within our small but mighty state.
Fast forward nearly a decade later, and Teach For America serves as the state’s only alternative teacher preparation program, and has recruited, trained, and supported nearly 250 educators who are focused on improving educational outcomes for students across the state. Due to sustained and strong partnerships with local school districts, committed family, and persistent community organizations, student outcomes are making consistent and steady progress. The high school graduation rate now reaches 81 percent, an all-time high for the Ocean State. As partners in the movement for educational equity, this is an exhilarating time to join a network of over 280 Teach For America corps members and alumni in Rhode Island.
Even with persisting opportunity gaps, research demonstrates the importance of teachers in transforming the life prospect of the children they teach. Teach For America Rhode Island looks to continuously evolve our leadership development model to activate corps member leadership in the classroom. At the same time, we are developing innovative approaches to engage and collaborate across our network to maximize the impacts of the coalition we have built. In our nation’s smallest state, you can make a large contribution to impact a child’s life!
58
Corps Members
236
Alumni
131
Teachers
11
School leaders
“When someone asks me about my Teach For America experience in Rhode Island, I always seem to forget the 11:00 pm Wednesday night grading sessions, the hours of lesson planning on Sunday afternoons, and the many sleepless nights spent worrying about an activity for the next day. I do remember the look on Leticia’s face when she received her first “A” on a math test, working with Joel after school to help him get ready for a job interview, and watching my students receive their college acceptance letters. While my initial two-year commitment has passed and my original students have graduated from high school, I now carry my experiences and the vision of “One Day” with me in everything I do.”
Our Regional Partners
Meet Our School & District Partners
- Achievement First Mayoral Academy
- Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy
- Central Falls High School
- Paul Cuffee Schools
- Nowell Leadership Academy
- Gilbert Stuart Middle SChool
- Mt. Pleasant High School
- Providence Career and Technical Academy
- Roger Williams Middle School
- Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School
- Nathan Bishop Middle School
- DelSesto Middle School
- Nathanael Greene Middle School
- Hope High School
Meet Our Corporate & Foundation Partners
- Amica Companies Foundation
- AmeriCorps: Rhode Island
- Bank of America
- Bank of Rhode Island
- Charles And Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies
- CVS/Caremark Corporation
- FMR Corporation
- June Rockwell Levy Foundation
- Locke Lord LLP
- Papitto Opportunity Connection
- The Carter Fund
- The Murray Family Charitable Foundation
- The Rhode Island Foundation
- US Department of Education
News
12/12/18 - Teach For America Rhode Island Appoints New Board Chair and Vice Board Chair
Media Inquiries
Please contact us at press.center@teachforamerica.org.
Alumni Affairs
Alexa Brunton
Senior Managing Director, Strategy & Program Impact
alexa.brunton@teachforamerica.org