Teach For America is disrupting systemic educational inequity in Washington State through our key priorities.
Our History
Since 2011, Teach For America has contributed to the push for educational equity in Washington State. Our region has one of the fastest growing economies in the U.S. contrasted by a public education system ranked 31st in the nation. While potential is evenly distributed across lines of race and class, access to opportunity is not, particularly for those in marginalized communities.
The Problem As We See It
At this moment, 90% of educators are reporting burnout being an issue, and an alarming 55% of educators indicate that they are ready to leave the profession earlier than they had originally planned. Additionally, a recent national survey found that only 28% of teachers said their school provides adequate access to counselors and other mental health supports.
Educators are not being provided the proper support and schools aren’t receiving the proper funding to prevent teacher burnout and subsequent teacher shortages. Educators who are equipped to support their own wellbeing are better positioned to support students’ social-emotional health and academic success. This means we need strong professional development programming for educators and better school funding to ensure students are receiving excellent educations.
We also know that only 11.7% of teachers in Washington State identify as people of color while 50.1% of students do. The percentage of BIPOC educators has only increased by two percentage points between the 2012-2013 and 2018-2019 school years. This gap makes it harder for students, especially BIPOC students, to feel seen, heard, and understood in their classrooms.
1400
TFA alumni living in Washington (approx.)
28.1%
of local alumni identify as BIPOC
47.5%
of local alumni identify with an underrepresented identity
52%
of local alumni work in education
Our Theory of Change
In order to best serve our communities in Washington, we must grow our work with our nearly 1,400 local alumni. We know that high quality, diverse leadership; effective distribution of funding; and strong partnerships have helped achieve the progress made thus far. To build on these best practices and keep up the momentum in Washington, we will focus on these three priorities over the next year:
We will pursue these priorities by first building deep partnerships with our communities in King and Yakima Counties, including by offering the Teacher Leadership Fellowship to support the many educators in these communities who are aspiring to further develop their visionary leadership and impact through development centered on identity leadership, anti-racist pedagogy, and systems impact. We will continue to grow our programming over the next year, so be sure to check our Opportunities for Educators page to learn more.
On the statewide level, we will work with our larger alumni base to support mission-aligned legislation in pursuit of educational equity. Stay tuned for more ways to get involved as the 2023 legislative session approaches.
Through our leadership development work and statewide policy and advocacy, we can collaborate with alumni and local educators to accelerate change in Washington and co-create a better future with and for kids.
Connect With Us
Regional Office
Teach For America Washington
210 S. Hudson St., Suite 326
Seattle WA 98134
Alumni Affairs
David Mendez, Senior Managing Director, Reimagining Learning & Leadership
Contact Info
Phone: (206)538-5130
Social: Facebook
Media Inquiries
Please contact us at press.center@teachforamerica.org.
Regional Office
Teach For America Washington
210 S. Hudson St., Suite 326
Seattle WA 98134
Alumni Affairs
David Mendez, Senior Managing Director, Reimagining Learning & Leadership
Contact Info
Phone: (206)538-5130
Social: Facebook
Media Inquiries
Please contact us at press.center@teachforamerica.org.