Teach For America

Founded by Wendy Kopp, Teach For America (TFA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to build a movement "to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting our nation's most promising future leaders in the effort."[1]

"We recruit outstanding recent college graduates of all majors and career interests and working professionals to commit to teach for at least two years in urban and rural public schools, and we invest in the training and professional development necessary to ensure their success as teachers in our highest-poverty communities."

"Teach For America corps members are a diverse group of our nations most promising college graduates and professionals who possess the leadership skills and experience needed to change the academic and life prospects of students growing up today and, ultimately, to effect the fundamental change in our society that will make it a place of opportunity for all."

Teach For America provides valuable career development opportunities to all staff members, who can take advantage of ongoing professional development opportunities ...

"In this richly detailed, sometimes hopeful, sometimes depressing account, Donna Foote, a California freelance journalist and former Newsweek correspondent, reveals what has happened to Kopp's brainchild. We learn why Teach For America has become so popular with top college graduates and why it has done so little to lift the apathy and mindlessness that infest urban schools."

"If at the time I had understood the importance of ensuring the necessary funds before moving forward with new ideas, Teach for America would never have been born in the first place," writes Wendy Kopp in this impassioned account of how what started 10 years ago as her bold college thesis has become a pioneering educational program... Kopp's primary aim in this frank, winning and well-timed book is to share what she's learned about bringing underprivileged and underperforming students up to par."

At 22, Dan Brown came to the Bronx's P.S. 85 as an eager, fresh-faced teacher. Unbeknownst to him, his assigned class, 4-217, was the designated "dumping ground" for all fourth-grade problems.

"Molly Ness, who taught for two years in the Teach for America program in Oakland, Calif., surveyed 154 other alumni about their experiences in the program. Founded in 1989 by Princeton student Wendy Kopp, the program recruits college graduates from a variety of fields. Recruits are given only a five-week training program before being sent to work for two years in some of the nation's worst classrooms." 

Alexander Russo, blogger for the Huffington Post, analyzes the success (and criticisms) of Teach for America.

Charity Navigator, America's largest independent charity evaluator, provides ... During Teach For America's first year in 1990, 500 men and women began teaching ...

(including those participating in the Teach For America program). The study compares the performance on a

"In her new book, Relentless Pursuit: A Year in the Trenches With Teach for America, freelance journalist Donna Foote documents the first-year struggles of four TFA recruits at Locke High School in South Central Los Angeles. In an interview with U.S. News, she discusses why the organization has become such a hot destination for recent graduates and what obstacles its teachers face on the front lines."

Does it matter than fewer than 10% of TFA corps members were actually education majors?

"TFA members are not required by Teach for America to pursue a masters in education (which, especially if you do not have an undergraduate degree in education is required to become permanently certified in most states), although some of the states where TFA has program sites require teachers to at least begin taking graduate courses as part of their alternative certification requirements. They dont require teachers to take the steps to become permanently certified because there is no expectation that their teachers will stay in teaching once their two-year resume-building experience is over. How do I know? Because its on their website!"

Nearly 20 minutes long, this interview with founder Wendy Kopp addresses the roots and ongoing operation of Teach for America.

What's it like to be a TFA corps member? "Every single day is a story," says one in a short documentary about a day-in-the-life-of a TFA member.

Interviews with TFA teachers in classrooms across the U.S.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Teach for America was instrumental in rebuilding its schools.

This 9-minute video takes you into a recruiting session by a TFA staff member.

"With the Teaching As Leadership framework as a guide, we have developed a selection model that enables us to carefully select individuals from different backgrounds and with a variety of experiences. We recognize that leaders come in many forms with varied past experiences, so there is no one profile of an ideal applicant. We seek individuals who have demonstrated strong leadership and, therefore, have potential for success in the classroom."

"Ensuring our corps members are successful in the classroom is our top priority and most critical responsibility. Over the past 18 years, through rigorous research and evaluation, we have come to understand what truly differentiate a successful teacher in the rural and urban communities in which we serve. This experience and knowledge informs our pre-service training and ongoing professional support program designed to ensure corps members achieve significant measurable results with their students."

"My theory: Northwestern students think they're too cool to be teachers, but Teach for America has an exclusive, elitist selection process, which makes it socially acceptable to do. With the economy in the tank, all the liberal arts types are flooding them with applications."

"Educational Testing Service and Teach For America have entered a joint venture to market ETSs ProofWriter online evaluation tool. Candidates applying to the Teach For America corps can access the ProofWriter tool to receive an online evaluation of their application essay for a nominal fee. Teach For America corps members commit to teach for at least two years in under-resourced public schools and become lifelong advocates of educational equity."

More want to join Teach for America. Tuesday, March 03, 2009. From staff reports ... Teach For America, which places top college graduates in high-needs schools, has ...

Teach For America Week. Corps and Alumni. Donors. Employers & Grad Schools. Parents. Media ... Are you affiliated with Teach For America in one of the following ways? ...

... a difference and will be used to support Teach for America corps members in ... to provide students with the support necessary to not only succeed in the ...

... support one of Teach For America's 22 regions or to simply help further Teach ... Another way you can help support Teach for America is by collecting Box Tops for ...

TEACH FOR AMERICA ... We are looking for current and future leaders to join our movementas teachers ... Find out how you can join Teach For America's Corps ...

MySpace profile for Teach For America with pictures, videos, personal blog, interests, information about me and more ... thank-you Teach for America. ...

Teach for America and Google join forces. 12/04/2006 10:42:00 AM ... And then there was Teach for America (TFA), an organization dedicated to ...