Teach For America is a non-profit organization which finds and inspires teachers that just came out of college all over the United States, to serve for equity in education and to strengthen the core of the population.
The mission of Teach For America is to enlist, develop, and mobilize as many promising future leaders as possible in the U.S.A. to grow and strengthen the movement for educational equity and excellence.
More than 16 million children are growing up in poverty in the United States. By 4th grade, they are 1.5 years behind higher-income peers in reading and math. By 8th grade, they are nearly 3 years behind. Children in extreme poverty are half as likely to graduate from high school and 1/10 as likely to graduate from college as students from the most affluent communities. Teach For America is an organization working to change these statistics.
Teach For America is a diverse network of leaders who confront educational inequity through teaching, and work with unwavering commitment from every sector of society to create a nation free from this injustice.
CHANGE STARTS WITH YOU: TEACH FOR AMERICA!
BACKGROUND ABOUT TEACH FOR AMERICA:
In 1989 Wendy Kopp began Teach for America as her thesis for Princeton University. While writing her thesis, she discovered a real need in America for all students, regardless of their color, creed or social status, to have an education. Since then Teach for America has evolved into an organization that employs educators of all backgrounds to offer educational programs across the country.
This means that students who are living in areas of poverty have the opportunity to be taught by someone that was raised in a similar situation. This type of teaching allows the students to relate to their teacher and see how they, themselves, could create a successful future.
Kopp began her program by recruiting recently graduated students to join her corps members. The corps members agree to teach at least two years of school in a publicly run facility for Teach for America. During this time, they are still a regular faculty member at their chosen school, receiving regular salaries just like their coworkers. They are even allowed to join unions. However, corps members are given extensive training and vouchers to help pay for any extra training they are required to take or wish to undertake.
Since its inception in 1990, there are over 50,000 corps members and alumni. These educators have reached over 50 million students around the nation. That is 50 million children who have had teachers who are dedicated to giving them an experience that fuels their passion to continue learning and growing as they go through school.
To become a corps member university graduates can apply with Teach for America. Those who apply do not need to be teachers, only to have recently graduated and willing to commit to teaching for two years. Teach for America puts all members through a rigorous summer training program to prepare for the upcoming year.
Programs like this give hope for an education system that sometimes lets people fall through the cracks. The corps members show their students that anyone can rise above their current situation and better themselves. They offer themselves as strong role models for their students.
There are several ways that we can help this program continue to be a success. Firstly, anyone can donate. Simply visit www.teachforamerica.org and click on the Get Involved tab. There you will see options ranging from becoming a corps member, to donating annually or leaving a legacy donation with the program.
Many of us don’t have the opportunity to make the difference these educators are making, but donating to causes like this allow our actions to have far reaching impacts that can help better our nation.
The Interview Girl Foundation is a non-profit / “do good” organization that features people, companies, and organizations that are changing the world to make it a better place. The Interview Girl Foundation features STORIES that will inspire you to engage the world that you live in and ultimately, to work to make it the best world for future generations.
CHECK OUT the Interview Girl Foundation here: https://interviewgirl.org/about/
CHECK OUT Teach For America here: http://teachforamerica.org
