Teach for America comes to Alabama

MONTGOMERY – Governor Bob Riley said an announcement by Teach For America that it will expand into Alabama and place teachers in public schools in several Black Belt counties will help the state’s efforts to make sure every classroom has a highly effective teacher.

“Alabama has made incredible progress in education during the last few years. Our innovative reforms in reading, math, science, pre-K, and distance learning have gained national acclaim, and we are excited to partner with Teach For America to accelerate our efforts to ensure that there is a highly effective teacher in every classroom in Alabama,” said Governor Riley.

Teach For America is the national corps of top college graduates and professionals who commit to teach for two years in under-resourced schools and become lifelong leaders in the pursuit of educational equity.

The organization announced Thursday it will expand in Alabama, outlining plans to bring 30 top college graduates to teach in some of the state’s highest-need schools for the 2010-11 school year and 30 additional teachers in each of the following two years. The organization will place teachers in public schools in Selma and in Hale, Lowndes, Marengo, Perry, and Sumter counties.

Teach For America selected Alabama as its newest site based on the state’s compelling vision of how the organization’s presence will help to close student achievement gaps; the existence of a feasible alternate route to teacher certification; district partners’ commitment to placing a critical mass of corps members across the range of subject areas and grade levels; and community support that will enable Teach For America to fund the site in a sustainable way.

“We’re looking forward to building on Alabama’s ongoing efforts to expand educational opportunity and excellence for all children,” said Wendy Kopp, chief executive officer and founder of Teach For America. “We are tremendously grateful for the support we have received from state and community leaders and local philanthropists. Their generosity will enable us to establish a new pipeline of dedicated teachers and education leaders for the region.”

“Providing every Alabama student with an excellent education is essential to ensuring their success and our state’s future prosperity,” said Selma City Schools Superintendent Austin N. Obasohan. “Teach For America will help us put more outstanding teachers at the heads of Selma’s classrooms. I look forward to seeing the contributions these dedicated young people will make in our schools and in our communities.”

“The most important factor in a student’s education is teacher quality, which is why I am pleased to welcome Teach For America to the Black Belt,” said Hale County Superintendent Frank Stegall. “I know these bright and enthusiastic teachers will do whatever it takes to help students reach their potential.”

A broad coalition of supporters made Teach For America’s expansion to Alabama possible, including Governor Riley, Congressman Artur Davis, Senator Hank Sanders, and State Representative Richard Lindsey.

A growing body of rigorous research demonstrates that Teach For America corps members are highly effective in the classroom. An Urban Institute study updated last year found that Teach For America teachers have a positive effect on student achievement. The study is available at http://www.caldercenter.org/upload/TFA_final_v-March-2009.pdf.

Teach For America’s local certification partner will be The University of Alabama. All area Teach For America corps members will enroll with the university to obtain their state teaching certification, and they will have the opportunity to pursue a master of arts degree in teaching.

“While well over 90 percent of the teachers in Alabama have come through traditional routes, Teach For America has pioneered a quality alternative that is putting teachers in some of our hardest-to-staff schools,” said Dr. James E. McLean, dean of the College of Education at The University of Alabama. “We are proud to be their Alabama higher-education partner.”

Beyond their impact as corps members, Teach For America alumni continue to advocate for children and families in low-income communities as public school teachers, principals, and leaders across all professional fields. Some two-thirds of the 17,000 Teach For America alumni across the country are working full-time in education, and one-third continue as excellent classroom teachers. Nearly 450 Teach For America alumni serve as school principals or superintendents, more than 500 work in government or policy, and almost 30 serve as elected officials.