In many of my school visits, I go into classrooms where there are Teach For America teachers, and I’m always impressed with them. I think Teach For America is having an impact in more ways than we probably even realize right now.
- Dr. Beverly L. Hall, Superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools
Teach For America • Atlanta is playing a critical role in improving schools and communities. This year, a corps of nearly 250 of the nation’s top recent college graduates is working in underserved schools across Atlanta to ensure that students facing the challenges of poverty are given the educational opportunities they deserve. Our alumni are leaders in the classroom, in education more broadly, and across all sectors. Together, they are making educational equity a reality in Atlanta. Learn about living and teaching in Atlanta.
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Press | |
Corps Impact | |
Alumni Impact | |
Financial Sustainability | |
Regional Supporters | |
Contact Us | |
Executive Director |
Following is recent press coverage about Teach For America • Atlanta. Click on a headline to view the full story.
Recent press releases
Recent press coverage
During the 2008-09 school year, nearly 250 corps members are directly impacting the lives of more than 17,000 students in Atlanta. Jabari Peddie is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
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Jabari Peddie (Atlanta Corps '07) |
Jabari Peddie’s sixth grade English language arts classes at Brown Middle School were performing below grade level at the beginning of the school year. Students struggled with elementary concepts, such as writing and reading with fluency and accuracy, as well as basic grammar conventions. Jabari pioneered a comprehensive tutoring and mentoring program that paired his sixth graders with graduating seniors from local universities. Jabari’s determination to close the achievement gap, coupled with his students’ perseverance, led them to achieve outstanding scores. An impressive 83 percent of students passed or exceeded the state tests. Jabari is one of nearly 250 corps members working in more than 100 Atlanta schools to ensure that our students excel academically.
Principal Satisfaction
*"Teach For America 2007 National Principal Survey,” Policy Studies Associates, July 2007
Impact on Student Achievement
A growing body of research shows that corps members have a positive impact on their students' achievement. Read more about our impact.
Student Profile
Atlanta: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | % of Corps* |
|---|---|
| Pre-K, Kindergarten | 6% |
| Elementary School, Lower (1-2) | 21% |
| Elementary School, Upper (3-5) | 23% |
| Secondary Math | 11% |
| Secondary English | 14% |
| Secondary Science | 12% |
| Secondary Social Studies | 12% |
| Secondary Foreign Language | 1% |
| Special Education | 19% |
*Percentages are rounded and do not add up to 100 percent; corps members who teach bilingual, ESL, or special education are also accounted for in the grade-level/subject placement percentages
Characteristics of the 2008 Corps
| Corps Profile | Top alma maters by market share* |
|---|---|
| Average GPA: 3.6 | Spelman College : 16% |
| Average SAT: 1320 | Morehouse College, Williams College, Yale University: 11% |
| Held leadership roles on campus: 95% | Duke University, Georgetown University, University of Chicago, Wake Forest University, Wesleyan University: 10% |
| People of color: 29% | Amherst College, Harvard University, Haverford University, Notre Dame University, Princeton University, Rice University: 6% |
*Percentage of senior classes who applied to Teach For America
As the number of corps members grows, so does our alumni base. By 2010, we will have over 700 Teach For America • Atlanta alumni pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
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David Jernigan (Atlanta Corps '00) |
After David Jernigan’s two-year commitment in Atlanta, he founded KIPP WAYS Academy in 2003. Since its inception, KIPP WAYS Academy has consistently been one of Atlanta’s highest-performing middle schools, and in 2008, Georgia Public Policy Foundation recognized it as the state’s number one “No Excuses School.” Recently named Executive Director for KIPP Metro Atlanta, David will oversee the growth of several new KIPP schools. David is one example of the more than 360 alumni working as school leaders and superintendents nationwide. They demonstrate how two successful years in the classroom inspire alumni to choose lifelong careers dedicated to closing the achievement gap.
Growing Our Impact: Funding Needs, 2007-2010
Each additional recruit is another dedicated teacher for children growing up in low-income communities in Atlanta, and another talented leader with the insight and commitment necessary to sustain the reform efforts underway, which is critical to the ongoing vitality of our region.
| Year | Corps Size | Revenue Needs |
|---|---|---|
| 2007-08 | 200 | $3.1 million* |
| 2008-09 | 252* | $3.7 million* |
| 2009-10 | 285* | $4.3 million* |
*projected |
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We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Atlanta. The foundations, corporations and individuals listed below have made it possible for Teach For America to continue to recruit, select, train, and support teachers who are working to eliminate educational inequity in our city.
| Advisory Board |
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| Cecil Phillips Place Properties Board Chair |
| Kathy Augustine Atlanta Public Schools |
| Sara Jean Burke Community Volunteer |
| Jennie Hyman Community Volunteer |
| Skip Kazmarek McKenna Long & Aldridge |
| Susan Lampley Providence Investment Group, LLC |
| Hal Logan Manheim Auctions |
| Ed Michaels Retired Director – McKinsey & Company, Inc. |
| Joanie Michaels Community Volunteer |
| Teed M. Poe Community Volunteer |
| Lisa Simington Goldman Sachs |
| John “Kit” Weitnauer Alston & Bird, LLP |
| Corporation, Foundation and Public Support Show more + |
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|---|---|---|---|
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We thank the following lead corporate supporters for their extraordinary support of our work:
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$200,000 - $499,999 |
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| Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation The Zeist Foundation |
Atlanta Public Schools | ||
$100,000 - $199,999 |
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| Anonymous Printpack, Inc. |
Fulton County Schools | ||
To support Teach For America • Atlanta with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Teach For America • Atlanta
Kwame Griffith, Executive Director
NaShawndra Jackson-Davis, Managing Director of Development
Ten Peachtree Place, 7th Floor
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
p 404.688.9843, f 404.688.9850
kwame.griffith@teachforamerica.org
nashawndra.davis@teachforamerica.org
Kwame Griffith was a 2002 corps member in Houston, where he led his fourth and fifth grade students to progress 1.5 grade levels in a single year. After completing his two-year corps commitment, he served as a Teach For America recruitment director, focusing on a portfolio of schools on the East Coast, including his alma mater, Cornell. In this role, Griffith secured a 34 percent increase in matriculated corps members in 2005 and a 40 percent increase in total applications in 2006. He went on to assume the role of director of diversity outreach, working in conjunction with the Recruitment team to achieve a 26.1 percent increase in accepted African-American seniors and a 6.6 percent increase in acceptance rates for Latino/Hispanic seniors. Additionally, Griffith planned and executed the organization's first diversity hosting weekend, drove the creation of a diversity recruitment team, and developed partnerships with several large national organizations that work primarily with people of color. Most recently, Griffith served as a school director at Teach For America's summer institute in Atlanta.
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