We need all the dedicated and passionate teachers we can get, and this program is a very effective way to introduce young people to the many rewards of a career in education. I hope this program continues to flourish, and continues to send us good teachers for CMS.
- - Dr. Peter Gorman, Superintendent Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools
Teach For America • Charlotte is playing a critical role in improving schools and communities. This year, a corps of more than 210 of the nation’s top recent college graduates is working in underserved schools across Charlotte 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 Charlotte. Learn about living and teaching in Charlotte.
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Press | |
Corps Impact | |
Alumni Impact | |
Financial Sustainability | |
Regional Supporters | |
Contact Us | |
Executive Director |
Recent press releases
Recent press coverage
During the 2008-09 school year, more than 210 corps members are directly impacting the lives of 15,000 students in Charlotte. Tara Harrington is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
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Tara Harrington (Charlotte Corps '07) |
Tara Harrington teaches biology at West Charlotte High School. Last year, Tara set an ambitious goal for each of her students to score proficient on the rigorous state standardized end-of-course test, and she pushed her students to surpass the performance of the highest-achieving school in the district. Tara provided constant support both inside and outside the classroom. She answered phone calls about homework on weekends, tracked students’ progress, hosted daily tutoring sessions, and attended their sporting events and birthday dinners. As a result of her persistence, students gained the confidence and the academic skills necessary for success. By the end of the year, Tara and her students had closed the achievement gap. With an improvement from a 52 percent passing rate to a 93 percent passing rate, they were the highest-performing students in the entire district.
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
Charlotte: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | % of Corps* |
|---|---|
| Pre-K, Kindergarten | 4% |
| Elementary School, Lower (1-2) | 15% |
| Elementary School, Upper (3-5) | 20% |
| Secondary Math | 15% |
| Secondary English | 18% |
| Secondary Science | 17% |
| Secondary Social Studies | 4% |
| Secondary Foreign Language | 4% |
| Secondary Other | 4% |
| ESL | 1% |
| Special Education | 10% |
*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: 9% |
*Percentage of senior classes who applied to Teach For America
Fostering Alumni Leadership for Systemic Change
As the number of corps members grows, so does our alumni base. By 2010, we will have over 200 Teach For America • Charlotte alumni pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
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Aaron Pomis (Charlotte Corps '02) |
Aaron Pomis (Corps ’02) is the founding science teacher at KIPP Charlotte, a public charter middle school focused on sending students from low-income communities to college. Aaron currently serves as the chair of the board of directors of Charlotte’s Community Charter School, where he led the search for a new principal and developed the school’s first strategic plan. Additionally, Aaron was chosen to be a School Board Fellow for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, where he shadowed a board member and wrote a report on the needs of teachers in Charlotte’s low-performing schools. Aaron’s commitment to education inside and outside of the classroom fuels our collective goal of 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 Charlotte, 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 Charlotte.
| Year | Corps Size | Revenue Needs |
|---|---|---|
| 2007-08 | 125 | $2.8 million |
| 2008-09 | 212* | $4.9 million |
| 2009-10 | 300* | $5.25 million* |
*projected |
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We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Charlotte. 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 |
|---|
| David Dooley (Chair) Executive Vice President RT Dooley Construction Company |
| Ashley Richardson Allen Community Leader |
| Michael Baker Tax Partner Grant Thornton |
| Dan Cottingham Senior Vice President Cottingham Chalk |
| Edward Kizer Community Leader |
| Jane Lewis-Raymond Vice President and General Counsel Piedmont Natural Gas |
| Steve Luquire Partner/President Luquire George Andrews Inc. |
| Louis Mosley Principal in Charge Bovis Lend Lease |
| Susan Porter Realtor Bissell & Hayes |
| Ernie Reigel Chairman Moore & Van Allen |
| Ron Sherrill President and CEO SteelFab, Inc. |
| Jim Sigman Co-head Financial Institutions, Capital Markets & Investment Baking Wachovia |
| Mary Tribble President and CEO Tribble Creative Group |
| Landon Wyatt Partner Childress Klein Properties |
To support Teach For America • Charlotte with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Teach For America • Charlotte
Tim Hurley, Executive Director
Julie Fowler, Development Manager
5855 Executive Center Drive
Suite 200
Charlotte, NC 28212
p 704-569-1033, f 704-569-2599
tim.hurley@teachforamerica.org
julie.fowler@teachforamerica.org
Tim Hurley first joined Teach For America as a 2002 corps member in the Mississippi Delta, where he taught fourth grade and served as department chair. After completing his two-year corps commitment, he served as a Teach For America recruitment director, making Teach For America the leading postgraduate employer at three of the four universities in his portfolio: Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, William and Mary, and the University of Maryland. Additionally, he served the national Recruitment team as the professional development director. Tim graduated suma cum laude from Vanderbilt University and received a full scholarship to Stanford Law School as a Jack Kent Cooke scholar. During law school, Tim served as a senior editor of the Stanford Law Review and as an advisory board member of SPARK, a youth apprenticeship program. Tim also worked for a variety of legal organizations, including the Mississippi Center for Justice and the Office of the Governor of Mississippi. He is currently a non-practicing member of the Mississippi Bar.
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