Our principals will line up to
get a Teach For America teacher. They know from experience that Teach For America teachers are consistently good
instructional personnel. Teach For America participants are very student focused and are highly committed to student
success. Like all new teachers, they sometimes find the classroom a real challenge, but instead of succumbing, they rise to
the opportunity, work through their problems, and come to a solution that will benefit the student, the teacher and the
school.
- Dr. Carl Harris, incoming Superintendent of Durham Public Schools
This year, a corps of more than 140 of the nation’s most promising future leaders are teaching in our region’s lowest-income classrooms as a part of Teach For America • Eastern North Carolina. They are working to ensure their students have the educational opportunities they deserve. Our alumni are a leadership force, working from within education and every professional sector to effect broader change. Together they are helping us make educational equity a reality in Eastern North Carolina. Learn about living and teaching in Eastern North Carolina.
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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 2007-08 school year, over 140 corps members are directly impacting the lives of more than 12,000 students in Eastern North Carolina. Daniel Sellers is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
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Daniel Sellers (Eastern North Carolina Corps '06) |
Daniel Sellers began his first year teaching sixth grade math at a school where, one year previously, only 40 percent of sixth graders had passed the state standardized test for math. That same year, the statewide average on the test was 62 percent. Daniel implemented quizzes to customize instruction, and provided intensive help for struggling students while moving higher-performing students ahead through enrichment projects. To keep students engaged, he created Multiplication Mondays and Word Problem Wednesdays, and instituted a “Student of the Week” award. Their hard work was evident when results of the state end-of-year exam demonstrated that 72 percent of Daniel’s students had passed the standardized test, a 32 point gain over the school’s previous average. Daniel is making educational equity a reality in Eastern North Carolina.
Eastern North Carolina: Our Impact on Students and Schools Today
| School Year | Corps Members | Students Reached |
|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | 96 | 8,160 |
| 2006-07 | 132 | 11,220 |
| 2009-10 | 171* | 14,535* |
*projected |
Principal Satisfaction
*"Teach For America 2007 National Principal Survey," Policy Studies Associates, July 2007.
Impact on Student Achievement
According to a highly regarded study by Mathematica Policy Research, corps members outpaced fully certified and veteran teachers in their schools in moving their students ahead academically. Read national results.
Student Profile
Eastern North Carolina: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | # of Corps Members | % of Corps |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 29 | 20% |
| Science | 27 | 19% |
| Special Education | 11 | 8% |
| Social Studies | 14 | 10% |
| English | 25 | 18% |
| Elementary | 29 | 20% |
| Fine Arts | 3 | 2% |
| Spanish | 4 | 3% |
| Total | 142 | 100% |
*Percentages are rounded and may not add up to 100 percent.
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: 7% |
| 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 800 Teach For America • Eastern North Carolina alumni pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
Keith Burnum (Eastern North Carolina Corps '02) |
Caroline Burnette (Eastern North Carolina Corps '99) Major: Philosophy |
Caroline Burnette and Keith Burnum are two of the many alumni who continue to work toward our vision in North Carolina. Caroline attended law school after teaching in Henderson, NC and returned there to serve as a legal advocate for children who are removed from their homes by social services. She now works as the attorney for the Vance County Department of Social Services. Keith is the founder and school leader of KIPP: Charlotte, a college preparatory public school, which opened in the fall of 2007. The school is part of the KIPP: Knowledge Is Power Program network founded by Teach For America alumni Dave Levin and Mike Feinberg.
Growing Our Impact: Funding Needs, 2007-2011
Each additional recruit is another dedicated teacher for children growing up in low-income communities in Eastern North Carolina, 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 | 142 | $1.3 million |
| 2008-09 | 146* | $1.5 million* |
| 2009-10 | 171* | $1.7 million* |
| 2010-11 | 225* | $2.2 million* |
*projected |
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We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Eastern North Carolina. 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 |
|---|
| John McArthur (Chairman) Senior Vice President Progress Energy |
| Dr. Ann Bullock Associate Professor of Education East Carolina University |
| Ron Day Chief Operating Officer RBC Centura |
| Barker French Chair Durham Roundtable |
| Dr. Carl Harris Superintendent Durham Public Schools |
| Mort Hight Vice President and Investment Strategist Wachovia |
| Arthur Rogers Independent Real Estate Investor |
| Dr. Ray Spain Superintendent Warren County Schools |
| Malcolm Turner Senior Vice President OnSport |
| Corporate, 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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| Public Schools of North Carolina | |||
$100,000 - $199,999 |
| Golden LEAF Foundation |
To support Teach For America • Eastern North Carolina with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Teach For America • Eastern North Carolina
Erin Swanson Oschwald, Executive Director
Katherine Porter, Development Manager
324 Blackwell Street
Bay 11, Suite 1160
Durham, NC 27701
P 919-597-7200, f 919-597-7272
erin.swansonoschwald@teachforamerica.org
katherine.porter@teachforamerica.org
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Erin Swanson Oschwald leads Teach For America • Eastern North Carolina and 162 corps members, who collectively reach more than 13,000 students per year. Since serving as a 2002 Eastern North Carolina corps member, where she lead her students to an increase in state end-of-course test scores from 70% to over 90% proficiency in English I, Erin continues to maximize the region’s impact on student achievement as a Teach For America staff member. Erin first joined Teach For America staff as a program director in 2005, supporting the professional growth and development of nearly 90 corps members. In 2007, Erin went on to become the region’s senior program director, where she designed and implemented strategy to ensure the region’s largest corps to date attained significant gains. That same year, she served as a school director at the Atlanta Institute, posting the highest student achievement results among all Atlanta summer school sites. Erin graduated magna cum laude from Wake Forest University.
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