Teach For America brings the best and the brightest young people to our communities in Philadelphia and Camden. As these young people teach in our highest-need schools and become life-long leaders in our communities, Teach For America corps members are building a movement to close the educational achievement gap that exists right here in Philadelphia and Camden. We need more Teach For America teachers and alumni in our region.
- Bob Hall, Regional Advisory Board Chair, Greater Philadelphia-Camden
Teach For America • Greater Philadelphia-Camden is playing a critical role in improving schools and communities. This year, a corps of over 300 of the nation’s top recent college graduates is working in underserved schools across Greater Philadelphia-Camden 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 Greater Philadelphia-Camden. Learn about living and teaching in Greater Philadelphia-Camden.
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Executive Director |
Recent press releases
Recent press coverage
During the 2008-09 school year, over 300 corps members are directly impacting the lives of more than 25,000 students in Greater Philadelphia and Camden. Jenny Gwin is one example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
Jenny Gwin (Greater Philadelphia-Camden Corps '07) |
Jenny Gwin (Corps ’07) teaches middle school writing in North Philadelphia. At the beginning of last year, Jenny assessed each of her eighth graders and found that most wrote on a sixth grade level and struggled to write a complete paragraph. Jenny worked relentlessly to invest her students in their progress by creating meaningful daily writing experiences. By the end of the year, 90 percent of Jenny’s students were writing on an eighth grade level according to the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA). Nearly 85 percent of corps members in Philadelphia and Camden are teaching middle or high school level subjects like Jenny.
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
*Percentages vary depending on school district
Greater Philadelphia-Camden: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | % of Corps* |
|---|---|
| Pre-K, Kindergarten | 4% |
| Elementary School, Lower (1-2) | 4% |
| Elementary School, Upper (3-5) | 8% |
| Secondary Math | 25% |
| Secondary English | 25% |
| Secondary Math | 21% |
| Secondary Social Studies | 6% |
| Secondary Foreign Language | 3% |
| Secondary Other | 5% |
| Bilingual | 1% |
| Special Education | 9% |
*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 700 Teach For America alumni in Greater Philadelphia and Camden pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
Nick Torres (New York City Corps '93) |
Kelli Seaton (Greater Philadelphia-Camden Corps '04) |
Nick Torres and Kelli Seaton are two alumni continuing to work towards educational equity. While in the corps, Nick taught bilingual elementary. He is now the president of Congreso de Latinos Unidos, a nonprofit organization serving Philadelphia’s Latino community. Under Nick’s leadership, Congreso was recognized for its impact on the achievement, welfare, and engagement of students at Fairhill Elementary. Kelli taught English for three years before becoming principal of Pickett Middle School, one of the high-performing Mastery Charter Schools. Like Kelli, two-thirds of our alumni continue in the field of education beyond their two-year commitment.
Growing Our Impact: Funding Needs, 2006-2010
Each additional recruit is another dedicated teacher for children growing up in low-income communities in Greater Philadelphia-Camden, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | 260 | $3 million |
| 2007-08 | 294 | $3.185 million |
| 2009-10 | 300-400* | $4.5-6.0 million* |
*projected |
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We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Greater Philadelphia-Camden. 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.
| Greater Philadelphia-Camden Advisory Board |
|---|
| Robert J. (Bob) Hall (Chair) Senior Vice President and Philadelphia Complex Manager UBS Financial Services |
| Philip H. Behr Managing Partner Behr Capital Partners |
| James M. Buck III Partner TDH / Private Equity Management Company |
| Susan S. Burch Community Leader Gladwyne, PA |
| Howard A. Burde Partner Blank Rome LLP |
| John Coyne (Chair Emeritus) President Brinker Capital Holdings and Brinker Capital Securities |
| Edward A. Montgomery, Jr. Vice President United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania |
| Therese M. Obringer Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer Lincoln Financial Group |
To support Teach For America • Greater Philadelphia-Camden with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Teach For America • Greater Philadelphia-Camden
Mike Wang, Executive Director
Mamie Doyle, Development Director
714 Market Street, Suite 420
Philadelphia, PA 19106
p 215-592-9260, f 215-592-9261
mike.wang@teachforamerica.org
mamie.doyle@teachforamerica.org
Mike was a 1999 South Louisiana corps member where he taught reading and world geography to high school students. After teaching for two years, he served as education policy advisor to Louisiana Governor Mike Foster, working on the creation and expansion of a statewide pre-kindergarten program for low-income children, the expansion of Louisiana's charter school laws, and the implementation of No Child Left Behind. Mike subsequently served as director of policy for Louisiana's Lt. Governor and as the executive director of the Louisiana Serve Commission, where he oversaw the state's AmeriCorps programs. Immediately prior to joining Teach For America as Greater Philadelphia-Camden's executive director, Mike worked at Blank Rome LLP, the Philadelphia law firm, and at McKinsey & Co., the strategic consulting firm. Mike is currently in the process of completing his J.D. at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and was recently selected as a recipient of the Philadelphia Business Journal's 40 Under 40 Award.
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