Teach For America has, in essence, come up with a formula that consistently recruits, trains, and places great teachers where they are needed most. The immediate result is real, measurable, positive outcomes for children.
- Barbara Hyde, President, J.R. Hyde III Foundation
Teach For America • Memphis is playing a critical role in improving schools and communities. This year, a corps of nearly 100 of the nation’s top recent college graduates is working in underserved schools across Memphis 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 Memphis. Learn about living and teaching in Memphis.
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Executive Director |
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During the 2008-09 school year, nearly 100 corps members are directly impacting the lives of more than 7,000 students in Memphis. Our corps members at Kingsbury High School are an example of the tremendous difference our corps members are making.
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McKenzie Byrd (Memphis Corps '07) |
Daniel Eyer (Memphis Corps '07) |
Anna Herzog (Memphis Corps '07) |
McKenzie Byrd, Daniel Eyer, and Anna Herzog are three teachers who helped transform the education their students received. According to the 2006-2007 Tennessee Department of Education school report card, only 45 percent of Kingsbury High School students passed the Algebra I Gateway, and only 13 percent received an advanced score. At that time, there were no corps members teaching Algebra I at Kingsbury. In the 2007-08 school year, McKenzie, Daniel, and Anna represented 75 percent of the Algebra I teachers. They led 92 percent of their students to pass the Gateway, with 59 percent receiving an advanced score. McKenzie, Daniel, Anna, and all our corps members are working relentlessly to impact the lives of all the students they teach.
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
Memphis: Corps Member Placement
| Assignment | % of Corps* |
|---|---|
| Pre-K, Kindergarten | 6% |
| Elementary School, Lower (1-2) | 6% |
| Elementary School, Upper (3-5) | 13% |
| Secondary Math | 23% |
| Secondary English | 13% |
| Secondary Science | 13% |
| Secondary Social Studies | 19% |
| Secondary Foreign Language | 6% |
| ESL | 11% |
*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 150 Teach For America • Memphis alumni pursuing professional careers and impacting educational reform from every sector.
Tim Ware (Memphis Corps '06) |
Mike Whaley (Memphis Corps '06) |
Last year, two Memphis charter corps members, Tim Ware and Mike Whaley, were selected as fellows of Building Excellent Schools, an organization that trains exceptional educators to run high-performing, urban charter schools. After an extensive, year-long training, Tim and Mike will open their own charter schools in Memphis to continue to work toward educational equity in our community. They will join the more than 360 alumni who are serving as school leaders and superintendents nationwide to ensure that all students receive the educational opportunities they deserve.
Growing Our Impact: Funding Needs, 2007-10
Each additional recruit is another dedicated teacher for children growing up in low-income communities in Memphis, 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 | 89 | $1.8 million |
| 2008-09 | 96* | $2.2 million* |
| 2009-10 | 100* | $2.5 million* |
* projected |
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We are grateful to have many supporters who generously contribute to our movement in Memphis. 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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| G. Doug Edwards (Chairman) Retired CEO Morgan Keegan |
| Samuel N. Graham Chief Operating Officer and Managing Principal Diversified Trust |
| Elliot Perry Former NBA Basketball Player Part-owner, Memphis Grizzlies |
| Diane Terrell Vice-President Global Communications FedEx |
| Lauren Young Executive Director The Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation |
To support Teach For America • Memphis with a gift or to request additional information about our impact or finances, please contact:
Brad Leon, Executive Director
Athena Turner, Development Manager
One Commerce Square
Suite 1190
Memphis, TN 38103
p: 901.527.7510
brad.leon@teachforamerica.org
athena.turner@teachforamerica.org
Brad Leon is in his third year as executive director of Teach For America in Memphis; next year, he will be taking on a state-wide role with Teach For America, leading our sites in both Memphis and Nashville. In his previous role as a recruitment director, Brad managed recruitment efforts at the University of Chicago, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Iowa; during his tenure Teach For America’s application numbers at these schools increased by 96 percent. While a teacher of eighth grade language arts and social studies at the New Orleans Free School in New Orleans, Brad’s students excelled academically. In a district where success is not the norm, 98 percent of his students passed the Louisiana Education Assessment Program (LEAP), the state’s high stakes, standardized test. As a result of his efforts, Brad was unanimously selected as the school’s “Teacher of the Year” in 2002. A winner of the Senior-Scholar Athlete Award, Brad graduated with honors from Occidental College in 2000 after participating in both football and baseball where he served as captain in 1999-2000.
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