More than any time in recent history, there is a tremendous opportunity to impact students in Los Angeles. A combination of a significant need coupled with education reform efforts made by policymakers, investors, and the public make this a critical year for the region’s effort to close the achievement gap.
| Quick Stats |
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| Site Since: 1990 |
| Corps Size: 354 |
| Average yearly temperature: 76.0° |
| Car: Access to car is essential |
Salary: See cost of living  |
One of the country’s most diverse communities, Los Angeles County has a population of 9.8 million people, with 3.8 million people in the City of Los Angeles itself. This 228 year-old city holds the highest concentrations of people from Mexico, Iran, Korea, Thailand, and Samoa outside of these countries, as well as dozens of other immigrant groups.
This extremely diverse population is reflected in the overall student composition in Los Angeles County. In Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), over 38 percent of students are English Language Learners. About 35 percent of the English learners speak Spanish, while the remaining students speak any of the other 55 languages reported in California schools. In LAUSD alone, this subgroup constitutes over 266,000 students.
In recent data released by the California State Department of Education, schools were well behind meeting the federal standards of being No Child Left Behind compliant by the year 2014. Only 41 percent of elementary schools, 21 percent of middle schools and 24 percent of high schools met both 2008 State API (Academic Performance Index) and AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) targets. Additionally, schools receiving Title I funds met their targets at a lower rate than all schools.
Additionally, drop-out rates within Los Angeles reflect the inequity in public schools where the achievement gap is staggering. Out of the nation’s 50 largest cities, Los Angeles is ranked 42nd by graduation rate with a staggering 45.3 percent of students completing high school with a diploma. In LAUSD alone, a Harvard University study showed that just 39 percent of Latino and 47 percent of African-American students who should have graduated in 2002 actually did so. And, even among Latino and African-American students who complete high school in LAUSD, only one in five have met the curriculum requirements to qualify for admission to a four-year public university in California.
Los Angeles County is 4,060 square miles of theaters, music, art, museums, television, motion pictures, and sporting events. Los Angeles has two Chinatowns, a Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Ethiopian cuisine on Fairfax Avenue, and Leimert Park, which is a center of African-American art. The entire area is a treasure trove of Latino history and culture.
Los Angeles is a culmination of 1,001 vibrant neighborhoods, making it fun for corps members to experience a little bit of everything during their two-year commitments. Each distinctive neighborhood has its own flavor, from Hollywood with its booming live theater scene and 21 new productions opening every week, to Palos Verdes with its ocean-front whale watching. Neighborhood festivals take place every weekend of the year and range from the annual Watts Century Latino celebration to Exposition Park's three-weekend African Marketplace and Cultural Fair. Of course, no true Angeleno will want to miss the must-dos: the carnival-like bustle of Venice Beach, the poetry slams in Leimert Park and Silverlake, and the hipster scene on Melrose Avenue. A bit of exploring can reveal some surprising sites, such as the increasingly popular walking tour of historic downtown, or great eats at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles.
Corps members can live in a wide variety of communities within the Los Angeles County area. Most corps members who share housing find two to three-bedroom houses or apartments in beach communities or more-central city neighborhoods. The beach communities, which are a vital part of Los Angeles, have their own unique landmarks and cultures. Santa Monica is famous for a pier built in 1906, Redondo Beach is a haven for surfers, and Long Beach is home to the largest Cambodian community in the United States. Apartments in city neighborhoods such as Echo Park, Hollywood, Koreatown, Los Feliz, and Mid-Wilshire area are ideal for their convenient proximity to many schools and great shops, restaurants, and clubs. Additionally, downtown Los Angeles is in the midst of urban revitalization. Its new lofts and commercial development attract many new residents.
To escape the hustle and bustle, corps members can easily get away to cities such as San Diego, Orange County, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara or Big Bear Mountain for weekend trips.
The Los Angeles corps is cohesive and supportive. The Teach For America • Los Angeles staff coordinates professional development activities for corps members, including professional learning communities, visits to high-performing schools, all-corps conferences, committee leadership opportunities and differentiated support for special education and early childhood teachers as well as observations and check-ins with program directors. Our First Year LA program connects first year corps members with alumni mentors through a series of meetings and social events to maximize leadership potential. Also, corps members participate in a range of professional and social activities organized by Teach For America staff members, alumni, and fellow corps members. There is enormous professional and social support among corps members at the schools, which adds to the camaraderie and sense of corps throughout the city. Many corps members serve on school site-based decision-making committees or as department chairs and curriculum developers, driving instructional plans and initiatives that improve student achievement.
Los Angeles corps members have the opportunity to collaborate with a local base of over 1,100 alumni, including members of the 1990 charter corps, on a wide range of social justice and long-term change initiatives. In addition, more than 40 alumni serve as principals and school administrators throughout Los Angeles. Our alumni continue to impact Los Angeles education by running four of the top 30 performing high schools in Los Angeles Unified School District, restructuring schools in Pasadena Unified School District, and running the 2007 California State Charter School of the Year.
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