What are you doing to make a difference next year?
In our nation, education is supposed to be the great equalizer and the primary vehicle for upward mobility for citizens in pursuit of the American Dream. But, the reality today is that all too often, the economic status of children’s communities dictates their educational prospects. The average fourth grade student raised in a low-income community is already 2-3 grade levels behind their more affluent peers – simply because they lack the opportunities and resources they need. According to a McKinsey & Co. study from 2009, the United States ranked 25th in math and 24th in science among developed nations. In low-income communities, the achievement gap in math and science is even more pronounced.
Teach For America provides you the opportunity to broaden your future aspirations by committing yourself to solve this, the civil right’s issue of our generation. Teach For America places recent college graduates in one of our nation’s high-need public schools for two years, during which time you will receivefull salary and benefits. You will have the opportunity to truly make a difference while actively pursuing your personal and professional interests. Teach for America offers extensive leadership and professional development to its corps members, and alumni of the program go on to pursue a variety of career paths through our graduate school and corporate employer partnerships.
To help the particular gap in math and science, Teach For America started the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) initiative which places experts in science, technology, engineering, and math as teachers in low-income middle schools and high schools across America. Today, more than 2,900 first- and second-year STEM corps members are teaching middle- and high-school math and science, making Teach For America the largest provider of math and science teachers in the country. And with the training and support they receive before, during, and after their two-year commitment, the research shows these corps members are having an outstanding impact on student achievement. To increase this impact, by 2015 we plan to double the size of our incoming math and science corps. Hear more: Words of Support from Our Corporate Sponsors.
Teach For America was recently ranked as one of the top ten places to launch a career by Fortune Magazine, and UCSB is a top twenty contributor. Let’s make it # 1 – go, Gauchos!
Next Application Deadline: Wednesday, October 26th
The only things needed to submit are: Your Resume and a 500-word Letter of Intent. The application is free and non-binding; no letters of recommendation or transcripts needed at this stage.
Contact TFA’s Outreach Director at elyse.colgan@teachforamerica.org or (917) 658 – 5448 for more information.
Consider Teach For America. Join the movement and apply to the 2012 Teach for America corps.