Grantee: / Teach For America
PR Award Number: / U396A100015
Project Title: / Scaling Teach For America: Growing the Talent Force Working to Ensure All of Our Nation’s Students Have Access to a Quality Education
Project Director: / Matthew Kramer
212-279-2080
Amount of Award: / $50,000,000
Length of Award: / 5 years
Absolute Priority: / Effective Teachers and Principals
List of Partners (with states for each): / School Districts:
Alum Rock Union Elementary School District (TX) American Horse School (SD) Atlanta Public Schools (GA) Baltimore City Public Schools (MD) Barton-Lexa School District (KY) Benoit School District (MS) Bertie County Schools (NC) Boston Public Schools (MA) Brooklyn Center Schools (NY) Carroll County School District (GA) Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools (NC) Chelsea Public Schools (MA) Chicago Public Schools (IL) Clarendon School District (SC) Clarksdale Municipal School District (MS) Coahoma County School District (MS) Creighton Elementary School District (AZ) Denver Public Schools (CO) District of Columbia Public Schools (DC), Dumas School District (KS) Duval County Public Schools (FL) East Feliciana Parish School District (LA) Forrest City School District (KS) Gallup-McKinley County Schools (NM) Glendale Elementary School District (TN) Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District (NY) Greenville School District (MS) Halifax County Schools (NC) Harrison 2 Public Schools (IN) Hartford Public Schools (CT) Hawaii Department of Education (HI) Hazelwood School District (MO) Holmes County School (MS) Houston Independent School District (TX) Hughes School District (KS) Humphreys County School District (TN) Indianapolis Public Schools (IN) Indianola School District (MS) Isaac School District No. 5 (AZ) Jefferson Parish Public Schools (LA) Kansas City Missouri School District (MO) Laguna Department of Education (NM) Lakeside School District (MS) Leflore County School (MS) Leland School District (MS) Los Angeles Unified School District (CA) Mapleton Public Schools (CO) Marvell/Elaine School District (KS) McGeehee School District (LA) Memphis City Schools (TN) Metro Nashville Schools (TN) Miami-Dade County Public Schools (FL) Milwaukee Public Schools, Wisconsin Minneapolis Public Schools (MN)
List of Partners (with states for each) Continued: / Mound Bayou Public Schools (LA) New Haven Public Schools (CT) New York City Department of Education (NY) Newark Public Schools (NJ) Northhampton County Schools (NC) Pasadena Union School District (CA) Passaic Public Schools (NJ) Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (TX) Phoenix Union School District (AZ) Pointe Coupee Parish Public Schools (LA) Prince George's County (MD) Providence Public Schools (RI) Quitman County School District (MS) Recovery School District (LA) Red Clay Consolidated School District (DE) Revere Public Schools (MA) Roma Independent School District (TX) San Jose Unified School District (CA) Sanders Unified School District (AZ) School District of Philadelphia (PA) Shaw School District (MS) St. Louis Public Schools (MO) Stuttgart School District (KS) Sunflower County School District (MS) Tate County School District (MS) Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma Tunica County School District (MS) Warren County Schools (NC) Weldon City Schools (NC) West Contra Costa Unified School District (CA) West Tallahatchie School District (MS) Yazoo City Municipal School District (MS)
Charter Schools:
ACE Charter School (AZ) Achievement First (CT)
Adelaide Sanford Charter (NJ) Advance Baton Rouge (LA) Akili Academy of New Orleans (LA) Alliance for College Ready Public Schools (IL) Arise Academy (LA) Aspire Public Schools (CA) Benjamin Mays Preparatory (LA)
Boy's Latin of Philadelphia (PA) Challenge Foundation (IN) Chistel House Academy (IN)
Democracy Prep Blackstone Valley (RI) Derrick Thomas Academy (MO)
Endeavor College Preparatory Charter (CA) Explore Schools Inc. (NY) Fountain Square Academy (IN) Futuro College Preparatory (CA) Green Dot Public Schools (CA) Harlem Success Charter (NY) Harvest Preparatory/Best Academy (NY) Hiawatha Leadership Academy (MN) IDEA Public Schools (TX) Indiana Math and Science Academy (IN) Indianapolis Lighthouse Charter (IN) Indianapolis Metropolitan High School (IN) Institute for Human and Social Development (NY) KIPP BAY AREA (CA) KIPP Colorado (CO) KIPP Delta (KS) KIPP Greater New Orleans (LA) KIPP Houston (TX) KIPP Indianapolis College Preparatory (IN) KIPP TEAM (NJ) Lady Liberty Charter (NJ) Leadership Public Schools (CA) LEAP Academies (NJ) Lighthouse Academies (IN) Maria Varisco Rogers Charter School (NJ) Mariana Bracetti Academy (PA) Mastery Charter School (PA) Neighborhood Center Schools (TX) New Orleans College Preparatory (LA) Para Los Nino (CA) Phoenix Advantage Charter School (AZ) Prestige Academy (DE) Pride College Prep (NC) ReNew (LA) Riverbend Prep Education (AZ) Rocketship Education (CA) Roosevelt Elementary School (NJ) Sojourner Truth Academy (NY) Success Preparatory Academy (LA) Taleos Education Partnership (AZ) Uncommon Schools (NJ) (NY) University Heights Charter (NY) Valor Academy Charter School (CA) Voices College-Bound Language Academy (CA) West Denver Prep (CO) Wiseburn Charter School (CA) YES Prep Public Schools (TX) Young Scholars (NY)
Project Website: /
Description of Project: / Teach For America — in partnership with 148 local education agencies nationwide and with broad support from public and private sector champions —will grow its teacher corps by more than 80 percent by September 2014. Teach For America uses a unique combination of methodology, experience and capacity to address the need for additional effective teachers and leaders in high-needs schools and districts. While many local education agencies now access new teachers from local alternate routes, Teach For America provides a comprehensive and aligned training and support program that works closely with teachers during the first 2 years of classroom teaching and beyond. By scaling its model for recruiting, selecting, training, placing, developing and retaining highly effective new teachers, Teach for America will have enabled 13,500 first- and second-year teachers to reach 850,000 high-needs students by the 2014-15 school year, putting the program on track to reach 1 million students by the 2016-17 school year. Teach For America serves the highest-needs students in the country. In the schools where the program places teachers, about 90 percent of students are African American or Latino/Hispanic, and roughly 80 percent receive free or reduced-price meals. According to a 2004 study by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., students in Teach For America teachers’ classrooms began the year, on average, at the 14th percentile against the national norm. Over the course of 4 years, more than 28,000 talented, young leaders will enter high-needs classrooms as new teachers via Teach For America, and the program will achieve the following outcomes:
  • Grow its corps to 13,500 teachers, reaching nearly 850,000 students in high-needs schools.
  • Train and support the majority of its teachers to earn the rating of "highly effective" during their first or second year of teaching.
  • Establish proven pipelines for recruiting, training, placing and developing highly effective teachers in 52-54 regions across the country, spanning at least 35 states and Washington, DC.

Description of Evaluation: / An external evaluator will conduct a rigorous experimental and implementation study to examine the impact of Teach for America's teachers on student achievement and to provide insights into the effectiveness of the model through a period of rapid growth. The evaluation will address two key research questions: (1) What are the features of the scale-up implementation, and was it successful in increasing the number of Teach For America teachers during the grant period (2) Are the corps members brought on as part of the scale-up more effective than their non-Teach For America counterparts (as evidenced by student achievement in grades pre-K through 5).
Project Evaluator: / Melissa Clark
Organization: / Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.