Houston, Texas (July 17, 2024)—Teach For America (TFA) Houston is welcoming more than 110 educators to Houston this fall, all of whom will be trained through the organization’s hybrid pre-service model, which includes both a virtual component and in-person teaching experience in partnership with Houston ISD. Their time in local classrooms this summer will offer them an opportunity to learn from local veteran teachers, and more quickly understand schools and students in Houston.
Students and educators have been working hard to regain academic ground since the pandemic hit, but the recovery so far is slow and uneven. ACT scores are the lowest they’ve been in 30 years, and only 40% of SAT takers met or exceeded reading, writing, and math benchmarks for college readiness. Summer learning is an effective means of slowing learning loss and helping students get to grade level, particularly in math, and has shown to be a successful academic intervention post-covid.
TFA corps members make a lifelong commitment to educational equity, and spend at least two years teaching in under-resourced schools in rural and urban areas nationwide; in Houston, they serve in Houston ISD, Aldine ISD, KIPP Texas-Houston, Yes Prep, IDEA Public Schools, Etoile Academy Charter Schools, and Baker Ripley Community Schools. These 110+ teachers join a growing network of TFA corps members and alumni of the program—over 5,600 in Texas, who are leading classrooms, schools, districts, and working across sectors to impact the education system.
“We’re deeply excited about our partnership with Houston ISD to reach students this summer,” said Tiffany Cuellar Needham, Executive Director of Teach For America Houston. “Our summer programming provides critical summer education opportunities to students, while helping our newest educators get to know the local community.”
As of June 17th, these TFA teachers, known as corps members, are leading classrooms under the supervision of experienced mentors in each district. This summer’s programming is a key component of TFA’s multi-part, intensive pre-service experience, which began in May and will extend through teachers’ first 90 days in the classroom, and which all 270+ new TFA educators who will be teaching in Texas schools this fall will experience. Training will focus on instruction, learning environments, diversity, equity, and inclusiveness, and content.
Teach For America staff and educators are available for interviews.
About Teach For America
Teach For America works in partnership with communities across the country to expand educational opportunities for children. Founded in 1990, Teach For America finds, develops, and supports a diverse network of leaders who expand opportunity for children from classrooms, schools, and every sector and field that shapes the broader systems in which schools operate. Today, Teach For America is a force of over 70,000 alumni, corps members, Ignite fellows, and staff working in pursuit of profound systemic change so that one day every child has an equal opportunity to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility. Teach For America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
