Teach for America is a national corps of outstanding college graduates who commit two years to teaching in low-income urban and rural communities. Since its inception in 1990, 17,000 individuals have participated in Teach for America, impacting more than 2.5 million students. In September 2007, Teach for America announced that it would expand to Indianapolis through a partnership with IPS.
Marian University provides Teach for America teachers summer courses in preparation for their fall teaching assignments with high needs, low income Indianapolis area schools.
An April 2008 report by non-profit agency America’s Promise Alliance revealed Indianapolis has the second-lowest graduation rate among the nation’s 50 largest cities. According to the report, less than one-third of IPS students graduate from high school. The alliance with Teach for America is intended to help raise graduation rates by bringing motivating and talented leaders to the school system.
Marian University has been selected by Teach for America to provide licensing assistance, with the option for a Master of Arts in Teaching degree, to a group of carefully selected, degreed professionals who must meet stringent application requirements in order to become teacher candidates.
About Teach for America
Teach for America was founded in 1990 by Princeton graduate Wendy Kopp with a mission to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting newly trained teachers to serve in low-income school districts. Teach for America now serves over 26 urban and rural communities with 5,000 corps members.
Upon acceptance, prospective teachers undertake a two-year program that begins with a summer institute and includes a five-semester, structured curriculum designed to give new teachers the knowledge, instructional strategies, classroom management techniques, and dispositions they will need to be successful in the classroom. Classroom-based observations during the school year will focus on delivery of curriculum through instruction, assessment of student learning, and cultural competency.
TFA Courses
To apply for the program, visit the web site at
www.teachforamerica.org.
For information on coursework, contact
Christine Squier, M.S.
Director of Teach for America at Marian College
csquier@marian.edu
317.955.6093