Teach For America visits ASU to raise awareness of educational inequity

On Nov. 19, Teach For America and Arizona State University teamed up to ensure all children – regardless of their socioeconomic status – have access to a great education.

More than 200 Teach For America recruiters visited the ASU Tempe campus to raise awareness about educational inequity, and encourage ASU students to apply their talents in the classroom. Participating ASU students had the chance to learn more about the program, engage via social media and write holiday cards to local public school students in classrooms led by ASU alums and Teach For America corps members.

ASU ranks 11th for new Teach For America corps members. As a top contributor, ASU continues to generate a high number of Teach For America corps educators. Last year, 50 ASU alumni joined the program.

Teach For America corps members are placed in schools across the country to help 15 million American children achieve academically. Corps members commit to teach in high-need urban and rural schools, and pursue outstanding outcomes with students. As alumni, they become lifelong leaders in the pursuit of educational equity.

The organization’s 2014 corps is the most diverse class to date. This year, almost half of corps members identify as people of color, 47 percent received Pell Grants and one-third are the first in their family to attend college.

This fall 10,600 first- and second-year corps members will teach in high-need classrooms across 50 regions. The 5,300 incoming corps members represent more than 850 colleges and universities, and 49 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to the corps, Teach For America’s network of more than 37,000 alumni continue to work toward educational equity, with 86 percent working full-time in education or with low-income communities.

Teach For America is a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty.