Teach For America - Function

Function

Teach For America recruits recent college graduates and professionals to teach for two years in urban and rural communities throughout the United States. The goal of Teach For America is for its corps members to make a short-term impacts on their students in addition to becoming lifelong leaders in pursuing educational equality. Corps members do not have to be certified teachers, although certified teachers may apply.

Unlicensed/uncertified corps members receive alternative certification through coursework taken while completing the program. Corps members attend an intensive five-week summer training program to prepare for their commitment. Teach For America teachers are placed in schools in urban areas such as New York City and Houston, as well as in rural places such as eastern North Carolina and the Mississippi Delta. They then serve for two years and are usually placed in schools with other Teach For America corps members.

Teach For America teachers are full-fledged faculty members at their schools, receiving the normal school district salary and benefits as well as a modest AmeriCorps "education voucher" (which can be used to pay for credentialing courses, cover previous student loans or fund further education after the two-year commitment).