Aug 30, 2010

Local Colleges Contribute Recent Grads to Teach For America


Teach For America recently posted its annual ranking of the colleges and universities contributing the greatest number of graduating seniors to its 2010 teaching corps. Among the top local contributors were the University of Virginia (43) in the large school category and Georgetown University (41), William & Mary (23), and American University (21) in the medium-sized school category. With 10 graduates joining the corps, the University of Richmond was tied for the sixth highest contributor among small schools.

Teach For America corps members are highly-accomplished college graduates and professionals who commit to teach for two years in underserved schools. The organization recruits from all academic majors and backgrounds and seeks individuals who have demonstrated “outstanding achievement, perseverance, and leadership.”

Admission to the 2010 corps was more selective than in previous years, with a record 46,000 applying to join of whom only 12 percent were accepted. Because of the enormous number of qualified candidates, Teach For America was able to increase both the size and strength of the incoming corps.

This fall, more than 4,500 new corps members will start teaching in schools across the country. They represent more than 630 colleges and universities, and 81 percent are graduating seniors. The top 2010 college producers for Teach For America were:

• University of Texas at Austin (80)
• University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (79)
• Cornell University (60)
• University of California-Berkeley (57)
• Northwestern University (57)
• University of Wisconsin-Madison (56)
• University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (55)
• University of Florida (54)
• Duke University (51)
• UCLA (49)

For college-bound students interested in pursuing careers in education, Teach For America offers incomparable training and leadership opportunities. In fact, two-thirds of the more than 20,000 Teach For America alums across the country are continuing to work full time in education. More than 450 serve as school principals or superintendents; more than 500 work in government or policy; and 30 serve in elected office.

More information and the complete list of top college contributors to the corps may be found on the Teach For America website.


No comments:

Post a Comment