A Teach For America Classroom
A critical new source of talented teachers
Whereas few graduates viewed teaching in low-income communities as a destination of choice in the United States twenty years ago, this year 25,000 graduates applied to Teach For America — including between five and ten percent of the senior classes of 100 universities including Princeton, Harvard, and Yale. This year, Teach For America is welcoming 3,700 new members from this applicant pool, making it among the very top recruiters of graduates in the country.
Similarly, in the United Kingdom, the most recent Times annual survey of graduate employers ranked Teach First as the 9th most prestigious employer in the country, the highest ranking ever for a charity. This year, Teach First welcomes 370 new participants.
Positive impact on students’ achievement
The most rigorous independent studies reveal that Teach For America and Teach First teachers have a positive impact on their students, including:
Teach For America’s impact on student achievement
The most rigorous study on participant impact on student achievement was released in 2004 by Mathematica Policy Research, a leading research firm. Utilizing research methodology widely regarded as the gold standard, researchers randomly assigned students to the classrooms of participants or other new and veteran teachers at the same grade levels and schools, and these students took a norm-referenced test (the Iowa Basic Skills Test) at the beginning and end of the year. The study found that students of Teach For America participants:
The Urban Institute’s CALDER Research Center conducted a study of the impact of Teach For America participants on high school students, Making a Difference? The Effects of Teach for America in High School. Researchers analyzed North Carolina student exam data from 2000 through 2006 in order to examine differences between the impact on student achievement of Teach For America participants and other comparison groups composed of non-Teach For America teachers. The study found that Teach For America teachers have a positive effect on high school students’ achievement, relative to non-Teach For America teachers, including those who are fully certified in their subject areas. The effect on student of achievement of having a Teach For America teacher was three times the effect of having a teacher with three or more years of experience. Read the full study >>
Teach First's impact on teacher training
The United Kingdom’s Teach First received the highest grade possible from Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) for its initial teacher training program. Read the full report >>
Whereas few graduates viewed teaching in low-income communities as a destination of choice in the United States twenty years ago, this year 25,000 graduates applied to Teach For America — including between five and ten percent of the senior classes of 100 universities including Princeton, Harvard, and Yale. This year, Teach For America is welcoming 3,700 new members from this applicant pool, making it among the very top recruiters of graduates in the country.
Similarly, in the United Kingdom, the most recent Times annual survey of graduate employers ranked Teach First as the 9th most prestigious employer in the country, the highest ranking ever for a charity. This year, Teach First welcomes 370 new participants.
Positive impact on students’ achievement
The most rigorous independent studies reveal that Teach For America and Teach First teachers have a positive impact on their students, including:
- A gold standard study evaluating the impact of Teach For America teachers in elementary schools
- A recent, methodologically rigorous study of the impact of Teach For America teachers on high school students
- A recent UK report validates Teach First's initial teacher training program
Teach For America’s impact on student achievement
The most rigorous study on participant impact on student achievement was released in 2004 by Mathematica Policy Research, a leading research firm. Utilizing research methodology widely regarded as the gold standard, researchers randomly assigned students to the classrooms of participants or other new and veteran teachers at the same grade levels and schools, and these students took a norm-referenced test (the Iowa Basic Skills Test) at the beginning and end of the year. The study found that students of Teach For America participants:
- Make more progress in a year in both reading and math than would typically be expected.
- Attain significantly greater gains in math than the students of other teachers in the study, even when compared to veteran and certified teachers.
- The study also found that participants are working in the highest-need classrooms in the country, where students begin the year on average at the 14th percentile against the national norm. Read the full study >>
The Urban Institute’s CALDER Research Center conducted a study of the impact of Teach For America participants on high school students, Making a Difference? The Effects of Teach for America in High School. Researchers analyzed North Carolina student exam data from 2000 through 2006 in order to examine differences between the impact on student achievement of Teach For America participants and other comparison groups composed of non-Teach For America teachers. The study found that Teach For America teachers have a positive effect on high school students’ achievement, relative to non-Teach For America teachers, including those who are fully certified in their subject areas. The effect on student of achievement of having a Teach For America teacher was three times the effect of having a teacher with three or more years of experience. Read the full study >>
Teach First's impact on teacher training
The United Kingdom’s Teach First received the highest grade possible from Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) for its initial teacher training program. Read the full report >>