DOCUMENT RESUME ED 354 664 EC 301 840 TITLE Teach for America. Information Bulletin #34. INSTITUTION National Association of State Directors of Special Education, Washington, D.C.; National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education, Reston, VA. SPONS AGENCY Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE Apr 90 CuNTRACT G0087C3053-88/89 NOTE 22p.; Newspaper/magazine excerpts may notcopy adequately. PUB TYPE Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Alternative Teacher Certification; Beginning Teachers; *Change Strategies; Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; Institutes (Training Programs); *Preservice Teacher Education; Program Development; Rural Education; Summer Programs; *Teacher Placement; *Teacher Recruitment; *Teacher Shortage; Teacher Supply and Demand; Urban Education; Urban Teaching IDENTIFIERS *Teach for America ABSTRACT This document describes "Teach for America,"a program which recruits outstanding college students who may not otherwise have considered teaching, provides them withan intensive training program, and places them for 2years of teaching in inner-city and rural school districts with persistentteacher shortages. The report addresses:(1) the organization (history, advisers and directors, and staff);(2) the need (the shortage of teachers in specific areas, the shortage of teacherswho are of color, and an impending general teacher shortage);(3) the rationale (capitalizing on student idealism and indecision,and countering the major factors discouraging students from entering teaching); (4) program overview;(5) recruitment and selection (recruitmentat 100 top colleges and universities, and selection criteria);(6) training (faculty, site, curriculum, and key ideas);(7) placement (locations, certification, salaries);(8) support (within the school and external); (9) evaluation (of bothprogram and participants); (10) the context of the program (including broader effortsto recruit teachers and broader efforts to professionalize teachingand restructure schools);(11) program contributors; and (12) reprintsof mass media articles about the program. (pH) **************************************::*-...**********************i.AA*** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best thatcan be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** a THE NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE The Nalonal AuovaionolSun* Ins Council for Rectors of Sosc2ai Education EOP Children FOR PROFESSIONS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION INFORMATION BULLETIN #34 U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Educahonal Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) -ar....sdocument has been reproduced as the person or organization ( changes have been made to improve reprdduchon duality PO.ntS 01 tree or ocemons stated ,n thsclocu. men! do not necessarily represent off OE R. pos.1.0n or policy TEACH FOR AMERICA 1/4\r) National Clearinghouse for ProLssions in Special Education Professions Information Center The Council for Exceptional Children 1920 Association Drive, Reston, Virginia 22091 703/264-9474 9 BEST COPYAVAILABLE Info. Bull. t34 (non- Teach for America is a new programdesigned to persuade college seniors education majors) to sign up for aminimum of two years of teachingafter offered on repaying student loansunder graduation. In return, a deferment is the provisions of the HigherEducation Act amendments of 1985. permit liberal Some 20 states have enactedalternative licensing programs that teachers. As a arts graduates and otherswithout education degrees to work as Teach for result, in districts with teachershortages - the kinds of places America aims to reach - temporaryteaching certificates are routinely provided. for This packet includes, among otherthings, information regarding Teach America's recruitment procedure, thetraining of teachers, placement, support given, and a listing of collegesand universities which arerecruitment targets. A For further inforTion, contact: wendy Kopp TEACH FOR AMERICA P.O. Box 5114 New York, N.Y. 10185 212/974-2456 This document was prepared pursuant to Grant No. G0087C3053-88189 with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.Agencies undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express their Judgment freely In professional and technical matters, Points of view and opinions do not,therefore, necessarily represent official Department of Education position or policy. The total amount of Federal funds appropriated for the projectis $236,959. One hundred percent of the total cost of theproject Is financed with Federal funds. Publications of the National Clearinghousefor Professions in Special Education are in the public domain, and maybe reprinted. Proper citation of source(s) is appreciated. Info. Bull, #34 We havea vision ofan America where millionsof the nation'sbest minds competeto enter the profession ofteaching and the of education. field Our ImmediateObjectives To recruit a group of outstanding individualswho may not have otherwise consideredteaching To meet the needs of inner-city and ruralschool districts wh';h have persistentteacher shortages, people of color, bilingual especially of and elementaryteachers, and secondary teachers of math,science, and foreign languages To train, place, and support the corps membersin such a way that their two years havea positive impact on the children they teach and on their owncommitment to America's educationalsystem Our Goals To revolutionize the way Americans view teaching,so that they see it as a challengingprofession demanding nation's best minds the To create acorps of individuals who, in education whether they remain or move on to businessor government or law, will spend their livesworking to improve system the educational To make a significantcontribution to teacher training, and support recruitment, Info. Bull. t34 TheOrganization her senior thesis the creationof an History at PrincetonUniversity proposed in Last year, a student active recruitment, a shorttime commitment, a the Corps model organization that would use intensive training institute,and a placement and application process, an teaching. Initial funding selective and centralized individuals who wouldnot otherwise consider support mechanismto attract FOR AMERICA possible. corporations made thecreation of TEACH working to from a number of at 100 collegesand universities is Today, a network ofCampus RepresentativesAMERICA. And a team ofrecent graduates of student supportfor TEACH FOR corps members, build a broad base has come togetherto raise funds, recruit from a number ofcolleges and universities and support mechanismthat will enable training Institute, andbuild a placement construct a summer teacher shortage. uncertified individuals toteach in areas of Board of Advisers business, government,and education The Board of Advisers,comprised of prominent experience and guidance. leaders, provides valuable Corporation Joseph Alibrandi -Chairman & CEO, Whittaker john Carter - President& CEO, The Equitable Chairman & CEO. XeroxCorporation David T. Kearns - Standards President, National Boardfor Professional Teaching James A. Kelly - CEO, Union CarbideCorporation Robert ID. Kennedy -Chairman. President, & Jr - Chairman Emeritus,McGraw-Hill, Inc. Harold W. McGraw. Commission of the States Frank Newman -President. Education Superintendent, San DiegoSchool District Thomas Pan= - Post Company Vincent E. Reed -Vice President. Washington Vincent A. Sarni - Chairman& CEO, PPG Industries EaticalLactuyanz - President,Catalyst Cyanamid Corporation George J. Sella - Chairman& CEO, American & Sons William E. Simon -Chairman, William E. Simon Illinois James Thompson -Governor of the State of Robert E. Wvcoft -President & COO, ARCO Board of Directors in education, teaching, of individuals chosenfor their experience The Board is a group non-profits. service among collegestudents, and starting through a non- recruiting, promoting from Princeton in 1987and entered teaching Matt Bardin - teacher,New York City; graduated AMERICA proposes. traditional route similar tothat TEACH FOR of Recruiting NewTeachers. director, IndependentEducational Services; founder Rick Belding - executive ACCESS: Networking in thePublic Interest. Jim Clark - executivedirector and founder, Boston. founders of City-Year, anurban Peace Corps in Jennifer Eolett - one of the University; first director of thefederal teacher corps. Richard Graham -professor, George Washington AMERICA. Wendy K000-founder, TEACH FOR Amroc Investments. Andxjjipman - vice president, founded Campus OutreachOpportunity League. director, Bonner Foundation; Coordinator, National Symposia on Wayne Meise( executive former teacher and principal; Susan Otterbourq -educational consultant; and in Partnerships in Education. involved in founding theCollege for Human Services Laura Pim programofficer, Gould Foundation; Schools projects. many Community formerly with National UrbanLeague. Leslie Talbot -educational consultant; FOR AMERICA. Staff college graduates isworking to create TEACH A group of recent of is:bright Scholarship. Skidmore '89; published writerand musician; recipient Bruce Baker business-education projects for theCommittee for Economic '89; worked on Richard jiagh - Harvard project to provide Bostonstudents with tutors. Development and helped createand run CHANCE, a promoted the discussion of '89; founded and headed astudent organization which Lisa Bornstein - Harvard in summer