Saturday, December 15, 2007

Jonathan Kozol on the Shame of the Nation



Racial segregation is "back with a vengeance."

Oprah Presents: Trading Schools



A video which shows what happens when you swap kids from an inner-city school with those from a wealthy suburban school.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Third Deadline

Hey Folks,

The Third Deadline is January 4th!

Apply now!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Second Deadline: November 2

In America today, 9-year-olds growing up in low-income communities are already three grade levels behind their peers in higher-income communities. Educational inequity is our nation's greatest injustice - and you have the power to change this.

Teach For America is the corps of recent college graduates who teach for two years in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders to expand educational opportunity for all. We seek the most outstanding graduating college seniors - from all majors such as business, medicine, politics, law, education, public policy, and the sciences - who have the leadership skills to change the prospects of students growing up today and, ultimately, to effect fundamental changes in our society that will make it a place of opportunity for all.

We urge you to apply to the 2008 Teach For America corps. The next application deadline is Friday, November 2, 2007 (11:59 p.m. PDT, 2:59 a.m. EDT).

Click here to apply now.

Seeking all academic majors. Full salary and benefits. No previous education experience or coursework necessary.

To learn more, visit www.teachforamerica.org , contact admissions@teachforamerica.org, or subscribe to our e-newsletter here.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead

A Hard Road to Hoe

The Economist covers how Teach for America impacts low-income school districts:
AS THE 58,000 pupils of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) begin a new school year, their teachers are adjusting to a controversial new boss. Michelle Rhee, a rookie superintendent, is an unusual choice to run one of the worst school systems in America. She is the youngest chancellor ever of DC's public schools and the first non-black to run the system in four decades. But the most interesting aspect of Mayor Adrian Fenty's choice is that Ms Rhee is an alumna of an outfit called Teach for America.

Only about half of Americans growing up in poverty complete high school, and those who do reach only an eighth-grade standard. In an effort to solve that problem, Teach for America (TFA) recruits top college graduates—usually people without teaching qualifications or experience—and asks them to spend two years teaching some of the nation's poorest children. “We need fundamental systemic change and we believe our people can help be a force for that,” says Wendy Kopp, TFA's founder and CEO.

(continued)

Friday, September 14, 2007

Teach for America Information Session

Interested in Teach for America? Come meet Wesleyan's recruitment director, Meredith Boak, and get your questions answered about this important program and its efforts to eliminate educational inequity in our time.

Free pizza will be provided.

Date
Thursday, September 20
Time:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Place:
PAC 001


Teach for America #10 Place to Launch Career

Business Week named Teach for America the #10 place to launch your career this year, a huge jump from #43 last year.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

And How Are the Children?

"Among the most accomplished and fabled tribes of Africa, no tribe was considered to have warriors more fearsome or more intelligent than the mighty Masai. It is perhaps surprising, then, to learn the traditional greeting that passed between Masai warriors:"Kasserian Ingera," one would always say to another. It means, "And how are the children?"

It is still the traditional greeting among the Masai, acknowledging the high value that the Masai always place on their children's well-being. Even warriors with no children of their own would always give the traditional answer, "All the children are well." Meaning, of course, that peace and safety prevail, that the priorities of protecting the young, the powerless, are in place. That Masai society has not forgotten its reason for being, its proper functions and responsibilities. "All the children are well" means that life is good. It means that the daily struggles for existence do not preclude proper caring for their young.

I wonder how it might affect our consciousness of our own children's welfare if in our culture we took to greeting each other with this daily question: "And how are the children?" I wonder if we heard that question and passed it along to each other a dozen times a day, if it would begin to make a difference in the reality of how children are thought of or cared about in our own country.

I wonder if every adult among us, parent and non-parent alike, felt an equal weight for the daily care and protection of all the children in our community, in our town, in our state, in our country. . . . I wonder if we could truly say without any hesitation, "The children are well, yes, all the children are well."

What would it be like . . . if the minister began every worship service by answering the question, "And how are the children?" If every town leader had to answer the question at the beginning of every meeting: "And how are the children? Are they all well?" Wouldn't it be interesting to hear their answers? What would it be like? I wonder . . ."

An excerpt of a speech by Rev. Dr. Patrick T. O'Neill

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Applications Up!

The TFA applications are now up and running. Get started on yours today!

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Slam Poet on Teaching

Teacher Taylor Mali answers the question, "What do you make?"

Saturday, June 9, 2007

TFA Founder Wendy Kopp on Colbert Report



Obligatory Introductory Post

Hi Guys. It's me, Holly, from that other Wesleyan blog. Along with Rebecca Feiden '08, we are Wesleyan's Teach for America Campus Campaign Managers this year. So if you're a senior thinking about what you're going to do with your life after graduation and have any inkling towards promoting social justice and leveling the academic playing field, you should drop us a line and let us know.

My hope for this blog is to keep all the important Teach for America stuff in one place.

If you have any questions about the site, please feel free to contact me at hwood@wes.