Charlotte, NC
THE CHALLENGE
There is an urgent need for excellent teachers in Charlotte. High-poverty schools in Charlotte face an acute teacher shortage. In fact, there were over 450 teacher vacancies across CMS about a month before the first day of the 2018-19 school year.
THE WORK
Teach For America Charlotte-Piedmont Triad works to fulfill Charlotte’s urgent need for educators by finding, developing, and supporting a diverse network of leaders who expand opportunity for children. Research at the state and county level has found that teachers recruited and trained by TFA are the most effective in the state.
MORE ABOUT TFA CHARLOTTE-PIEDMONT TRIAD
In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Teach For America's collective network of 700 corps members and alumni impact more than 25,000 students every day – 1 in 3 low-income students in CMS.
Students taught by TFA Charlotte-Piedmont Triad educators have significant academic growth, and TFA teachers are held to rigorous standards for their students’ achievement. As an example, in the 2016-17 school year, TFA teachers in CMS grew their students an average of 1.3 academic years in one school year. Currently, 17 TFA alumni serve as principals and assistant principals in CMS, and TFA's network of leaders have proven to be a consistent, reliable source of talent to Charlotte’s education landscape.
“Unequal access to opportunity existed long before the pandemic, but the disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak have disproportionately affected our most vulnerable students. With that, leadership in education and a commitment to equity has never been more critical,” said Dr. Monique Perry-Graves, the Executive Director of Teach For America in North Carolina. “We see this moment as an opportunity to start building the education system we’ve been fighting for in Charlotte over the last 17 years: one that allows every child to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility. Whether it’s through teaching and leading at CMS, Heart Math Tutoring, GenOne, Year Up, Profound Gentlemen, DigiBridge, UrbanPromise, or Read Charlotte, our network of 500+ corps members and alumni in Charlotte are collectively working to expand opportunity for students and dismantle the economic mobility gaps in our community.”
TFA Charlotte-Piedmont Triad is part of the larger Teach For America movement of recent college graduates who commit to two years of teaching in low-income communities. TFA was founded in 1989 and now has an alumni base of 50,000, 65% of whom work full-time in education. TFA nationally has a rigorous selection process focused on leadership ability, perseverance and a deep commitment to expand opportunities for students.
Nationally, TFA’s goal is to end educational inequity, such that 95% of children growing up in low-income communities graduate from high school prepared for success in college and career. TFA knows that potential is equally distributed across lines of race and class, but opportunity is not. Too often, the circumstances of a child’s birth predict the opportunities she has in life. While no single solution is sufficient to bring about an equitable and excellent education for all children, a great teacher can make a significant difference.
Since 2009, The Belk Foundation has invested $790,000 in TFA Charlotte-Piedmont Triad.