William & Mary among top contributors to Teach For America
The College of William & Mary is one of the top contributors of graduates to Teach For America’s teaching corps, the organization announced recently.
With 25 graduates joining the 2012 corps, William & Mary is one of the top 20 producers of Teach For America corps members among medium-sized schools, whicn include those with 3,000 to 9,999 students.
William & Mary students and alumni have long been known for their commitment to public service, a commitment made clear by the College’s history of participation with Teach For America. Seven percent of the class of 2012 applied to the program, and during Teach For America’s 22-year history, a total of 217 William & Mary alumni have served as corps members.
According to a press release, Teach For America corps members commit to two years of teaching in high-need schools and “become lifelong leaders in the movement to end educational inequality.” The 5,800 new corps members, who represent more than 1,500 colleges and universities, will begin teaching this fall. This fall also marks the first time more than 10,000 first- and second-year corps members will be teaching in 46 urban and rural regions across America, representing a 10 percent increase over last year’s total corps size.
“We are grateful to the outstanding colleges and universities that cultivate graduates with the leadership skills and determination to address one of our nation’s greatest injustices, the disparity in educational opportunity between children in low-income communities and their wealthier peers,” said Wendy Kopp, chief executive officer and founder of Teach For America. “These corps members bring a diversity of experiences and accomplishments to the classroom, and they all share a powerful commitment to work toward solving this problem.”
