About TFA-Nashville
Our Work in Nashville
When diverse, dynamic people come together, incredible things can happen – Nashville is proof of it. Teach For America began our partnership with the Nashville community in 2009 with the leadership of former mayor Karl Dean and a group of local philanthropists who came together to champion for bringing more high-performing teachers to Nashville. Since that year, we have recruited and trained over 670 teachers for high-need Nashville classrooms. Through the development and support provided by Teach For America, corps members have been found by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) to be among the most effective teachers in the state for the last six years in a row. The report also notes TFA-Nashville teachers are more racially and ethnically diverse than the statewide average (85% white across the state vs. 66% in TFA-Nashville).
Nashville currently boasts an alumni community 760 strong, including 230 teachers, 80 Assistant Principals/Deans, and 27 school leaders. Pair that with our 150 current corps members, and you get real impact: one in four Metro Nashville Public School students are taught by a TFA teacher!
The Education Landscape
Greater Nashville's Educational Landscape
Nashville is currently experiencing a major "brain-gain" as people from all over the country move here for top-rate health systems, higher education institutions, the music scene, and more. Tennessee is also rapidly improving in national education rankings. However, we know that there is still much work to be done. Nashville schools are not yet adequately preparing students for college. According to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce 2015 Education Report Card, only 30 percent of Nashville students graduate with a 21 or higher on the ACT, one of the benchmarks used to determine college readiness.
Teach For America - Greater Nashville corps members, alumni, and staff believe that change is possible, and we are motivated to reach the day when schools in our city are considered as excellent and desirable as its music, nightlife, and hot chicken.
About Teach For America
About Teach For America
Teach For America works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding individuals of all academic disciplines to commit two years to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the movement to end educational inequity. Today, 11,000 corps members are teaching in 52 urban and rural regions across the country while 53,000 alumni work across sectors to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education.