TFA KC Turns 10
January 10, 2019
Recruiting, Supporting and Mobilizing Tenacious Leaders
Ten years ago, Teach For America came to Kansas City ready to tackle education inequity head-on. We were on a mission to build a diverse network of leaders who would fiercely champion, advocate, and teach our youth. Along the way, we were met with heart!
And a whole lot of it.
We locked arms with Kansas City and rallied year after year.
Thanks to our loyal community of partners, funders, and advocates, we’re celebrating 10 years strong in KC.
In that time, we believed, we pushed, we united, and:
• We recruited, supported and mobilized 1000 tenacious corps members who have led over 150,000 pre-K through 12th grade students in high-need classrooms.
• The past two Kansas City Public Schools District Teacher of the Year recipients have been TFA KC alumni – Derrik Wiggins and Arjun Ravindran.
• The 2015-16 class of ninth graders at Ewing Marion Kauffman School (EMKS) achieved 98% proficiency on the state biology end-of-course test, outscoring peers across Missouri. That same year’s eighth grade class was top in the state in math and third in the state in science. EMKS was founded by alum Hannah Lofthus and over 50% of its team is comprised of TFA alumni and corps members.
• University Academy became the first public charter school in Missouri to be named a National Blue Ribbon School from 2013-17. Forty percent of their teachers, leadership and staff are TFA corps members or alumni.
• TFA alum Lauren Arthur became an elected official in Missouri, representing District 18 in the Missouri House of Representatives and just recently won a special election for Missouri’s Senate seat.
In just 10 years, we accomplished all this and so much more. That’s why we can’t wait to honor and celebrate our community, alumni, partners, and students, as we recognize the impact we’ve had, and set our sights on the next 10 years.
We look forward to celebrating and moving forward with you on January 10th as we celebrate our 10th anniversary at the Kauffman Performing Arts Center.