70 recent UW-Madison graduates head out to Teach For America

When 2,300 Teach For America members begin their two-year service this fall, the University of Wisconsin–Madison will be well represented.

UW-Madison, always a top producer of Teach For America participants, ranks seventh this year among universities and colleges of similar size. Seventy recent graduates from diverse backgrounds and majors will teach in underserved schools across the United States, up from 56 last year. More than 550 UW–Madison alumni have served in the corps during its 20-year history.

“Our students once again prove their commitment to serving where they are most needed,” says Aaron Brower, vice provost for teaching and learning. “The quality of a UW–Madison education is most visible when we see the immediate impact made by our graduates.”

Teach For America, founded in 1990, aims to provide a critical source of well trained teachers who are helping break the cycle of educational inequity. In 43 regions across the country, both urban and rural, studies have shown that teachers from the program have a greater impact on student achievement than other new teachers, and in some cases even more than experienced and certified teachers in the same schools. The program recruits from all academic majors and backgrounds, looking for students who demonstrate outstanding achievement, perseverance and leadership.

For the second year, the program attracted a record number of applicants — and a lower acceptance rate. Only 11 percent of the 48,000 individuals who applied made the cut. Still, UW–Madison produced 14 more incoming corps members than last year. Among the incoming corps members, 100 percent have leadership experience — not surprising, given the extraordinary involvement undertaken by many UW–Madison students during their time on campus.

This fall, some 9,300 first- and second-year corps members will reach 600,000 students in 43 regions across 34 states and the District of Columbia, including new sites in the Appalachia region of Kentucky, Oklahoma City, Seattle, and the Pee Dee region of South Carolina.

Beyond their corps commitments, two-thirds of Teach For America alumni continue in the field of education, including 6,000 who work as K-12 classroom teachers. More than 550 Teach For America alumni work as school principals or school system leaders, and more than 50 serve in elected office.