
What We’re Talking About
Welcome to the first edition of TFA’s Connection Blog. A space to bring you the latest news, resources, and events happening among the Teach For America Community. Here is what we’ve been talking about in October:

October 5th was World Teacher Day, a celebration of teachers, as well as an opportunity to reflect on what can be done to modernize the education system – and the teaching profession itself – and create the conditions for Gen Z to say ‘yes’ to careers in education.

As an active partner with the Coalition to Reimagine the Teaching Role, Teach For America is working to help create the conditions so that all K-12 educators can thrive in collaborative and sustainable roles that will galvanize students toward reaching their unique potential. Read more in TFA’s President & COO, Jemina Bernard’s LinkedIn article.

National Tutoring Week happened on October 7th and Katie Tennessen Hooten, Founder and SVP of TFA’s Ignite Fellowship, joined Sam Olivieri, CEO of Step Up Tutoring and Patrick Steck, VP of External Affairs at Deans for Impact, to advocate for more investments in high-impact tutoring, which can increase student achievement by 3-15 months of learning with positive results in both reading and math. Integrating tutoring into the school day also reduces the workload for teachers, while serving as a pipeline for diverse, high-quality future educators. This emerging tutor-to-teacher pipeline has been touted as a bipartisan, long-term solution for both students and teachers.
Spotlight
For 35 years, Teach For America has been working to find, develop, and support leaders to transform education and expand opportunity for all children. Watch, learn, and join us in celebrating our collective progress of Teach For America and the excitement of our future impact.
TFA in the News
- C-Suite Conversations: TFA CEO Appears on C-Suite Conversations to Discuss Career Trajectory
- One Million Degrees CEO Aneesh Sohoni Named Peter Jennings Award Winner
- TFA CEO, Elisa Villanueva Beard recognized for her service by Bethune Elementary, the Phoenix, AZ school where she began her TFA career as a corps member
- TFA President and COO, Jemina Bernard, spoke about TFA and the importance of technology and innovation in education during the Devex Summit as part of the United Nations General Assembly events.
- TFA CEO Elisa Villanueva Beard participated in a panel conversation at the StriveTogether #CradleToCareer Network Convening
- EdSurge: TFA Los Angeles & San Diego Executive Director Calls for Increased Diversity in the Teaching Profession, Offers Tutoring as a Solution
- Teach For America alum and All Our Kin co-founder Janna Wagner recognized with Heinz Award
- WISN 12 Milwaukee: TFA Milwaukee Executive Director Shares Advice for the Start of the School Year
- Texas Border Business: 2024 Rio Grande Valley Corps Member Receives Award for Exceptional Teaching
- GSV TV: TFA alumni Tiffany Taylor (Partner and Co-President, ASU+GSV Summit) and Alejandro Gibes de Gac (CEO & Founder, Springboard Collaborative & Paloma) speak about the importance of strong partnerships between schools and families to support student learning and success.
- Business Insider: TFA Chief of External Affairs Speaks on Financial Pressures Teacher Face
- PR Newswire: Colossal Grants $2.75M to TFA to Recruit and Support Diverse Educators
Data & Research
Independent research firm Westat released the results of their 2024 annual Teach For America principal survey, which is administered to more than 1,000 principals who employed Teach For America teachers during the 2023-2024 school year. The survey had a 77% response rate, with nearly 800 principals sharing their feedback.
The 2024 survey findings are largely consistent with prior years and provide continued evidence that principals have very positive views of corps members and alumni. In addition to agreeing that Teach For America corps members are effective in the classroom, principals also agreed that corps members are positive contributors to their school communities.
Highlights include:
- 9 out of 10 principals reported that corps members have a positive impact on students’ academic and personal growth, and indicated they were satisfied with the corps members in their school.
- As with corps members, principals’ perceptions of alumni were highest in the following areas: maintaining positive learning environments in their classrooms (98%); effectiveness at delivering instruction (97%); contributing to a positive and collaborative culture in the school (97%); and demonstrating leadership (95%).
What’s Happening Around October
October 9 – November 12 Career Acceleration Virtual Event Series
October 24 Transforming Education Through Movement: A Virtual Event with Dr. Martha James
October 29 Demystifying AI in Education
November 12 Becoming a White House Fellow: TFA/WHF Alumni Advice for Aspiring Public Leaders
November 21 Black Men in Education Convening (BMEC)
Stay Connected
Whether you just joined the Corps or completed your service decades ago, there are many ways to find your fellow Corps members and friends and connect. We provide both an alumni directory for looking up your old friends and a career networking platform – TFA Connect – for when you want to expand your career network, and several networking events each year. You can even join the national TFA Alumni group on LinkedIn! Wherever you go, the TFA alumni network is accessible and ready to support you.