What We’re Talking About
Welcome to 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’re talking about in June:
Teacher Appreciation Week
Teachers transform lives. They lead, inspire, and ignite change in their communities. This Teacher Appreciation Week, we celebrated educators and called for appreciation to go beyond words. Teachers need investment in their roles, better support, sustainable career paths and a bold reimagining of what the teacher role can be in this country — centering on students’ learning needs. When we reimagine what is possible for teachers, we expand what is possible for students.
Spotlights
School, Students, and Parents Can Support Teachers Better
While many other industries have changed teaching is much the same as it was 100 years ago. At TFA we are reimaging what learning can look like and helping teachers and students thrive.
Bring washers and dryers to your school!
Learn about our partnership with Whirlpool to help schools combat absenteeism with the Care Counts™ Laundry Program. Read about the partnership and fill out an interest form to bring the program to your school.
TFA in the News
- WISH-TV: TFA Indianapolis Executive Director, Dr. Tenika Holden-Flynn, Urges Direct Support for Teachers and Family Engagement
- Chalkbeat: TFA Greater Philadelphia Executive Director, Anna Shurak, Addresses Impact of AmeriCorps Cuts on Local Schools
- WBAL-TV: TFA Baltimore Executive Director, Normandi Amprey, Warns About Potential AmeriCorps Cuts and Stresses Teacher Support
- Word in Black: TFA Alum, Deja Senghor, Reflects on Becoming a Colleague to Her Former Teacher and TFA Alum
- University of Maryland Baltimore County: TFA Corps Member, Mariam Yaldram, Reflects on Leadership Journey and Advocacy for Educational Equity
- The CT Mirror: TFA Connecticut Executive Director, Dolores Garcia-Blocker, Calls for Restoration of State Funding for High-Dosage Tutoring
- Harlan Daily Enterprise: Retiring Harlan Independent Schools Superintendent, Charles Morton, Named TFA Appalachia Executive Director
- The Miami Time: TFA Florida Regions Executive Director, LaKeisha Wells-Palmer, Highlights Teacher Pay Crisis Affecting Students
- KTVU-TV: TFA Bay Area Executive Director, Beatrice “Bea” Viramontes, Urges Community to Start with Small Acts to Support Teachers Amid Systemic Challenges
- KXNT-AM: TFA Nevada Executive Director, Tim Hughes, Emphasizes Listening to Teachers and Lowering Barriers Amid Retention Challenges and Role Expansion
*Note: In pursuit of our vision of One Day and our 2030 impact goal, Teach For America has built a broad coalition, and we work alongside over 300 communities across 37 states, the District of Columbia, and sovereign nations. To meet the needs of the children we serve and our participants, we partner with several other organizations and entities to establish a repertoire of resources and supports. While we review these resources, we recognize the content of links may shift, change, or be not fully aligned with our complete view, values, or vision. The inclusion of any link is intended to direct users to potentially useful information. Teach For America encourages users to exercise their own judgment when accessing linked websites.
Data & Research
The New Absenteeism
In the most recent national data from the 2022-2023 school year, 20 states reported that more than 30% of their students missed at least three weeks of school.
When a young person isn’t attending school, they aren’t learning. Chronic absenteeism has a major impact on student learning, which has a compounding effect throughout a student’s academic career.
Teach For America’s Reinvention Lab, the organization’s Research & Development team focused on the future of learning, conducted research on chronic absenteeism, surfacing the importance of listening to young people and understanding their experiences in order to effectively track and address the issues that keep them from consistently attending or engaging with school.
TFA’s Reinvention Lab published their research on contemporary causes of chronic absenteeism in FutureEd, The New Absenteeism: What Measuring Attendance Misses
What’s Happening Around June
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.
