Teach for America Recruitment Director Tiffany K. Cuellar visited the SMU campus Wednesday to speak about how students are “taking the initiative” to solve the education crisis in America.
Derived from Princeton alumna Wendy Kopp’s undergraduate thesis, Teach for America is a national nonprofit corps of recent college graduates who believe the discrepancy between “good” and “bad” education is not based on ability or merit, motivation or ambition, but rather on race and socioeconomic status.
Cuellar repeatedly said that a child’s education in today’s America is predetermined by his parents’ ZIP code.
And the chances of him breaking out of an improvised school district, she said, are highly unlikely.
Inequality of education is not exclusive to any one state, city or district, Cuellar explained. Every part of America-rural, suburban, urban-has trouble narrowing the achievement gap.
Wealthier school districts can afford to spend nearly 10 times as much on each student when compared to the poorest districts in the country, according to the organization. Consequently, students in poorer counties receive schooling that barely meets basic English proficiency and elementary math requirements.
According to the Teach for America website, corps members serve in districts around the country including in New Mexico, Washington D.C., Louisiana and California.
Cuellar highlighted that despite congressional legislation such as “No Child Left Behind” and efforts made by independent volunteer groups, education in America is still a pressing issue.
Cuellar emphasized that, “money is not the problem.”
Call for revolution
There must be a cultural revolution in the way America regards the schooling of its youth,she said, one that establishes the reality that education for all is good for America socially, economically and politically.
America needs “higher quality teachers and administrators who will hold students to the highest standards,” Cuellar said.
More than 17,000 students have been involved with Teach for America since its inception in 1990, including recent SMU graduate Dustin Odham who recently completed a Teach for America program at an inner-city school in St. Louis, Mo.
Although there are no definite qualifications other than a college degree, minimum 2.5 GPA and U.S. citizenship, Cuellar emphasized the need for applicants to “show a pattern of exceptional achievement, strong critical thinking skills and a desire to work relentlessly in the pursuit of the Teach for America mission.”
Achievement gap
Acknowledging that teaching in impoverished schools is hard, tiresome and demanding, Cuellar nevertheless challenges motivated students to “take the next step to solving the achievement gap.” Students from all backgrounds and majors are encouraged to apply.
In 2006 nearly 19,000 students applied for positions in 25 regions.
Corps members, who are expected to serve for two consecutive years, can prioritize regions, subject areas and age groups, but no promises are made.
Cuellar, a Texas native, was placed in one of the poorest school districts in Houston.
Throughout the one-hour information session, she gave numerous anecdotal stories from her time in Houston.
Anecdotal stories
One story involved a nine-year-old Katrina refugee named Anthony who came into her fifth-grade class barely reading at the first-grade level.
Realizing that he was exceptionally gifted, Cuellar worked with him one-on-one in between classes, at lunch and after school.
In five months, Anthony finished “The Friendly Giant,” a fifth-grade level book.
“It is these types of experiences that make it worthwhile,” Cuellar stated.
“Students can and will excel at the highest levels if given the opportunity.”
The first Teach for America application deadline is Sept. 30, 2006.
All applications must be received by Feb. 18, 2007.
Further information is available online at www.teachforamerica.org or contact Tiffany K. Cuellar at [email protected].