All kids deserve the chance to reach their full potential, and we believe an excellent education is the most effective way to give them that chance. However, millions of children growing up in poverty lack access to a high-quality education. As a result, just 6 percent of kids in the bottom tenth of income levels will graduate from college, compared with 61 percent from the top tenth. This not only limits students' life opportunities, but families, communities, and our nation as a whole suffer when vast numbers of children fall behind.

Teach For America is playing a role in eliminating this injustice by recruiting, developing, and supporting leaders committed to creating change. These individuals begin their path with a two-year commitment to teach in low-income urban and rural public schools. During this time they are called corps members. Deeply affected by their experience in the classroom, after two years, they join our alumni network and continue to advocate for students from many different roles in education and other fields.  

There are three parts to our mission:   

• We recruit diverse recent college graduates and professionals with demonstrated leadership ability to teach for a minimum of two years in low-income public schools.
• We provide intensive training and support so they can have an immediate positive impact on students and deepen their own understanding of what it takes to dramatically increase student achievement.
• We foster their leadership as alumni as they work at every level of education and across other professional sectors.