CAPITAL REGION CARES
CAPITAL REGION CARES
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Teach for America How an Education Leadership Organization Leads by Innovation
Teach for America California Capital Valley ( TFA ) is working to confront educational inequity by building a diverse network of leaders in teaching and related fields . “ Our focus is students and their success , and we pursue that by developing the leaders needed in our classrooms , school districts and communities ,” says Scott Richards , executive director .
This 2022-23 school year , the organization will celebrate 10 years of leadership development through their corps program . Corps members come to TFA as recent college graduates or career changers to work as full-time teachers for two years in lowincome communities . Grouped in small cohorts with 15-20 other teachers , they are provided ongoing support through a veteran teacher coach . Upon completing the program , they join a national TFA alumni network of over 66,000 and continue to impact their community in and outside the classroom . “ When I joined TFA in 2011 , I knew that I was making a lifelong commitment to education equity ,” says Julia Sweeney , 2011 Mississippi Delta TFA alum and director of sales with Edcite . leaders , while 5 percent are entrepreneurs . “ That shows the tremendous range of impact we have , and our long-term commitment to students in the Greater Sacramento region ,” says Richards .
Considering the concentration of influence and leadership its alumni network has in Sacramento , TFA is taking a strategic pause on placing new teachers in the region in order to invest more in their network of 500-plus alumni leaders . “ Our priority for the next couple of years is leveraging the power of our alumni network to contribute to positive change ,” Richards says .
Alumni in Sacramento are eager to pursue this exciting opportunity . “ Working together with other community leaders and educators , TFA alumni can play an important role in supporting change and having honest and critical conversations about the educational inequities present in Sacramento ,” says Manuel Buenrostro , 2006 Los Angeles TFA alum and associate director of policy with Californians Together .
Today , Sacramento alone is home to over 500 TFA alumni : 75 percent are still working in schools ( 44 percent continue to lead as classroom teachers , with 31 percent leading schools as principals or district leaders ), 20 percent are civic or systems
Thinking about the future of its work , TFA is doubling down on its promise to support lifelong equity-oriented leaders by building a highly connected network of alumni . “ I ’ ve been in this work for almost 20 years and have worked with teachers and leaders
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