Disadvantaged Phoenix public-school students will benefit this summer from a new ASU partnership with Teach for America.
ASU has agreed last year to host 600 to 800 recent college graduates from around the country while they attend Teach for America's five-week teacher training program in the Valley this summer.
Teach for America has been training and providing teachers for low-income communities around the country since 1990.
The nonprofit organization enlists recent college graduates to teach in impoverished public school systems in order to foster equal educational opportunities for underprivileged students.
"We want to end educational inequity by training and supporting teachers," said Will Seamans, director of district and public strategy with the organization.
Last fall, Phoenix was granted the sixth Teach for America Institute in the U.S., joining New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia and Atlanta as an institute host city.
Roosevelt and Agua Fria school districts during the day to practice applied teaching methods with summer school students. In the evening, they will be taught instruction techniques from experienced teachers.
The students will be housed at ASU residence halls. The institute will begin operations on June 15.
Angela Madill, an alumna of the program who is currently obtaining her second education master's degree at ASU, said the program is rigorous.
"It's really intense," she said. "Like teacher boot camp."
Teach for America brought Madill to Phoenix from Chicago in 2004 to teach fourth-grade students in Roosevelt School District. She said many students were impoverished and more than two grade levels below where they should have been.
"It can be discouraging, but [Teach for America] gives us a lot of tools to teach and get them caught up," she said.
And though the institute can be demanding, she said it is also rewarding.
"It's been amazing to see that my fourth graders are now seventh graders," she said.
Teach for America gave her life new purpose, added Madill — she now trains prospective teachers at the institute, and she said she wants to be a school principal.
"It totally reshaped my career path," she said. "I know that I will be in education for the rest of my life."
Teach for America participants commit two years to the program. But a chief mission of the not-for-profit group is to retain members after the completion of the two years, said Amanda Burke, associate director for education and education policy in the ASU Office of University Initiatives — and a Teach for America alumna herself.
"People teach in areas of high need and see the realities, and they go on to advocate for education," she said.
Burke said more than 60 percent of participants remain in education.
And this year, she said she hopes the partnership at ASU will draw more prospective teachers to local school districts.
"We're deepening our relationship between ASU and Teach for America," she said. "We would like Teach for America to retain talent and help in the Phoenix area."
The partnership focuses on three areas: Designing master's programs that correspond to Teach for America's mission, supporting alumni of the program with jobs and opportunities, and promoting on-campus recruitment, said Seamans.
Teach for America will be accepting online applications for the summer institute through Feb. 15.
Reach the reporter at: daniel.newhauser@asu.edu.
