Pearl Esau told a Sun City West audience this week that educational excellence and equity must become Arizona’s most pressing priority.
“Teach For America has become a sought-out partner to raise the bar for student achievement and catalyze education reform across the state,” said Esau, Teach For America Phoenix executive director. “Together with our community partners, we will ensure that our children receive the education they deserve and need if we are to build the Arizona that we know we can become.”
Residents of the Sun Cities and Surprise were invited to Monday’s meeting in Sun City West to find out more about Teach for America and the public education system in Arizona and learn how they can play a significant role in improving education.
Teach For America officials maintain the attitudes from school administrators, teachers and parents who say upbringing, and social and economic status determines a child’s fate during their formative years is hurting many of their chances in becoming the next success story.
Esau said the “epidemic of low expectations” in low-income areas throughout the United States often solidifies attitudes about how families living below the poverty line and who have never attended college cannot escape the life path they inevitably pass onto their children.
The United States ranks 24th in education achievement, while the state of Arizona is near the bottom compared to the other 49 states. Esau said an estimated 14 million children live in poverty across the United States — and only 1 in 10 of those children go on to college.
Teach For America officials and corps members, who serve as teachers, told the Sun City West audience that they hope to “bridge the gap” and improve the state of education in Arizona by ensuring all students receive the tools needed to succeed.
Many in attendance said they had never heard of Teach For America prior to attending the presentation and wished to know more about what role the organization has on the communities it serves. While Teach For America’s mission has remained the same since its inception 21 years ago, ongoing political strife and economic challenges are hurdles the nonprofit must continue to overcome. Support by way of donations and promotion can help Teach For America sustain itself, officials said.
Teach For America is expected to lose $21 million from its $880 million operating budget next year, according to Esau. In Arizona, the operating budget will decrease by an estimated 40 percent.
Valley schools that partner with Teach For America are primarily in the Phoenix area, though Esau said plans to expand to the West Valley is something the nonprofit is striving to achieve. The closest school with Teach For America corps members is Imagine Prep at Surprise.
Brian Holman, Teach For America’s program director, is a former eighth-grade social studies teacher who talked about how through lesson planning he was able to have his students learning two grade levels ahead of their peers.
“My job was to instill hope and opportunity through education. It’s amazing the way kids and teachers can bond,” he said. “It takes communities holding schools accountable to ensure success. To change a child’s life outcome and trajectory, you have to be with them year after year.”
After a long stint with Teach For America, Holman said he plans to leave and open a charter school in the Valley, where he will “set the bar high.”
“It’s about providing hope and that there’s something to look forward to,” Holman said.
Zach Colick can be reached at 623-876-2522 or zcolick@yourwestvalley.com.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 11:32 am on Thu, Mar 31, 2011.
THESE EXCERPTS ARE FROM THE .....TEACH FOR AMERICA....WEBSITE;
"we seek individuals of all genders and SEXUAL ORIENTATIONS"
" we place the most significant focus nationally on ensuring the representation of African Americans and Latino/Hispanic individuals"
Teach For America hosted it's most recent forum of community leaders with a focus on examining the EDUCATIONAL DISPARITIES impacting young LATINOS in the United States and identifying actionable solutions to these DISPARITIES.
..."when such teachers are themselves from HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED RACIAL BACKGROUNDS or LOW-INCOME FAMILIES, however, they have a potential".
DOESN'T THIS........"Teaching For America Program".........SOUND SIMILAR TO THE TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT'S ETHNIC STUDIES/LA RAZA......AFRICAN AMERICAN, NATIVE AMERICAN, CHICANO/CHICANA...DISENFRANCHISED + RACIAL OPPRESSION PROGRAM ....TO YOU FOLKS....JUST TARTED UP WITH BRIGHTER LIPSTICK AND SOME MASCARA THROWN IN FOR GOOD MEASURE.
THE MOMENT I SEE A GROUP PREACHING....RACIAL, GENDER AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION = "DIVERSITY"........I SEE A BUNCH OF RED FLAGS ! ! !
Posie1 posted at 6:43 pm on Wed, Mar 30, 2011.
The bar everyone talks about raising the bar for the students. Every child that I have had the honor of teaching and as a Principal has told me more than once. "If you can get our parents to get involved in our education then you have us." That is coming from the mouths of the children/students. Wake up everyone needs to be on the same page. Teachers need the freedom to teach to the standards and to use their intelligence to make the lessons relative to the world the children are living in and expected to work in as adults. Parents, teachers, administrators, board members, and students all need to work together this includes the politicians who keep changing the laws and rules of education without polling the teachers of America and students.
I commend everyone for coming up with curriculum standards. The state standards are an excellent guideline for teachers, students, and parents.
Lets work together and remember the student is not a number or a paper/pencil test. The child is a human being who has social and mental issues that need to be dealth with. That is why each school needs to have a school psychologist aboard and a social worker to help the child and the child's family when there is a need.
Thank you for reading and responding to my post.