During winter break her freshman year in college, Ohio University graduate Rachel Wilson read a newspaper article about a group called Teach For America working to narrow the academic achievement gap between students of high and low incomes.
Nearly four years later, Wilson is working with that group at a Las Vegas middle school in an effort to narrow the gap herself.
Currently
the average 9 year old in a low-income community is three whole grade levels behind a 9 year old in a higher-income community Wilson said. We are completely capable of closing this gap if we can get people to teach in these lower-income communities.
Wilson, who has a three-year teaching contract with Dell H. Robison Middle School in Las Vegas, is one of two OU graduates accepted into the Teach For America program last year.
Teach For America is a public-private partnership with an operating budget of close to $40 million. The organization provides fresh college graduates to impoverished school districts. Seventy percent of its funding is private - from corporations, foundations and individuals. Additional support comes from AmeriCorps, a national service organization, and the school districts in which the organization provides teachers.
The group has 3,500 members teaching in more than 1,000 schools in 22 regions across the country.
This year, six OU students have been accepted into the program, but more could be accepted after the second Feb. 17 deadline for applications. Applicants must be college graduates with a minimum 2.5 grade point average. The application process can be researched online at the Web site www.teachforamerica.com.
Ohio University has three campus campaign managers for Teach For America: seniors Travis Ousley and Eric Rosecrants and junior Tracy Griffin.
Rosecrants, who was accepted into the program this year, will teach second grade English in New York City after he graduates.
Basically I think that everyone who graduates from college is looking for more
and right now
Teach For America gives this to students
Rosecrants said. It's like the Peace Corps but offers so much more.
Rosecrants said he knows not every day will be a great day, but he thinks his role is vital.
It will be nice to be able to really make a change and give back
Rosecrants said.
This is the first year that Teach For America has recruited at Ohio University, national recruitment Director Hilary Lewis said.
Just given how many students are here
I think OU has the potential to produce at least the same amount (of recruits) as OSU.
The next information session for Teach For America is at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 30 in Morton 237. Another information session will be at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 8 in the Baker 1954 Lounge.
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