New Realities: TFA at 25
Teach For America marks its 25th anniversary this year. Conceived in an undergraduate thesis in 1989, the controversial teaching organization now commands a budget of some $300 million and has 40,000 alumni, many of whom have become been influential leaders in K-12 education. But the group has also faced criticism and internal challenges. In this special package, we look at recent changes TFA has embarked on as it enters a new era and the questions they raise about its model, impact, and future course.
At 25, Teach For America Enters Period of Change
Among other new initiatives, the famously protective organization has quietly begun devolving more authority to its 52 regions, some of which are pushing the boundaries of the group's model.
Read the Story
Read the Story
Outside the Classroom, TFA Leaves Increasingly Complex Political Trail
The organization is putting a greater emphasis on equity and racial issues, even as its bona fides as a social-justice organization are fiercely contested.Read the Story
TFA Tests Waters on Improving Retention
A number of TFA's regions are experimenting with strategies for extending corps members' tenure in teaching beyond two years. Read the Story
Pilot Gives TFA Recruits Pre-Training in Cultural Competency
The Education for Justice program, taken by select TFA candidates during their senior year of college, is based on feedback from principals, parents, and teacher educators. Read the Story
VIDEO
At 25, TFA Bridges Teaching Generations
Teacher Wanda Troutman was a member of Teach For America’s original 1990 corps. Alejandro Diasgranados entered teaching through TFA in 2015. We asked them to talk about their experiences in teaching and the way the organization has changed in 25 years. Watch the Video
MAP
25 Years of TFA Growth: A Regional Map
TFA began by placing fewer than 400 hundred teachers in eight cities. Now, it places thousands each year across 52 different regions. View the Map
INTERACTIVE
Teach For America: Growing More Diverse
Chart shows the percentage of incoming Teach for America Corps members by diversity and gender.
View the Interactive
View the Interactive
INTERACTIVE
Teach For America by the Numbers
Charts outline year-by-year data on TFA's budget, applicants, corps size, and corps members' two-year completion rates. View the Interactive
TIMELINE
Milestones in TFA's 25-Year History
The interactive timeline highlights key turning points in the organization's development. View the Timelin
