Teach For America Receives AmeriCorps Grant from OneStar Foundation
Grant Will Help Recruit and Develop Leaders Working for Educational Equity throughout Texas
Style Magazine Newswire | 9/22/2021, 12:16 p.m.
OneStar Foundation recently announced that it has awarded $650,000 in funding to support Teach For America’s programs in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, and San Antonio for the 2021-2022 school year. This grant is part of $21.6 million that Texas received in federal AmeriCorps funding from AmeriCorps, formerly known as the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).
Teach For America works in partnership with urban and rural communities in more than 50 regions across the country to expand educational opportunity for children. The organization has been part of the Texas fabric since 1991, when the first corps members came to the Rio Grande Valley and Houston regions, and became a part of the AmeriCorps network when the federal program launched in 1994. Today, Teach For America has a presence in Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio as well as alumni leading in Austin and nearly every corner of the state. Sustained partnerships between district leaders, the community, donors and family members have enabled Teach For America to play a contributing role in increasing student outcomes including graduation rates and student achievement.
This year, more than 650 Teach For America AmeriCorps members are leading local classrooms throughout the state, while an additional 4,500 Teach For America alumni are working in education and other sectors to expand educational opportunity throughout Texas. Among that alumni leadership force, over 77 percent work in roles impacting education or low-income communities.
“We are at a critical juncture for students and teachers this school year; all are emerging from a harrowing 18 months and we know that there is much work to be done to ensure that kids are thriving academically and emotionally,” said Robert Carreon, Vice President of Texas Public Affairs for Teach For America. “AmeriCorps funding has enabled us to bring in hundreds of educators this year who have chosen public service, are dedicated to Texas students, and ready to engage in classrooms and communities. We could not be more grateful for OneStar and AmeriCorps’ support and the crucial leadership they empower across our state.”
AmeriCorps will make available an additional $4.1 million in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards for the Teach For America AmeriCorps members funded by these grants. After completing a full term of service, AmeriCorps members earn an award of approximately $6,345 that they can use for college or to pay off student loans. The AmeriCorps education award enables Teach For America to recruit a diverse set of corps members to Texas. In 2020, 52% of corps members in Texas received Pell grants and 35% were the first in their families to attend college.