Letter: Teach for America facing funding cuts

Nationwide, and here at the University of Richmond, members of the class of 2010 applied to Teach For America in record numbers — more than 46,000 applicants for this fall's incoming class of teacher corps members. As the campus campaign coordinator for Teach For America here at University of Richmond, I'm especially excited that so many Spiders have applied. That is why I'm troubled by a new federal budget proposal that would dim future admissions prospects for college seniors and derail the organization's long-term goal of ending educational inequality.

Because of its strong track record of providing high quality teachers and leaders, Teach For America has received federal funding for the past 10 years. This year, Teach For America requested $50 million from Congress to meet demand among college students and communities. However, under a new proposal currently before Congress, Teach For America's federal funding for 2011-2012 would be eliminated.

Without federal funding, Teach For America would be unable to hire more than 1,350 teachers who would reach 86,000 students in the 2011-12 school year. This scenario severely limits opportunities for recent graduates at University of Richmond and others universities to make a difference in our public schools.

The proposed federal funding cuts come at a time when our nation's public schools need more reform than ever. More than 14 million children living in low-income communities are performing below grade level on standardized tests, and are falling further behind more affluent peers each year. Fifty percent of students in low-income communities will not graduate from high school by the time they're 18. Those who do graduate on time perform, on average, at an eighth-grade level. We need programs, such as Teach For America, to increase educational opportunities in our public schools.

A growing body of independent research demonstrates the positive impact Teach For America corps members have on student achievement. According to a 2008 Urban Institute study, Teach For America corps members achieved, on average, two to three times the results in math and science than teachers with three or more years of experience. Because of this track record of success, there is a long waiting list of communities nationwide that want to hire Teach For America corps members.

With an annual $50 million appropriation from Congress, Teach For America would be able to double in size over the next five years. At this scale, the organization would be able to provide nearly 17,000 corps member positions each year and reach more than one million underserved students in nearly all 50 states. And by 2016, Teach For America will have more than 50,000 alumni, who will create a powerful leadership force for meaningful and bold education reform.

As college students, we can make our voices heard to Congress on today's most urgent civil rights issue — education. If Congress fully funds Teach For America, more children will be equipped with the high-quality educational opportunities they deserve. I hope you'll join me in a grassroots campaign and text TFA to 30644 to contact your state senators about the importance of maintaining federal funding for Teach for America.

MaryGrace Apostoli is the University of Richmond Campus Campaign Coordinator for Teach For America. For more information on this campaign, please visit www.teachforamerica.org/federalfunding.