Teach For America this week released its annual list of the colleges and universities that contribute the greatest number of graduating seniors to its 2013 teaching corps. Denison University is listed fourth and joins Williams, Smith and Wellesley colleges in the top tier of like-sized institutions who contribute seniors to Teach For America's teaching ranks. Other colleges included in the rankings are Harvard, Vanderbilt and Tufts universities among the medium-sized schools, and University of Southern California, University of California-Berkeley and University of Texas-Austin among large schools.
Denison President Adam Weinberg said, “This accomplishments speaks volumes about the strength of our students and their civic commitment.” He added, “For generations, Denison has produced alumni who are intellectually talented and committed to contributing to the world. Our current generation of students is continuing this tradition.”
This year, 15 Denison graduates won prestigious and highly competitive positions with Teach For America. Denison first debuted on the top contributors list in 2008 at the 10th spot, and this year, it jumps six spots to fourth. Throughout Teach For America's 23-year history, 90 Denison alumni have taught as corps members.
Teach For America works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding individuals of all academic disciplines to commit two years to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the movement to end educational inequity. This fall, more than 11,000 corps members will be teaching in 48 urban and rural regions across the country, while nearly 32,000 alumni are working across sectors to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education.
“We are grateful to the outstanding colleges and universities that cultivate graduates with the leadership skills and deep commitment necessary to expand educational opportunities for students facing the challenges of poverty,” said Elisa Villanueva Beard, co-chief executive officer of Teach For America. “Our corps members bring a vast array of experiences and accomplishments to the classroom, and they are poised to make a meaningful impact in the high-need schools and communities where they will be teaching.”