Putting great teachers in every Nevada classroom
As a lifelong advocate for top-quality education and the founder of Nevada’s first nonprofit, college-preparatory school, I have learned from personal experience that the power of a dedicated, talented educator knows no bounds. Exceptional teachers come to the classroom from all backgrounds and paths, and inspire and energize their students to learn. Each and every child in Nevada, regardless of economic status or background, deserves a leader at the front of the classroom who is willing to go above and beyond to help each student realize his or her full potential.
This past month, I had the privilege of serving as a guest teacher at Monaco Middle School during Teach For America Week, an annual event that draws community leaders nationwide to support educational excellence for all children. I was able to see Teach For America members in action and witness firsthand what I already knew from speaking with parents and principals in our community: Teach For America members in Southern Nevada are effecting meaningful and positive changes in their classrooms. We have many committed, talented educators from all preparation pathways working tirelessly in Las Vegas schools. Teach For America provides us with one route to continue building upon that number.
Teach For America trains and supports a diverse group of teachers for classrooms in low-income communities, where they are critically needed. These teaching candidates step into hard-to-fill vacancies that exist in highneed subject areas such as secondary math and science, as well as in special education. Together with other talented educators, corps members are working to ensure that all of Nevada’s children receive an excellent education and have access to the opportunities that come with it.
These teachers are a valued piece of our community-wide effort to strengthen local school systems. Eighty-seven percent of principals in Clark County who employ corps members report that these recruits are having a positive impact in their schools. Teach For America has produced a Clark County School District Teacher of the Year every year since 2005-06. Local principals’ demand for more talented educators has continued to grow in recent years — so much so that it outpaces the number of TFA corps members available to teach in our community.
Although corps members start by committing to teach for two years in our classrooms, their commitment does not end there. Currently, there are 165 Teach For America alumni living and working in our community. Eighty-seven percent of those alumni are working in careers that impact education directly — 100 remain teachers working directly in classrooms, and 17 have nonclassroom roles in the school district.
As the mayor of a city that welcomes individuals from around the nation with open arms, I would invite our community to embrace all sources of diverse teaching talent that come to our region with the intention of making a positive impact on our students. We cannot afford to turn our backs on partners who are willing and more than able to join us in the effort to transform the life prospects of all of our children. At this critical time for education in Nevada, we need to step up and support programs such as Teach For America that repeatedly have proved their ability to have a lasting influence on future generations.
I was disappointed Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposal to expand Teach For America was not successful. TFA offers a solution, proved over and over again by research and local demand, to help address our community’s greatest challenge: ensuring every single child has access to an effective teacher. The funding would have enabled TFA to bring 100 additional teachers to our high-poverty schools in needed subject areas such as science, technology and mathematics.
In the city of Las Vegas, we have committed to working closely with the Clark County School District, the Public Education Foundation, Teach For America, Communities in Schools and a variety of other community-based organizations that are tried and tested with proven results in improving academic achievement. We stand beside our partners in education who demonstrate a commitment to every child in our community. I urge every Southern Nevada resident to do the same.
Find a way to get engaged in education. Our children need every bit of support available, and they need your assistance to be successful.