Teach for America applications decline again
Fewer people are signing up for Teach For America, the nonprofit that aims to plug holes in education by placing teachers in low-income communities.
The number of applicants, who must commit to two-year teaching jobs, has declined for the second year in a row.
The latest numbers show that applicants fell from a high of roughly 57,000 in the 2013 school year to 50,000 last year and 44,000 this year.
Teach for America, founded in 1989, recruits, trains and finds jobs for mostly new teachers. The jobs pay between $24,000 and $55,000, depending on their location, and salaries are paid by local districts. Two thirds of teachers are recent college graduates.
Participants can get grants through AmeriCorps, a federal government program, to help ease the burden of student debt or teacher certification.
During the recession, when unemployment was high, more people sought Teach for America jobs.
Now that the economy has recovered, Teach for America says fewer people are applying.
Teach for America also attributes the drop to an overall decline in the number of people going into teaching -- teacher prep applications have dropped 30% since 2010. It cites teacher shortages at districts nationwide.
Fewer people are signing up for Teach For America, the nonprofit that aims to plug holes in education by placing teachers in low-income communities.
The number of applicants, who must commit to two-year teaching jobs, has declined for the second year in a row.
The latest numbers show that applicants fell from a high of roughly 57,000 in the 2013 school year to 50,000 last year and 44,000 this year.
Teach for America, founded in 1989, recruits, trains and finds jobs for mostly new teachers. The jobs pay between $24,000 and $55,000, depending on their location, and salaries are paid by local districts. Two thirds of teachers are recent college graduates.
Participants can get grants through AmeriCorps, a federal government program, to help ease the burden of student debt or teacher certification.
During the recession, when unemployment was high, more people sought Teach for America jobs.
Now that the economy has recovered, Teach for America says fewer people are applying.
Teach for America also attributes the drop to an overall decline in the number of people going into teaching -- teacher prep applications have dropped 30% since 2010. It cites teacher shortages at districts nationwide.
