When 2002 University alumnus Sean Precious first entered his sixth grade classroom in the Watts district of Los Angeles, 70 percent of his students were reading and writing below the third-grade level. At the end of the school year, 91 percent of his class could perform at grade level.

“My experience was incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding,” Precious said. “I learned that when you give any child the opportunity, they will excel on an absolute scale.”

Precious now works to recruit college students for the program that allowed him to give disadvantaged students the opportunity to succeed.

Teach for America began in 1989 to eradicate educational inequalities between low- and high-income schools. The organization places new college graduates in some of the country’s most disadvantaged schools for two-year commitments to teach underprivileged students.

“(Teach for America) seeks to serve schools that many have given up on,” said Stacey Williams, a 2003 University graduate. Williams is in her second year of the program, teaching sixth-grade children in Henderson, N.C.

The program reaches more than 3,000 classrooms in 21 regions throughout the United States. It also has a network of 9,000 alumni working in all sectors of society to narrow the education gap, she said.

Williams said participants must work tirelessly to provide equal education for every child, regardless of where they live. She attends sporting events, makes house visits and even rides four-wheelers with her students – whatever it takes to motivate them to succeed.

“With some of the work, you’ll never see the reward or outcome,” she said. “But it positions you to make a long-term change, which is so important in the lives of others as well as yourself. (The students) are the ones who will run the world one day.”

Despite the hard work, Williams said teaching in a rural, low-income school has been an eye-opening and rewarding experience.

“As a member of the program, you cultivate skills that help with any profession,” Williams said.

Precious said the program seeks to attract individuals who will work to improve educational policy at all levels.

“We are actively recruiting our nation’s future leaders,” he said. “Some (participants) stay in the classroom and others go on to law school and medical school, all working on advocating on behalf of children.”

The program is a good opportunity for college students to make an impact immediately after graduation, said Andrea Valle, senior in LAS and a University campaign manager for Teach for America.

“A lot of people have the misconception that (Teach for America) is taking teachers’ jobs or is there to fill in teacher shortages,” Valle said. “The real reason we’re out there is to reduce the achievement gap.”

Valle said no prior teaching experience is necessary to apply and only 2 percent of corps members have majors in education.

Phyllis Vanlandingham, coordinator of secondary education advising in LAS, said Teach for America is an alternative method to receiving teaching certification as a college undergraduate, but does not believe the organization competes with the University’s certification programs.

“I would object to the program if it permanently placed people in the classroom who are not certified,” she said. “It is a limited time of service; it is not a substitute in the long-term for certified teachers.”

Vanlandingham said advisers in the College of Education and LAS recommend the program to students who decide they would like their teaching certification after it is too late to fulfill the requirements as an undergraduate.

Another benefit of the program is that people who are not committed to teaching as a career may give two years as a service before moving on to a different profession, she said.

“I think those two years are often very valuable for people who are not career teachers,” Vanlandingham said. “It gives them better insight into public education and makes them more informed.”

Corps members not only come from various educational, social and ethnic backgrounds, but also represent a variety of personalities, said Maggie Evans, senior in LAS and another University campaign manger for Teach for America.

Evans, who is also applying for the program, said the admissions process is very selective.

Precious said that first and foremost, Teach for America seeks applicants with a demonstrated record of achievement and perseverance.

Students may apply for the program online at www.teachforamerica.org. The first application deadline for the 2005 school year is Oct. 24, and the second is on Feb. 18, Valle said.

Once applications are reviewed, possible candidates are selected for a day-long interview process, which includes a one-on-one interview, mock teaching lesson and group discussion, Evans said.

Prior to teaching in their selected region, selected participants attend a five-week training program, known as the Summer Institute, in which they teach summer school in the morning and attend classes in the evening, such as classroom management and culture and literacy development, Precious said.

Corps members receive the same pay and benefits as a first-year teacher in their particular region, she said.

Teach for America also has partnerships with 60 graduate schools to ensure that participants looking to further their education will not be off-track, Precious said.

Precious will be on campus today and Thursday, Oct. 21 to speak with students about the program.

“Our mission is to end educational inequity,” he said. “In the short term, corps members are actually teaching in the classroom. In the long term, we are positioning leaders in all sectors to improve educational opportunities.”