Teach for America (TFA) collaborated with the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning (CCESL) and the DU Honors Program to create the Four Weeks for America Project, the newest interterm program that will be offered to DU students interested in getting a hands-on experience in a local Denver classroom.
The Four Weeks for America Project originally started in 2009 as a partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Public Service Center and TFA. The program sent MIT graduates to serve in Corps Member’s classrooms. Their job was to design a capacity building project over the course of the four weeks that would leave a lasting, measurable result on the classroom in which they worked, according to Kristy Martin, a recruiter for TFA.
Students who participate in the Four Weeks for America Project will work on many different programs depending on the grade-level, school and subject matter of the teacher. Some activities may include working on curriculum development, data analysis, planning labs and science fairs. The goal of this four-week program is for students to learn about the challenges the education system faces and to become familiar with the TFA program and model, according to Martin.
TFA, which started in 1989, is the movement of leaders to eliminate educational inequality and ensure children growing up in poverty get a good education.
“Last year we expanded the program to include Harvard [College] and Johns Hopkins [University],” said Martin. “As a part of Teach for America’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiative, we are hoping to partner with almost 10 colleges and universities –including the University of Denver-to give underclassmen who are passionate about STEM education the chance to get hands-on experience in a local classroom.”
CCESL has supported DU students interested in the TFA program over the years. At its core, CCESL’s mission is to educate, engage and equip the campus community to accomplish tangible, public work that improves the lives of people in our communities, according to Sarah McCauley, the student civic engagement coordinator at CCESL. They provide many opportunities for students to get involved.
McCauley said CCESL aims to have students build strong relationships with the people they work with.
“At CCESL, we hope that students working in the community will build strong relationships with community members and work to address root causes, rather than simply providing services to treat the symptoms of the issues in our communities,” said McCauley. “We’re focused on the quality of public work, not just the hours served.”
The Four Weeks for America Program is short-term, but students will have the opportunity to mentor students and to implement their ideas in a classroom.
Martin said she is passionate about finding prospective TFA students.
“All kids, no matter where they live, how much money their parents make or what their skin color is, deserve access to great education,” she said. “But in our country today, a significant achievement gap exists between low-income children and their wealthier peers. It’s not easy to close this gap, but hundreds of proof points show that it’s possible. It takes committed leaders in our classrooms today who will continue to fight for students tomorrow.”
Since 1990, 30 DU graduates have joined the TFA Corps and five graduating seniors joined the 2011 corps.
Elisabeth Booze, a DU alum who graduated in 2011, is a member of the Kansas City corps. At DU, she studied English and creative writing. She said she was confident that she always wanted to be a teacher. If the Four Weeks for America program had been offered when she was at DU, she said she would have wanted to participate.
“It sounds like a great opportunity to challenge yourself and learn more about a critical issue facing our country,” said Booze. “It would have been a chance to get in the trenches a little bit sooner, and begin making a difference in the lives of some amazing children.”
Teach for America and CCSEL strive to educate students on being a part of something important, said Booze.
“I would advise students to spend their college years finding what truly drives them, what they are passionate about and commit yourself to serve the world with that passion,” said Booze.
The deadline for students interested in applying for the Four Weeks for America is Oct. 14. There will be an event in the Lindsay Auditorium on Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. for students interested in hearing stories from alumni who participated in different TFA projects with Peace Corps, City Year and NCCC.
