NASHVILLE SELECTED AS NEW SITE FOR TEACH FOR AMERICA
Mayor secures private funds for national teacher recruitment organizations, establishes education fund through Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (October 16, 2008) -
National teacher recruitment organization Teach For America announced today with Nashville Mayor Karl Dean that the Metro Nashville Public School system has been selected as a Teach For America site starting in the 2009-10 school year.
Dean also announced today that he has secured the necessary funds through the private sector to support the first year of operations for both Teach For America and The New Teacher Project in Metro schools.
“We have recognized, as a community, that success for our students is greatly dependent upon the teachers in their classrooms, and that our students – specifically those in our most high-need schools – deserve to have the best, highly-motivated teachers we can provide,” Dean said.
“I am excited about the positive impact Teach For America’s corps members and alumni will have on our public schools and communities, and the greater impact this news will have in terms of positioning Nashville as a participant in the urban school reforms taking place across the country.”
Metro schools will receive 50 Teach For America corps members for the 2009-10 school year and an additional 50 members in each of the following two years. The corps members are a diverse group of the most promising college graduates and professionals, and serve for a minimum of two years, although a majority stay longer.
“Mayor Dean's initiative and commitment made our decision to come to Nashville an easy one. Because of his leadership, we were able to secure the resources and backing necessary to bring our program to the city next fall in record time,” said Wendy Kopp, founder and chief executive of Teach For America.
“We’re gratified by the warm welcome we have received from the city of Nashville and Metropolitan Public Schools and are excited to begin working alongside many other committed educators and community leaders in the effort to expand the opportunities available to the city’s students.”
To further draw community support for education reform in Nashville, Dean has helped establish an Education First Fund through the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Community resources donated to the fund will be used to support the long-term presence of Teach For America and The New Teacher Project in Nashville schools, as well as a variety of other education improvement initiatives lead by the mayor.
“Today’s announcement is great news for our city and for our schools, but we have a lot of work still to do,” Dean said. “I applaud Ben Rechter and the other major contributors for their leadership as the first donors to the Education First Fund. I encourage any organization or individual looking to make a difference in Metro schools to contribute.”
More information about the fund and how to contribute can be found on the Community Foundation’s Web site at www.cfmt.org. Major donors to the fund to date include:
- Tommy and Billy Frist
- Tommy and Billy Frist live in Nashville. They are the sons of HCA Founder Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Jr. They are also on the board of The Frist Foundation, which supports education, arts and youth services in Middle Tennessee.
- Orrin H. Ingram
- Orrin H. Ingram is President and Chief Executive Officer of Ingram Industries Inc. and Chairman of Ingram Barge Company. He serves on the boards of Ingram Micro Inc., The Krystal Company, FirstBank and Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. He is also a member of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust and serves as the Chamber’s Vice Chair for Education. He serves on the boards of other nonprofit organizations, including the Nashville Alliance for Public Education and Alignment Nashville.
- Ben R. Rechter
- Ben R. Rechter is President of Rogers Group Investments Inc. He serves on the board of the African American History Foundation of Nashville, is a Trustee of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, an Emeritus board member of Nashville Public Television, and is a member of the Society of International Business Fellows. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Rogers Group Inc., Mid-South Stone Inc., Rogers Management Inc., Purity Zinc Metals, Strataspace, and American Learning Solutions.
- The James Stephen Turner Family Foundation
- The James Stephen Turner Family Foundation is a private family foundation, headquartered in Nashville and chaired by Steve Turner. Steve Turner is the founder of Marketstreet Equities Company and chairman and chief executive officer of FNB Financial Corporation, a bank holding company headquartered in Scottsville, Kentucky. He is Chairman of the Boards of both the Vanderbilt Center for Nashville Studies and the Country Music Foundation, and he is a member of the boards of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, the Nashville Symphony Association, and the Frank G. Clement Railroad and Hotel Museum. Steve also is a member of the steering committee of Nashville’s Agenda, the Mayor’s Green Ribbon Committee, and the board of Cumberland Region Tomorrow.
Elissa Clapp with Teach for America acknowledges Mayor Karl Dean's efforts to attract the organization to Nashville
For media inquiries contact:
Janel Lacy
(615) 862-6020
janel.lacy@nashville.gov