Bridgeport Public Schools has launched a partnership with Teach For America, a national corps designed to expand educational opportunity in urban and rural communities. According to Emily Barton, Executive Director of Teach For America Connecticut, “the mission of this program is to achieve the day when all children can attain an excellent education, and when academic success is something that is available to everyone.”
Teach for America aggressively recruits outstanding recent college graduates of all academic backgrounds from 400 campuses throughout the country. Last year, of the 19,000 corps applicants, 3,000 were chosen as corps members. This fall, fourteen members will teach in Bridgeport’s elementary and secondary schools. Statewide, 73 new college graduates are being trained to teach in schools throughout Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven.
The following Bridgeport public schools will receive new corps members:
Cesar Batalla
English Language Arts – Seth Saavedra
Social Studies – Mary Ann Holland
Read
Science – Emily Turburgen
Marin
Language Arts – Nathan Snow
Maplewood Annex
Grade 4 – Rachel Ewud
Garfield
Bilingual Grade 2 – Kati Olson
Barnum
Grade 1 – Ellen Keogh
Bassick
French – Emeka Charles
Central
Biology – Tim Chu
Harding
Chemistry – Matthew Sparks
English – Emily Krisciunas
Hans Van Horn
To be determined
Kelsey Hubbard and Erika Ludwig
Upon selection, corps members commit to teach for two years, during which they receive training and continuous support. “We set ambitious goals and strive to help corps members go above and beyond to help close the achievement gap,” Barton said. “We are fueling a movement to help make educational equality a reality.”
Veteran teachers, such as Central High’s Christine Taylor, are selected as Content Seminar Leaders, providing additional support and guidance to new corps members. Taylor serves as the Leader for new Secondary Education teachers in Connecticut. “I am excited to be part of the Teach for America movement,” Taylor said. “These fresh college graduates are so dedicated to the goal of closing the achievement gap between urban students and their suburban counterparts.”
Teach For America has seen remarkable success. According to Barton, upon entering the program, only eight percent of corps members intend to stay in the field of education. However, after five years of participation in the program, 66 percent of corps members express the intent to continue their career in education. Teach For America looks forward to achieving similar success in Bridgeport Public Schools. “We anticipate an ongoing, enduring partnership,” Barton said.
During Teach For America’s first year in 1990, 500 men and women began teaching in six low-income communities across the country. Since then, some 17,000 individuals have joined, Teach For America has become the nation's largest provider of teachers for low-income communities, and [the corps] has been recognized for building a pipeline of leaders committed to educational equity and excellence (teachforamerica.org).
Harding Valedictorian Named School's First IB Diploma Student
Harding High School graduate and valedictorian Nichole Moore has been named Harding’s first International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma student.
The IB program is designed by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), a non-profit educational foundation based out of Geneva, Switzerland, which offers a Diploma Program for students in the final two years of high school. The program provides a well-rounded education that receives national and international college recognition.
“The IB program prepares you all around. It has pushed me to do better and work harder,” Moore said. “I was shy when I started high school, but this program has helped me become more confident. Now I’m excited for college and ready to see what else is out there.”
The IB Diploma program curriculum engages students in six academic areas: language arts, classical languages, individuals and societies, experimental sciences, mathematics and computer science, and arts. Each area is centered on the curriculum’s core, which involves an extended essay, theory of knowledge, and CAS (Community, Action, Service).
To achieve success in the IB Diploma program, Harding students must complete internal and external assessments in the academic courses, complete 150 hours of CAS, and write a 4,000 word essay on a topic of choice. Their work is completed independently under the supervision of a Harding faculty member.
IB candidates must then complete a variety of assessments, which include lab work in the sciences, papers of historical, mathematical and critical investigation, and oral discourses in both English and a foreign language. Samples of assessments are then mailed to IB examiners around the world. In addition, students complete about 25 hours of testing.
Upon her fulfillment of program requirements, Moore received the IB Diploma, which is recognized for college admission throughout the world. She will attend Xavier University in New Orleans in September. Prior to beginning the program, Moore wanted to become a pediatrician. However, upon further study in IB, she discovered that she would prefer to treat diseases as a pharmacist. “I think the IB program is very beneficial. It is good at preparing you for college, no matter what you want to do as a career.”
Harding students who did not complete all the requirements of the IB Diploma were awarded IB certificates for examinations successfully completed in specific IB courses. To learn more about U.S. university IB Diploma recognition policies, visit the International Baccalaureate website at www.IBO.org.
Founded in 1968, the IBO currently works with 2,075 schools in 125 countries to develop and offer three challenging programmes to over 546,000 students aged 3 to 19 years (IBO.org).
