About Teach For America
Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who
commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in
expanding educational opportunity. During their two years of teaching, corps members
work to close the achievement gap between students in low-income communities and their
peers in higher-income communities.
Launched in six sites in 1990, Teach For America has grown to serve 26 regions in need
across the United States. During the last school year, 4,400 Teach For America corps
members reached nearly 375,000 students, while more than 12,000 alumni continued
working in education, policy, law, medicine, and other sectors, driving broader changes to
bring about educational equity in the United States.
The organization is dedicated to recruiting and training the brightest future leaders: out of a
pool of 19,000 applicants last year that included 10 percent of Yale’s graduating class,
approximately 12 percent were selected to join the corps.
Anheuser-Busch’s Support
When Teach For America came to St. Louis in 2002, Anheuser-Busch was there to
support expanding educational opportunities for the region’s children. Since that time,
the Anheuser-Busch Foundation has provided $100,000 annually to support the program.
in the St. Louis Public School System.
Impact
“Anheuser-Busch’s support has been so important, especially to be with us at the
beginning,” said Dustin Odham, executive director, Teach For America – St. Louis. “In
St. Louis, support from a company with such a long history in the area immediately
demonstrated the critical role businesses can play in the area of education.”
That first year, Teach For America had 40 corps members teaching in the St. Louis
region. Today, 150 corps members impact the lives of some 12,000 students in the
region. As part of its plan to grow to scale, Teach For America – St. Louis aims to have a
corps of 200 by 2010.
“Anheuser-Busch’s support helps us recruit nationally to draw the brightest and most
dedicated from across the country to come serve the St. Louis region, building a
movement for excellence in education” said Odham, who himself taught as a corps
member at St. Louis’ Beaumont High School.
Odham further explained that the achievement gap in St. Louis is indicated by an average
academic growth of .25 to .5 grade levels per year. Teach For America corps members
strive to close that gap by working with students to achieve a year and a half to two years
growth in a year’s time.
“Through the support of Anheuser-Busch we can expand this necessary and powerful
impact to truly ensure that one day, all children have the opportunity to attain an
excellent education.”
-Dustin Odham, executive director, Teach For America – St. Louis