"Our Nation's Greatest Injustice"

The most recent issue of Grand Valley Magazine, the quarterly publication of GVSU (my alma mater) featured an inspiring story about several GV alumni who have joined Teach For America, an organization that places exceptional, motivated recent college graduates in 2-year teaching positions in disadvantaged urban and rural public schools. Teach For America recruits academically gifted graduates from all majors who demonstrate excellent leadership skills. The program also has a firm commitment to diversity, prioritizing the recruitment of people of color and people from low-income family backgrounds. Once selected, corps members spend 2 years teaching in a low-income school, guiding and mentoring students who face daunting educational obstacles.

Calling educational inequality "our nation's greatest injustice," the program's website states:

[W]e see evidence every day in classrooms across the country that when students in low-income communities are given the educational opportunities they deserve, they excel.

It is this - the clear potential of students - that makes the disparities in educational outcomes so unconscionable and fuels our sense of urgency and responsibility to do everything we can to ensure educational opportunity for all.

This is a noble and extremely important effort, in my opinion. If you have bright and talented students in your classes who are undecided about what to do after graduation, please consider sharing with them information about the Teach For America program.