Alverno College and Teach For America to Expand Partnership

Beginning in June 2018, Alverno College will serve as the primary teacher certification provider for Teach For America-Milwaukee, expanding the existing partnership between the two organizations and strengthening the commitment of both to training and developing Milwaukee educators.

Partners since 2012, Alverno and TFA-Milwaukee will co-design a new teacher training program that certifies corps members as they enter an initial two-year commitment to serve in low-income Milwaukee schools. The partnership directly supports Alverno's strategic plan, which calls for expanding the college's widely admired history in teacher preparation and primary focus on preparing educators for urban and high-need schools.

“We look forward to our strengthened collaboration with Alverno College as together we build a program that will equip our teachers with the skills and knowledge to become transformative educators,” said Walter Bond, executive director of TFA-Milwaukee. “Through training from TFA-Milwaukee and classes at Alverno College, our corps members will grow as leaders who can positively influence their school buildings and the larger systems that affect education for the students of Milwaukee.”

Opportunity for Innovation

Alverno and Teach For America-Milwaukee will design the teacher training program to integrate corps members' own experiences with that of their students to make the learning relevant and applicable to their settings and the needs of students. After two years in the program, teachers will be eligible to earn licensure and a master's degree in education.

Dr. Patricia Luebke, dean of the College of Professional Studies at Alverno, which includes the Education division, says the college is thrilled to be the official certifying partner of TFA-Milwaukee.

“Alverno is deeply committed to preparing teachers for urban and high-need schools and ensuring that they are well-equipped to meet the needs of diverse learners,” Luebke said. “Together, Alverno and Teach for America will work to support a diverse, robust teacher and leadership pipeline in Milwaukee. That's a good thing for students, families and the entire region.”

Since 2009, TFA-Milwaukee has recruited more than over 530 outstanding leaders to work in Milwaukee's education community and established itself as a reliable source of diverse teachers and leaders for the city. Of the existing 124 Teach For America-Milwaukee teachers, 40 percent identify as a person of color compared with the national average of 18 percent. As of 2016, 42 percent of Alverno's student population self-identified as a person of color or as multiracial.

Since 2009, TFA-Milwaukee has successfully partnered with Marquette University and Cardinal Stritch University, institutions that have helped the program grow in scale and impact. “We're incredibly thankful for their partnership over the past decade,” Bond said.

About Teach For America

Teach For America works in partnership with urban and rural communities in more than 50 regions across the country to expand educational opportunity for children. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding leaders to make an initial two-year commitment to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to end educational inequity. Today Teach For America is a force of 56,000 alumni and corps members committed to profound systemic change. From classrooms to districts to state houses across America, they're reimagining education to realize the day when every child has an equal opportunity to learn, to grow, to influence and to lead. Teach For America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. For more information, visit teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.