Teach For America - Dallas-Fort Worth

Our Mission 

Teach For America Dallas-Fort Worth (TFA DFW) is dedicated to finding, developing, and supporting a diverse network of leaders who are committed to expanding opportunities for children. We do this through impactful work in classrooms, schools, and across every sector that influences the education system. 

Who We Are 

At TFA DFW, we inspire leaders to champion educational excellence by starting with a two-year commitment to teaching in underserved communities. Since 2009, we have placed over 1,650 new teachers from across the country in North Texas schools serving students with immense potential. More than two-thirds of our alumni remain in education, with nearly 500 directly impacting the K-12 sector and reaching over 216,000 students. Our alumni are dynamic leaders across the education landscape and beyond: over 120 lead schools, 27 hold administrative roles (e.g., vice presidents of schools, district-wide curriculum managers), 36 focus on policy and advocacy, 119 work in education-focused nonprofits, and 4 serve as elected officials.  

The Need for TFA & Our 2030 Goal 

TFA DFW addresses critical challenges in the Texas education system by targeting interventions in areas most affected by systemic issues. We tackle: 

• Teacher attrition by bringing new talent to the DFW area each year while also supporting our 2nd year teachers and alumni.
• Support for academic recovery, particularly in math and science, where Texas students' scores have not yet rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

Our primary goal is to ensure every student, regardless of their zip code, has equitable access to a high-quality education. We believe that an excellent education is a key driver of financial mobility. To advance this vision, we have set an ambitious target: by 2030, we aim to double the number of children in TFA DFW Impact Zones who are college, career, or military-ready, setting them on a path to economic mobility and a future full of possibilities. 

Our Approach 

To achieve this goal, TFA DFW: 

• Recruits, trains, and develops a talented workforce of both new and veteran educators who become powerful advocates for quality education.
• Deploys exceptional leaders across all levels of the education system to drive positive outcomes for students.
• Accelerates the careers of our alumni into impactful roles that align with our mission.

Your investment supports our efforts to recruit, train, and place more than 150 new corps members and 100 Ignite Fellows, and to provide high-quality professional development to our over 1,500 alumni in the 2024-25 school year. 

Visit our website to learn more about our work: www.teachforamerica.org/dallas-fort-worth  

Our Incredible Alumni - 15 Years of Impact in North Texas

What brought you to TFA to join the corps? 

I joined Teach For America because of my own experience and the barriers I overcame.  I witnessed the opportunity gap firsthand: I lacked the study skills and habits necessary for post-secondary success and was uninformed about financial aid and resources to pay for college. After struggling through my first semester of college, I made the concerted effort to join study groups, attend professors’ office hours, find a job on campus, and put in the additional time and energy to set myself up for academic success. That’s when I decided I wanted to become a teacher so that no other student would feel or experience what I did during those critical years of adolescence.  

 Tell us about your work with Principal Impact Collaborative.  

Principals are the heartbeat of their school communities. When a great principal chooses to stay at their school, great teachers stay as well, which helps students excel. Each year, about 1 in 4 urban school principals will leave their job due to its heavy demands and the high stress environment. Principal Impact Collaborative (PIC) seeks to retain and sustain more high performing school leaders, so teachers and students have a healthy and stable community to return to every year. As a former principal myself who struggled with finding sustainability in the role, I am passionate about seeking new ideas and solutions to increase principal retention. 

What keeps you inspired after 15 years of working in education in the DFW community? 

Dallas-Fort Worth has become home for me. I moved here in 2009, unclear on how long I’d stay. Now, 15 years later, I can’t imagine being anywhere else. I’m committed to work in education because the work isn’t done yet. Our kids deserve the best schools with the most effective school leaders and teachers, and I know I have a role in ensuring this becomes a reality. I’m excited to continue mobilizing my network, my colleagues, and my community to tackle this challenging yet exciting work head-on.