Local News
Edmondite joins Teach for America
National Teaching Corps receives 35,000 applications
A native of Edmond has joined Teach For America, the national corps of top recent college graduates who commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong advocates for educational equity.
The recruit is Thomas Takyi-Micah, a 2005 graduate of Edmond Santa Fe High School and 2009 Baylor University graduate.
Takyi-Micah joins Teach For America’s incoming corps of 4,100 teachers, the largest in its 20-year history. With a record 35,000 applications for the 2009 corps, only 15 percent were accepted. These recent college graduates were selected for their leadership abilities and strong record of achievement. The 2009 incoming corps members earned an average undergraduate GPA of 3.6, and 89 percent held leadership positions as undergraduates.
Each year, Teach For America attracts a significant percentage of graduates from the nation's top schools. This year, at more than 130 colleges and universities, more than 5 percent of the senior class applied, including 11 percent of all seniors at Ivy League institutions. Teach For America was the No. 1 employer of graduating seniors at more than 20 schools, including Georgetown University, Spelman College and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Takyi-Micah will teach in Chicago.
“The most rigorous research to date finds that Teach For America corps members produce student learning gains as large or larger than other novice or experienced teachers in the same schools,” said Michael J. Podgursky, a professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Columbia who serves on the National Research Council study committee examining teacher preparation in the United States.
In fact, a study by the Urban Institute updated in March confirmed that Teach For America teachers have a positive effect on student achievement relative to other teachers, including experienced teachers, traditionally prepared teachers, and those fully certified in their fields, according to a press release from the program.
In the 2009-10 school year, more than 7,300 first- and second-year Teach For America corps members will head to classrooms in 35 regions across the United States, including a record seven new sites: Boston; Dallas; Milwaukee; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Nashville, Tenn.; Tulsa; and Wilmington, Del.
Beyond their corps commitments, two-thirds of the nearly 17,000 Teach For America alumni across the country are working full-time in education. Nearly 400 Teach For America alumni serve as school principals or superintendents, more than 500 work in government or policy and 26 serve in elected office.
FOR MORE information, visit www.teachforamerica.org.
- Local News
-
-
OC junior sings Valentines for mission projects
-
2-9 Where to Vote: Polling Precincts
Polls will be open for the Edmond Public Schools Board of Education District 5 election from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, but other voting options are available.
The Oklahoma County and Logan County election boards can accept absentee ballots until the close of polling stations. -
Edmond bank agrees to improve policies, practices
State and federal regulators have given an Edmond bank a deadline for submitting a written plan to strengthen oversight of bank management and operations.
-
Governor’s race brings in Edmond cash
Fervor for the 2010 gubernatorial race is bringing in a flood of money for political action committees.
-
Panel tables county jail issue
An advisory panel Friday rejected a recommendation calling for county commissioners to pursue a new estimated $330 million jail, then voted to revisit the issue at a later date.
- 2-6 Rescued animals
-
Ex-Quest CEO pleads to false certification
A former Quest CEO admitted he failed to disclose his unlawful diversion of $10 million in SEC filings, U.S. Attorney Sanford Coats announced Friday.
-
McLinn graduates basic
Air Force Airman 1st Class Kory D. McLinn graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.
-
Edmond Baha’i to support imprisoned leaders
A special devotional gathering is slated for Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Edmond Baha’i Center, 321 East Campbell Drive, just west of the University of Central Oklahoma clock tower.
-
2-6 Calendar
Edmond community events
6 SATURDAY
A University of Central Oklahoma student will claim the title of Miss Black UCO at 7 p.m. in the UCO Mitchell Hall Theater. Sponsored by the Multicultural Student Services and the Black Student Association, the pageant awards the winner a $1,600 scholarship and gift basket, the first runner up an $800 scholarship and the second runner up a $600 scholarship. - More Local News Headlines
-
