Teach for America, a program that sends college graduates to teach in low-income schools, wrapped up its second wave of Dartmouth recruiting on Nov. 2 after attracting 35 Dartmouth applicants.
TFA is a nonprofit organization that recruits college students, particularly from elite schools like Dartmouth, to teach for two years in low-income schools. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, recruits undergo a rigorous five-week training program before being sent to teach -- significantly less than the normal year required for teacher certification. About 3,000 men and women, or about 17 percent of the applicant pool, entered the program in the 2007-2008 school year.
David Stanley, the Dartmouth TFA recruiter and a 2005 graduate of Yale University, said that about 10 percent of Dartmouth's senior class applies to the program each year.
"Dartmouth has traditionally been a high-performing class for us in terms of applications," he said.
This year three Dartmouth students applied for TFA at the Sept. 21 deadline, while 32 students applied at the recent Nov. 2 deadline, making a total of 35 applicants. TFA also has deadlines on Jan. 4 and Feb. 15.
In previous years, about 100 total students have applied in total, Stanley said, adding that this year's numbers are consistent with reaching that total by the end of the recruiting cycle.
Steven Lonegan '08, who applied for the Teach for America program at the Nov. 2 deadline, said he plans to pursue education as a career, and saw TFA as the best way to begin this path.
"The hands-on experience of teaching less-privileged students will make me a good teacher," he said.
Before submitting his application, Lonegan had already gained experience in the field by tutoring and teaching classes on marine education at his home in Long Island, N.Y.
Lonegan, who learned about TFA from a high-school friend who entered a similar education program, said he had considered applying for a post in the organization for much of his Dartmouth career.
In order to attract strong prospects for the program who may not have the information or knowledge to apply, TFA has a robust recruiting process on many college campuses.
The recruiting process consists mostly of individual interviews and information sessions, Stanley said. The Dartmouth recruiters have also given presentations at fraternities and other social organizations, and held two booths at the College's recent career fair -- one each in the nonprofit and for-profit sections.
Stanley himself is a veteran of the Teach or America program and spent two years teaching math to low-income students in Harlem, N.Y. Stanley's TFA experience, which he described as "life-changing" and "incredibly rewarding," led him to want to inspire the next generation to work with under-privileged students, he said.
"It fundamentally changed what I believed was possible in low-income communities," Stanley said.
