While Orlando is known for theme parks and summer vacations, those who live there know there is so much more to the City Beautiful. Orlando has a thriving economy with growth in fields like medicine, tech, and social innovation. But the city also suffers from a common urban challenge: a community divided into those who have access to opportunities and those who do not.
In Orange County Public Schools there are more than 200,000 students. Approximately 65 percent of these students come from low-income homes. Research shows that children from low-income backgrounds are 10 times less likely to graduate from college than students from more affluent circumstances. With statistics such as these, many students in Orlando face major barriers to succeed in college, career, and life, unless we work together to make dramatic changes to the way we serve their academic, social, and emotional needs.
In 2015, Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Barbara Jenkins and the Orange County School Board unanimously voted to partner with Teach For America because they recognized the need for excellent teachers who are dedicated to creating equal educational opportunities for all students. Since then, more than 50 Teach For America corps members have led classrooms in nearly a dozen schools across Orlando.
Today, our corps members and alumni affect over 4,000 local students daily and we are excited about growing that impact in the coming years.