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The leadership teams from each of the nine institutes (Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Tulsa, MS Delta) of Teach For America visited the Delta State University campus on Thursday, November 17 as part of their annual leadership conference. Approximately 70 members attended a buffet lunch hosted by representatives of Delta State and the Cleveland community in the H.L. Nowell Union before participating in a panel discussion designed to provide insight into the Delta community.
“We wanted to bring teams from our other sites to Delta State in order to show how great the Delta Institute is for Teach For America,” said Tim Hughes, senior managing director of the Teach For America Delta Institute. “One of the goals of Teach For America is developing stronger partnerships between communities, universities, and local schools. We believe the Delta Institute serves as a model for other sites. Today’s event gives leadership team members from other institutes a unique perspective into the challenges of rural education.”
Hughes served as moderator for a panel discussion covering topics such as community involvement in education, recruiting quality educators to the region, and increasing parental involvement. The panel consisted of Dr. John Hilpert, president of Delta State University; Sanford Johnson, deputy director of Mississippi First; Miskia Davis, principal of Ruleville Middle School; Pauline Rhodes, superintendent of the Coahoma County School District; and Eddie McCord, district curriculum coordinator of the West Tallahatchie School District.
“We hold these leadership conferences in order to reflect on the institutes of the past summer, and prepare for the future,” said Susan Asiyanbi, executive vice president of teacher preparation, support, and development for Teach For America. “It gives us the opportunity to engage the communities and teachers we work with, analyze the effects we’re having in those communities, and collaborate in terms of the roles we play and what we can do.”
“We (Teach For America) have been embraced by the immense warmth and hospitality of the Delta,” added Asiyanbi. “The positive reception we have received from the communities and school districts make it exciting and rewarding to go to work each day because we see a true partnership.”
About Teach For America
Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in expanding educational opportunity. Today, more than 9,300 corps members are teaching in 43 regions across the country while nearly 24,000 Teach For America alumni continue working from inside and outside the field of education for the fundamental changes necessary to ensure educational excellence and equity. For more information, visit http://www.teachforamerica.org.
