Our Impact
At Urban Teachers, we seek to empower students through excellent teaching. We’re not working to build a political coalition or expand to every state. Our goal is to transform urban school systems by building a culture of accountability and continual improvement in specific high-need cities. We go deep, not broad. Today, we focus on schools in four areas — Baltimore, Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia and Washington, DC — creating a pipeline of highly effective teachers who are committed to their students, schools, and communities.
Our Results
We know that one of the most plaguing problems in urban schools is high teacher turnover. Teacher attrition destabilizes schools and prevents students from learning. That’s why we equip our graduates with comprehensive training, four years of classroom experience and three years of coaching and guidance. Our teachers have the skills and support to weather challenges. Seventy percent of our first-year teachers are still teaching three years later.
Our Data
Urban Teachers accepts about 38 percent of applicants. We send only the best teachers into urban classrooms.
Eighty-four percent of participants agree or strongly agree that Urban Teachers provides them with the tools and skills to use student achievement data to improve student learning.
Sixty-three percent of our residents in Cohort 2020 are people of color. We are committed to increasing the percentage of teachers of color in our program. Studies show that having just one teacher of color can positively impact the academic performance of students of color for decades.
Nearly one-third of our residents in Cohort 2020 are the first person in their family to go to graduate from college. They know what it’s like to be trailblazers–and they’re prepared to help their students do the same.
More than 90 percent of our program participants say that Urban Teachers gave them the knowledge and skills to be effective in the classroom.
And 87 percent of host teachers believe their Urban Teachers resident is on track to be a highly effective teacher in the coming year.