Teach For America San Antonio: 2023-2024 Yearbook

2023-2024 Yearbook

Released December 2024

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I am thrilled to present Teach For America San Antonio's 2023-2024 Yearbook. Yearbooks have always been a cherished reminder of the connections and moments that shaped our time at school For me, they represent the joy of looking back on a chapter filled with growth and memories. As you explore the pages of this yearbook, I hope you feel the same pride and excitement, knowing that your support was instrumental in the success we’ve achieved. If you’re reading this, it’s because your contributions played a vital role in ensuring TFA SA continues to thrive and make a meaningful impact on our students. Thank you.

Within these pages, you’ll find stories and data that showcase the extraordinary progress we've made together, thanks to the unwavering dedication of our TFA community. Our greatest achievement remains ensuring a high-quality education for students in under-resourced schools. With the strength of our team – 90 corps members and over 470 alumni in the region – we are making real change happen.

In San Antonio, our bold goal is to double the number of students in our community impact zones who meet college and career readiness benchmarks. To get there, we’re recruiting top-tier talent, supporting alumni who continue to lead in education, and extending learning through our Ignite program. We've also expanded community initiatives like our EduPitch programming in support of innovations and our Male Teachers of Color Cohort to further empower students and educators.

The collective power of this community is what fuels our progress and sets our students on a path of endless possibility. Our community is stronger together, and I am deeply humbled to be part of this movement. It is my privilege to work toward transforming education in a city where my family has deep roots, one that I have proudly called home for over a decade. I invite you to continue supporting and celebrating with us as we shape the future, together.

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Yours in the movement,

Nick Garcia Executive Director

Teach For America San Antonio

By 2030, twice as many students in San Antonio’s urban core work will reach key college and career readiness milestones indicating they are on a path to economic mobility and a future filled with possibility.

Recruit Teachers and Leaders Develop Teachers and Leaders Retain Teachers and Leaders

Build knowledge of evidence-based teaching practices Build knowledge of new school models improving student outcomes Build on school day learning with high-dosage tutoring

Build authentic partnerships Collaborate to widen talent funnel for education in San Antonio Partner to expand evidence-based teacher efficacy practices 4

Teach For America San Antonio is a force of over 700 leaders committed to changing outcomes for students through teaching, leading, and advocating throughout our community.

We train mission-driven leaders from every academic major, occupation, and background to illuminate every learner. Our corps members and alumni commit to creating opportunities for the next generation so all children can lead, learn, and contribute to a thriving San Antonio.

Corps Members, Alumni, and Ignite Fellows

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Students Impacted in TFA Corps Member and Alumni Classrooms Each Day

OUR CORPS OUR ALUMNI OUR IGNITE FELLOWS

90

48%

470

~70%

125

320

2023-2024 Corps Members

5,760

41%

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Students First in their taught by family to graduate college Corps Members

Alumni across San Antonio

Ignite Fellows (Tutors)

Of alumni continue to work in education

From underrepresented backgrounds

Elected Officials Campus or School Systems Shaping Policy across San Antonio Leaders

Students Taught

by Ignite Fellows

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Eligible Fellows Accepted an Offer to TFA

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At Teach For America San Antonio, we know our corps members (CM) can go on to become policy and changemakers in many fields on a local and national level, and it all begins with their experience in the classroom.

We deeply value the corps member experience inside and outside the classroom. Throughout the year, corps members enjoy social events, receive professional development aligned to their interests, and meet education leaders across our community.

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Of CMs feel like they are effectively contributing to ensure that all children have the opportunity to attain an excellent education

Of CMs report working in partnership with families and community members

Of CMs report they are growing the capabilities they need to play a valuable role in the movement to ensure all children have the opportunity to attain an excellent education

Of CMs are committed to working now and in the future to ensure that all children have the opportunity to attain an excellent education

After several office jobs left me unfulfilled, a friend suggested I volunteer teaching English as a second language. For nearly two and a half years, I taught both online and in-person, and that’s when I truly fell in love with teaching. It wasn’t just about the subject—it was the impact I could see unfolding in real-time. I realized I wanted to make this my career, despite the challenges facing the teaching profession, like the shortage of teachers and low pay. I knew that to create lasting change and challenge systemic issues in education, I needed the support of an organization like Teach For America.

When deciding where to teach, I knew I wanted to connect with students who shared my background and experiences. Growing up in South Texas, I was fortunate to have incredible teachers like Ms. Harris, Ms. Cavazos, and Dr. Kubala, who made learning exciting and impactful. Their kindness and dedication inspired me to give back in the same way. After speaking with alumni from the region, I realized San Antonio, especially its Title I schools, needed teachers who could make that kind of difference, and I was ready for the challenge.

In the classroom, I’ve learned that students thrive when teachers are authentic. By being vulnerable, building relationships with their families, and showing them that I care, I’ve seen remarkable transformations. Students want to be seen, understood, and heard. My goal is to give them that space—to help them grow, build confidence, and see the vast opportunities ahead of them.

Nathan Pastrano

TFA San Antonio ‘22 9th Grade English Honors & College Prep Highlands High School

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Our first promise to students as well as our district partners is that the recruitment, selection, and development of a TFA teacher leads to uncommon outcomes for students.

While we are never satisfied with a relative bar, students in our TFA corps member classrooms consistently outperform those who are not - regardless of the certification pathway or years of experience of teachers in non-TFA classrooms. Not only do we perform stronger relative to our local partners, students in TFASA classrooms also outpace students from across Texas who are also growing up in ‘economically disadvantaged’ circumstances.

TX EcoDis “Meets+”

District Partner “Meets+”

TFA SA “Meets+”

Spring 2023 STAAR Results

37.3%

29.4%

40.5%

Spring 2024 STAAR Results

36.6%

29.0%

37.0%

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Our Ignite Fellowship Program (Ignite) is a tutoring corps designed to double down on the support we offer San Antonio students. It ensures students are equipped to meet critical reading and math milestones through high-impact tutoring that accelerates learning and fosters belonging with students and schools through customized small group learning.

Ignite Fellows

Ignite Students Impacted

of additional hours of learning students recieved in the ‘23-’24 school year

of Ignite Fellows felt like they built positive relationships with their students

of Ignite Fellows’ had a positive impact on their students

“I chose to partner with TFA and Implement Ignite at Douglass because there was research behind the results. When first approached about the Ignite program, I reached out to other principals who spoke highly of Ignite. As students started working with their mentors in Ignite, we saw students who were too timid to share their thoughts begin to share their opinions openly with their peers.

Over the year, we continued to see our students not just open up socially, but saw their academic skills continue to grow. On average, Ignite working hand in hand with Tier 1 instruction propelled our student growth to over 80% allowing our teachers to decrease the achievement gap.

Our students have excelled with Ignite as the program itself is tightly aligned to the work our teachers do every day.”

- Ignite School Partner Principal 10

Inspired by the passion of their students, many Teach For America alumni continue their purposedriven careers by teaching in high-need schools beyond their two-year commitments. Others pursue impactful positions within the various sectors that work to break down inequities and co-create positive change for children and their communities.

Together, our alumni share a lifelong commitment to expanding access and opportunity for all children.

Teach For America Alumni Teachers

Teach For America Alumni Principals

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Teach For America Alumni School Systems Leaders

Teach For America San Antonio (TFA SA) launched the Male Teachers of Color (MToC) Cohort to address the underrepresentation of male educators of color in schools. Research shows that students benefit from having teachers who share their background, with Black students who had just one teacher of color by 3rd grade being 13% more likely to enroll in college (Johns Hopkins University, 2018).

The MToC program supports male teachers of color, including

Latinx

development

educators,

sessions

through

featuring

professional

guest

speakers,

veteran educators, and community partners. These sessions address key barriers to retention, focusing on mentorship,

wellness,

and

building

relationships.

Participants also explore professional growth in alignment with TFA SA’s mission of educational equity.

The program provides a strong community of support and leadership, helping educators thrive and inspire students.

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The fourth annual EduPitch event continued to showcase the power of community-driven innovation, with attendees coming together to support transformative ideas for schools across our city. Teach For America alumni passionately pitched their campus-based projects, competing for the opportunity to secure funding to expand their impact.

We were thrilled to celebrate Seam Klamm as the 2024 Grand Prize Winner for his innovative project, "Playground IEP." Additional participants Becky Lopez, Yesenia Hernandez, and Katie Bingham also presented their exciting initiatives, joining a distinguished cohort of 17 previous EduPitch finalists.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made the night unforgettable, filled with creativity, collaboration, and a shared commitment to student success.

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Teach For America San Antonio is deeply grateful for the support of the following individuals, corporations, and foundations that contributed to our efforts in our most recent fiscal year (June 1, 2023-May 31, 2024).

$100,000+

H-E-B (multi-region support) Nancy Smith Hurd Foundation Texas Education Agency The Greehey Family Foundation

$25,000 - $99,999

Mr. & Mrs. Rex Amini City Education Partners OneStar Foundation The William and Salome Scanlan Foundation

$10,000-$24,999

Sue and Bill Balthrope Carla & John Brozovich Marina Corona and Andrew Pittz Cowden Family Charitable Foundation Frost Bank V.H. McNutt Memorial Foundation, Inc. Scott Weisberg

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$1,000-$9,999 James Adams Ruth and John Agather Broadway National Bank C.H. Guenther & Son, Inc. Crossvault Capital Management, A Prime Capital Investment Advisors Company Elma Dill Russell Spencer Foundation Nicolas Garcia Cece & James Griffin Sarah Harte Rebecca Hirsch Claudia Huntington and Marshall Miller Mr. Alan Ibrahim KSL Resources, LLC Ms. Sonali Patel Schulman, Lopez, Hoffer & Adelstein LLP Silver Eagle Distributors, L.P. Mr. Warren Spencer Spurs Sports and Entertainment Sandra and Dale Tremblay VACO San Antonio Suzanne and Richard Wade Brenda Zabojnik

$999 and Below

Jeffrey Block Elise & Craig Boyan Megin Boyles Terri Crimmins Veronica Diaz Celine Dobbs Andrew Ellis Mendi Etheredge Haydee Garza Chrissy Greenhaw Raul Hernandez Alyssa Long Dameon Lutz Gene Miller Celina Montoya Nila Nieto Christine Nishimura Scott Palmer Randolph Brooks Federal Credit Union Amanda Rivas Jennifer Rodriguez Christy Santo Mr. Brian Stackhouse John Strodtman Jade Tate Candice Towe Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Tubb Kristi Wyatt

Indiv idua ls Co r p ora Pa te rtn er sh ip s Sc ho ol

Teach For America National Investment

n tio da n u Fo

Stat e (TE A&

Ame ricor ps)

Revenue * 3% Individuals 3% Corporate 5% School Partnerships 6% Foundation 20% State (TEA & AmeriCorps) 63% TFA National Investment Management, General, & Fundraising

Recruitment and Selection

Community Programming

Expenses

es ervic ort S p p u ni S Alum

28% Recruitment and Selection 41% Pre-Service and Ongoing Training 3% Alumni Support Services

Pre-Service and Ongoing Training

5% Community Programming 23% Management, General, & Fundraising

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Scott Weisberg

“I hope you enjoy this yearbook, which reflects the remarkable progress we’ve made together and is a celebration of the power of community. Each milestone we’ve reached this year is a testament to the collective commitment we share to ensure every child across San Antonio has access to an excellent education, regardless of their zip code or background.

As I begin my first year as board chair, I am excited to continue to invest back into the community I call home.

San Antonio is a unique place, rich in culture, resilience, and potential. It is also a region that faces significant challenges, especially in education. Yet, when I look at the progress we’ve made over the past year, I am filled with immense pride. We are not just addressing those challenges; we are reshaping the narrative for what is possible for our students. This is because of you—our supporters, donors, educators, and community partners —who continue to show up and invest in the future of our children.

The strength of our community is our greatest asset. It is the force that drives us forward and fuels the dreams of the next generation. As we continue this journey, I am inspired by the possibilities ahead and confident that, together, we will continue to empower our students to achieve great things.

On behalf of the Teach For America San Antonio Advisory Board, thank you for your partnership, your trust, and your belief in the future we are building together. I look forward to all we will accomplish in the year to come.

With gratitude!”

Scott Weisberg Regional Advisory Board Chair Teach For America San Antonio

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Board Chair Consultant Former Chief People Officer, Wendy's

Celine Dobbs

Senior Account Executive, KGBTexas Communications

Nancy Gonzales

Group Sales Account Manager, Spurs Sports & Entertainment

Cece Frost Griffin

Assistant Vice President for Leadership Strategy, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Rebecca Hirsch

Director of Content Strategy, Argo Group

Joseph Hoffer

Managing Partner, Schulman, Lopez, Hoffer & Adelstein

Sonali Patel

Private Wealth Advisor, Texas Capital Bank

Brenda Zabojnik

Associate Director, Executive Search, VACO

Thank you for making the 2023-2024 school year one to remember! Your support of Teach For America San Antonio has been instrumental in our ability to recruit, develop, and empower corps members and alumni who are driving lasting change in public education across our community. As we look towards the next year, we remain focused on attracting top talent to our region while deepening our support for a growing alumni network that is dedicated to expanding opportunities for all students in our city.

We can do more together than we could alone - and we are grateful for your continued partnership in our essential work!

Stay Connected With Us www.teachforamerica.org/san-antonio

www.instagram.com/tfa_sa

www.facebook.com/teachforamericasanantonio

www.linkedin.com/company/teach-for-america-san-antonio

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