Nashville-Chattanooga
About Us
Teach For America began our partnership with the Nashville community in 2009, and we expanded to Chattanooga in 2019. Since 2009, TFA has recruited nearly 1,400 educators for high-need classrooms in Middle and East Tennessee. Today, we serve as a strategic talent partner to Metro Nashville Public Schools, the Nashville charter sector, and Hamilton County Schools. As we look to the end of the decade in 2030, we are focused on mobilizing our network of corps members, Ignite tutors, and program alumni to ensure all students have access to an excellent education and the chance to pursue a thriving future and choice-filled life.
Over five years of impact in Chattanooga, Teach For America has recruited over 100 new teachers and 400 literacy tutors to Hamilton County Schools. The TFA network annually serves approximately 2,500 students in Midtown and Missionary Ridge, and 60% of our 100 program alumni continue to work full-time in education. Alumni in Chattanooga lead in the classroom, school and district leadership, and across a number of other sectors that directly impact young people in low-income communities. Jill Levine, a 1992 New Orleans alumna, is the Principal at Chattanooga High Center for Creative Arts and previously led the Opportunity Zone in Chattanooga, a group of 12 of the city's highest-needs schools. Shannon Moody (Metro Atlanta '08) serves as the school district's Chief Strategy Officer, and Breckan Duckworth (Metro Atlanta '10) is the policy advisor to the Deputy Superintendent.
Through the development and support provided by Teach For America, corps members have been found by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) to be among the most effective teachers in the state year over year.
For long-term change to take effect, we are working to create a movement of individuals committed to collective impact with students.
Where We Work
Nashville
Nashville
In many ways, Nashville is a tale of two cities. On one side, it’s a vibrant cultural hub, renowned for its world-class music, food, and arts scene. Known as the “Athens of the South” for its exceptional higher education institutions, Nashville is home to a rich array of post-secondary institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities and is experiencing unprecedented economic and population growth.
Yet beneath this momentum lies a stark reality. Our economically disadvantaged students average an ACT score of just 17, and Nashville ranks among the nation’s largest achievement gaps compared to the 100 biggest U.S. cities. Here, far too often, a child’s zip code and background determine their opportunities and outcomes. We believe this is the moral crisis of our time—and it is one we are committed to confronting.
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Chattanooga
Chattanooga
Often called the “Scenic City” for its stunning rivers, mountains, and trails, Chattanooga is a place where natural beauty meets bold innovation. With a revitalized waterfront, a billion-dollar downtown investment, and the fastest internet service in the Western Hemisphere, the city is attracting young professionals, entrepreneurs, and creative leaders from across the country. Home to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a thriving innovation district, Chattanooga is on a path of rapid growth and transformation.
Yet this progress stands in sharp contrast to a widening educational gap. While talent and potential are evenly distributed across our city’s students, opportunity is not. For far too many, the circumstances of their birth still determine the trajectory of their lives. We see changing that reality as both an urgent responsibility and an extraordinary opportunity for Chattanooga’s future.
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One Vision, One Region
While much work remains to ensure that every student in Tennessee has access to an education that allows them to thrive and reach their full potential, the TFA Nashville-Chattanooga network has left an undeniable imprint on our region’s education landscape. Our alumni network includes more than 1,000 leaders across the region, with the majority serving in education or education-adjacent roles that ultimately shape the future of our cities and state. Nearly 500 corps members and alumni are teaching in classrooms across the region, consistently driving student growth that outpaces the state average year after year. Our alumni lead some of Tennessee’s most transformative schools, spearhead innovative nonprofits, and serve in critical public-sector positions—all working to redefine what an excellent education can and should look like for Tennessee’s students.
Nearly
200
TFA teachers in Nashville and Chattanooga.
Over
1K
total TFA alumni in our area.
More than
90%
of our alums continue to work with low-income communities.
Nearly
200
TFA teachers in Nashville and Chattanooga.
Over
1K
total TFA alumni in our area.
More than
90%
of our alums continue to work with low-income communities.
Our Alumni
Among the 1,100 program alumni living across the Nashville-Chattanooga region, nearly 60% work full-time in education including: 230 classroom teachers, 61 mid-level leaders in schools, 41 school systems leaders, 28 school principals, and 22 policy, advocacy, and organizing leaders. Several TFA alumni have founded some of the top performing public charter schools in Nashville, and we continue to invest in the development of future game-changing leaders through the Aspiring School Leader Fellowship in partnership with Lipscomb University.
Learn more about the Nashville-Chattanooga Alumni Council
Subscribe to the Nashville-Chattanooga Alumni Newsletter
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Support Our Work
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