Memphis City Schools, TN

Through Teach Memphis, Memphis City Schools connects great teachers with great opportunities to improve student achievement, transform lives and reshape our community.

All eyes are on Memphis.  As one of only three districts in the nation and one coalition of charter schools awarded a Gates Foundation Intensive Partnership grant for its Teacher Effectiveness Initiative, Memphis City Schools has an unprecedented opportunity to close the achievement gap by ensuring that every student is taught by an effective teacher every day, every year.

That’s where you come in. Teach Memphis is hiring top-tier teacher talent to provide our students with high-quality classroom experiences that raise student achievement, improve life outcomes and, as a result, put our city on a path to greatness.

Why Teach Memphis?

Memphis City Schools and Teach Memphis recognize that teachers matter.

In fact, the Teacher Effectiveness Initiative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is a first-of-its-kind education reform model that takes into account the critical role of effective teachers in raising student achievement.  For current and potential Memphis City Schools teachers, that means:

• An improved teacher evaluation process will be more objective and useful.
• Teachers will be provided more effective professional support.
• Teaching excellence will be better recognized and compensated.
• Teachers will be provided increased incentives to work collaboratively with colleagues.
• School culture will be improved.
• The teaching profession will be elevated in public perception.

The Opportunity and the Challenge

Our city’s future is directly tied to the education our children receive.  The research is unassailable: the more educated a city is, the better off all its citizens will be, and the path to better educational outcomes runs directly through Memphis City Schools.

Teach Memphis and MCS know that the work of raising student achievement starts with teachers but must be supported by the community.  As a district, we are fortunate to have local leadership, including a robust philanthropic community, the office of City of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton and other high-profile supporters putting a laser-sharp focus on supporting innovative initiatives that focus on tapping the talent inherent in all our citizens.

Still, we face major challenges:

• 50% of kindergarteners retained at least once by 3rd grade
• 67% high school graduation rate
• 19% dropout rate
• 22 of 29 high schools with three or fewer AP classes
• District wide: average ACT 17.5; only 6% “college ready”

That’s why it is critical that we work quickly and purposefully to reshape the future for our students.  The stakes are high and there is no room for error.  We’re seeking bold and dedicated educators to join us in propelling this groundbreaking movement forward.

Facts about Memphis City Schools:

• Memphis City Schools is the 23rd largest district in the nation.
• MCS serves approximately 105,000 students in K – 12.
• Student demographics – 86 percent African-American, 8 percent white and 6 percent other races/nationalities.
• The number of students served by ESL/ELL (English as a Second Language/English Language Learners) has more than doubled since the 2000-01 school year, going from 2,096 to 4,728 in 2006-07. Forty-two different languages are represented.
• Average class size is 20 in grades K – 3, 25 in grades  4 – 6, and 30 in grades 7 – 12.

For more information, visit us at www.teachmemphis.org.

Want to change the world? Start in the classroom.  Teach Memphis.