July 15, 2010

UCSB Is a Leader Among Graduates Selected by Teach for America

Eileen Conrad

Thirty-one UC Santa Barbara graduates have been selected by Teach for America to work as beginning teachers in public schools in low-income communities across the country.

The campus is among the top 20 large universities with the greatest number of students admitted to the highly competitive, nonprofit public service program.

According to Teach for America, participants selected for its program are outstanding college graduates, graduate students, and professionals who commit to teach for two years in underserved schools in urban and rural public school districts in an effort to expand educational opportunity.

This year, a record 46,000 applications for the program were received, of which 4,500 were accepted.

Graduates from 630 colleges and universities applied for the teaching positions.

Teachers earn a starting teacher's salary in the districts where they are placed.

UCSB ranked number 16 in the category of large colleges and universities.

Other UC campuses also included in the top 20 were UC Berkeley with 57 students, and UCLA with 49.

Information about the program is available at www.teachforamerica.org.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.