A SEASON OF GRATITUDE AND GROWTH
November is the perfect time to pause, reflect, and celebrate the people and partnerships that make our work possible every day. Across our four regions, City Teaching Alliance continues to build and sustain a teacher workforce rooted in excellence, equity, and community.
This month, we’re celebrating gratitude in action: the educators who stay and lead; the mentors and school partners who invest deeply in the next generation; and the alumni who remind us that teaching is both profession and purpose. These stories ground us in our mission and inspire us to look forward to all that’s ahead.
INTRODUCING THE PORTRAIT OF AN ALUM: HOW WE’RE DEFINING EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION
We’re proud to launch Portrait of an Alum, celebrating the transformational impact of our graduates and the lifelong commitment they bring to their classrooms, schools, and communities.
Our alumni are demonstrating what happens when teaching is treated as the rigorous, respected profession it deserves to be. Each attribute represents the heart of who our alumni are: leaders who stay, teach, mentor, and build forward.
Our alumni are Impact Drivers who turn purpose into measurable progress, Knowledge Seekers who never stop learning, Community Connectors and Strategic Advocates, bridging schools and families while championing equity and opportunity. They persevere as Resilient Problem Solvers, elevate teaching as Credentialed Professionals, and nurture thriving classrooms as Culture Leaders. Read more about how we define excellence here.
IN THE MEDIA: DR. AMON IN FORBES
In her recent conversation with Raymond Pierce, President and CEO of the Southern Education Foundation, our CEO, Dr. Rahesha Amon, reflected on how education remains central to America’s ongoing pursuit of equity and opportunity. The discussion, recently published in Forbes, explored how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 redefined equality under the law, and how classrooms continue to be where that progress is renewed every day.
“Schools are where young people begin to understand their own power. At City Teaching Alliance, we prepare excellent, certified teachers to foster critical thinking and resilience. We help them recognize inequities in real time and guide students toward agency. This is how we sustain civil rights progress.” – Dr. Rahesha Amon, CEO
At a time when national conversations often focus on teacher shortages or challenges, Dr. Amon emphasized what she sees every day at City Teaching Alliance: educators who choose to stay, to lead, and to strengthen the communities they serve. Their work is proof that lasting progress in education is powered not by systems alone, but by people, the teachers who turn purpose into practice, day after day.
Read the full Forbes article here. For more insights from our CEO, subscribe to her monthly LinkedIn newsletter, ForwardED, here.
NEXT GEN INITIATIVES: BUILDING REPRESENTATION AND RETENTION
We are thrilled to announce the launch of City Teaching Alliance’s Next Generation Initiatives, a new effort designed to increase classroom representation and address retention challenges among groups most affected by high attrition rates. NextGen is rooted in one simple truth: when educators have the right support, development, and community, they stay, and students thrive.
Through professional learning, identity-affirming programming, mentoring, and network building, NextGen provides personal growth opportunities for Black, Latinx, APIA, and Women in Leadership educators. This initiative builds on our legacy of developing diverse, effective educators who bring both skill and purpose to their classrooms. By creating spaces where educators feel seen, supported, and valued, we’re advancing our mission to strengthen the educator workforce and build sustainable careers in teaching.
FELLOW FEATURE: COMMITTED TO JUSTICE AND EQUITY
We regularly spotlight educators whose work embodies the heart of our mission across social media. This month, we’re featuring Janica Johnson (Cohort 2025, Baltimore), whose commitment to justice and representation guides her every day in the classroom.
For Janica, teaching is a sustainable career, but it’s also a calling. She’s committed to building classrooms where students feel affirmed, challenged, and excited to grow. Through continued learning, Janica’s goal is to develop strong connections with her students, empowering them to think critically, take risks, and see themselves as capable learners. Her story, and those of hundreds of other fellows across our regions, reminds us that the drive to teach is rooted in heart, equity, and a firm belief in what students can achieve.
We hope you will stay connected with us, our students, our educators, and our schools as we – and our growing network of powerful practitioners – continue to learn, innovate, and co-create the future of teaching and learning in our communities.
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City Teaching Alliance (formerly dba Urban Teachers) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (EIN 27-0989006). To learn more about City Teaching Alliance, visit our website at CityTeachingAlliance.org or click here to donate.
Donations can also be mailed to:
City Teaching Alliance
PO Box 69625
Baltimore, MD 21264
Text-to-Give: INSPIRECHILDREN to 44-321
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