September 2023

Alliance Newsletter

WELCOME TO OUR FIRST MONTHLY NEWSLETTER AS CITY TEACHING ALLIANCE!

We hope the vibrant green in our new logo has captured your attention! As you may have seen, we’ve experienced a “glow up” to our look and our branding, with a name change to better reflect the dynamic partnerships and growing alliance we’ve cultivated with our teachers, our schools, and our cities since we opened our doors in Baltimore and Washington, DC 13 years ago.

With these strong relationships in place and solid data that showcases the strength of our model, it’s time for us to go to the next level. Our team came together last week to share reflections, implement innovations, and celebrate the official launch of our exciting new strategic plan.

If you’re receiving this newsletter, you have been an integral part of our evolution and success. Watch this space each month for updates on what we’re doing – with your support – to ensure that every child is taught by committed, well-prepared, culturally responsive teachers.

Thank you for being with us on this journey. 

OUR NEXT CHAPTER

Following months of deep engagement and dialogue with a robust cross-section of our community members including staff, faculty, educators, school partners, and many of the supporters receiving this newsletter, I am thrilled to share the City Teaching Alliance FY24-FY27 Strategic Plan.

This four-year plan includes three umbrella priorities grounded by eight specific initiatives poised to drive impact, sustainability, and outcomes for our students. With a steadfast mission and children at the heart of our work, we are confident that this is an important step into a brighter future following an exceptionally challenging few years for the sector and our communities. We are grateful to have you with us on this next phase of our journey together, and look forward to continued partnership to advance our mission in each of our program sites and across the US.

To learn more, please check out our digital flipbook and executive summary. We welcome your feedback, questions, and ideas at any time! Thank you as always for your support.

See the difference we can make together at CityTeachingAlliance.org

ALLIANCE HIGHLIGHTS

Our 2023-24 program cycle is off to an exciting start!

• City Teaching Alliance welcomed 124 aspiring educators to this year’s Summer Institute in our four cities: Baltimore, Dallas, DC, & Philadelphia. Our active network of participant-teachers, alumni teachers, and school-based leaders stands nearly 1,400 strong and counting as of school year 2022-23!
• Our rebrand as “City Teaching Alliance” launched network-wide in late July, with our newest cohort the first to wear our new logo during their residency year.
• We opened our application to prospective SY24-25 teaching residents on August 21st with refreshed branding, team structure, outreach, andmore, and the recruitment team has already started supporting over 100 new applicants and conducted over 280 recruitment meetings as of mid-September. The application is the first step in making a lasting impact and starting a career in the classroom, with ample support and a passionate network committed to educational excellence for all, and recruitment/admissions for next school year will continue through spring 2024.

EXTRA YARD FOR TEACHERS WEEK & NTX GIVING DAY!
The College Football Playoff Foundation and the Cottonbowl Foundation are supporting our educators in Dallas on the #BigDayforTeachers, September 19th.

You can also support our teachers in Texas by participating in the North Texas (“NTX”) Giving Day on September 21st! Visit https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/Cityteachingalliance for more information.

JOIN THE ALLIANCE!

City Teaching Alliance [Urban Teacher Center, Inc., formerly doing business as Urban Teachers] is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization built on community collaboration, and there are so many ways you can help us achieve our mission!

REFER A TEACHER!
Do you know of any potential future educators in your network who would be interested in living their values as well-prepared, well-supported teachers? Please refer them or share this email with them to learn more and apply!

City Teaching Alliance offers more comprehensive coursework and personalized support than any other teacher preparation program  in operation today. Our teachers complete a full-year in-classroom residency prior to leading their own classrooms, earn a master’s degree from American University School of Education, and become dually certified to teach in a core subject area (elementary education, secondary English, or secondary math) *and* special education. Additionally, we facilitate 85+ hours of coaching support over the first three years in the classroom, provide a growing suite of wraparound services and resources to facilitate whole-educator well-being, and nurture a vibrant learning community of lifelong practitioners.
*Our Dallas site also offers certification in English as a Second Language 

CALLING ALL CORPORATE PARTNERS!
Do you or your partners serve and support teachers, college students, or young adults entering the workforce? Are you committed to ensuring all children have access to a quality education and being a part of creating a more equitable society? If so, let’s talk today! We have numerous sponsorship opportunities that provide critically necessary funding for our program, and we offer exciting opportunities for collaborative promotion of your business or brand.
EMAIL US Development@cityteachingalliance.org

DO YOU HAVE A DONOR ADVISED FUND?
Your money could go even further. Through Friday, September 29th, every grant from a DAF given by a donor who commits to halving their DAF increases our chance of receiving dollar-for-dollar matches of up to $50,000. Every dime of your gift and any matching dollars will support an aspiring teacher! Details at www.halfmydaf.com.

SEPT 15TH – OCT 15TH IS HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

We will be celebrating throughout the month on our social media channels.  We kicked off the month with a video of City Teaching Alliance Teachers in collaboration with Teachers In Their Power!

DID YOU KNOW?
Our participant teachers and alumni have come from 43 states across the U.S. as well as Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, and from as far away as India, Amsterdam, and Johannesburg!

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. We will never share our mailing lists with outside organizations.

Please help us grow our City Teaching Alliance (formerly dba Urban Teachers) family by sharing this newsletter with your friends, business partners, and community thought leaders. City Teaching Alliance 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.

Don’t forget to follow us on social media!