Teach for America is a non-profit program that places new teachers in schools in low-income areas across the country. The teachers must remain in their positions for at least two years. About seventeen thousand college graduates have worked in the program since it began in nineteen ninety.  

 A student at Princeton University, Wendy Kopp, developed Teach for America as part of her college work.   Money from major businesses helped make her idea a reality. Wendy Kopp still heads Teach for America. It receives support from the federal government, private businesses and individuals.

Some education experts criticized criticize the program because its teachers get only five weeks of training before they start teaching. And they say most of the teachers do not continue teaching after two years. However, the program says most of the teacher teachers who took part in the program are studying or working in education. And many of its former teachers have become leaders in the efforts effort to improve education for all children.

Margery Yeager is an example of this. Miss Mizz Yeager taught in a public school in Washington, D. C. as part of Teach for America a few years ago. She now works in the office of Michelle Rhee, the top official of the District of Columbia public schools.