Reversing the Trend
San Antonio is a fast growing metropolitan area, but the inner city has lost population and high-school dropout rates in low-income communities have soared to 40%. Teach For America • San Antonio started in 2010 to help reverse that trend, bringing 97 corps members to teach in SAISD and KIPP.
Aleah Al-Sad (Corps ’09) works through math problems with her 7th grade students.
Growing the Corps
Currently, there are 95 corps members teaching in classrooms throughout the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD). By 2015, we will double the size of our incoming corps and, as a result, impact more than 40% of SAISD students.
Aleah Al-Sad (Corps ’09) works through math problems with her 7th grade students.
Predicting the Future
For the last 90 years, San Antonio’s demographics and population growth have predicted population change in Texas and the U.S. When we close the achievement gap in San Antonio, we will have proof that it can be done across the country.
Aleah Al-Sad (Corps ’09) works through math problems with her 7th grade students.
Leading from All Sectors
Brett Beach-Kimball (Rio Grande Valley Corps ‘05), Executive Director of the local American Heart Association, and Vanessa Lacoss-Hurd (Houston Corps ’94), Executive Director of the San Antonio Children’s Museum, are among more than 40 local alumni helping shape the future of education in the region.
Aleah Al-Sad (Corps ’09) works through math problems with her 7th grade students.
  

Our People

Corps Members, Alumni, and Supporters

  • Brandon McKinney
    San Antonio Corps 2010
    “I love each moment I spend with my students.”
  • Leslie Holland
    San Antonio Corps 2010
    “I joined Teach For America to help shape our country's future.”
  • Steve Lecholop
    Baltimore Corps 2004
    “The rewards that came from teaching were unexpected and life-changing. ”
  • David Nungaray
    San Antonio Corps 2010
    “Each day we have with our students matters.”
  • Kelly Murguia
    San Antonio Corps 2010
    “Every single child needs and deserves someone to believe in them.”
  • Eva Boster
    San Antonio Corps 2010
    “Every child has very different strengths and faces very different challenges. ”
  • Patrick Kobler
    San Antonio Corps 2010
    “ I joined the corps to make a lasting difference in my students' lives.”

Message from the Executive Director

Laura Saldivar

Laura  Saldivar

San Antonio is a city with ambitious goals, both in education and beyond, that currently faces two big challenges – the achievement gap and the talent gap. While the north side population is growing, the inner city is steadily decreasing in population, and public schools within Highway Loop 410 are suffering. We are placing corps members in those inner city schools with the goal of helping current students excel and then attracting additional students to the inner city district.

San Antonio is focused on becoming an urban economic center and local leaders are actively recruiting talented professionals to the region. As they see the positive impact corps members can have on San Antonio’s future, local business and government leaders have been overwhelmingly supportive partners.  Already, in addition to leading their students to strong academic gains, corps members have helped rebuild a homeless facility where many inner-city students live, and assisted with a FAFSA and college signing day to help students and parents navigate college forms. Teach For America • San Antonio corps members recognize the community’s dedication to positive change and are motivated to contribute, inside and outside the classroom. 

Laura Saldivar is the founding executive director of Teach For America • San Antonio.  Growing up, Laura attended some of the same inner-city public schools where San Antonio corps members teach today. She returned home with the goal of attracting and retaining innovative leaders to create positive change in San Antonio.

After graduating from Georgetown University, Laura was a 2006 Rio Grande Valley corps member, where she taught ninth grade English as a Second Language and tenth grade English in Rio Grande City. During her two years of teaching, Laura’s students achieved an 83% passing rate on the state-wide ELA exam. Laura also implemented an ESL tutorial program for English Language Learners on her campus. She later worked on the recruitment and admissions teams for Teach For America before returning to San Antonio in 2010.

Regional News

Stay informed about the latest news on Teach For America • San Antonio and the state of education reform in the region.

Read the latest regional news »

Support Us

Help support Teach For America corps members in your area.

Donate Now »

Contact Us

Teach For America • San Antonio
One Riverwalk Place
700 North Saint Mary's Street, Suite 200
San Antonio, TX 78205
p: 210.424.5800, f: 210.212.4442

Laura Saldivar, Executive Director

Teach For America thanks our National Partners for their generous support.

Teach For America was named one of Fortune magazine's top 100 employers to work for.

Teach For America was named one of America's top 100 Ideal Employers in Universum's 2011 American Student Survey.