New York, September 11, 2006 –Teachers Network, a non-profit education organization, has partnered with Teach For America to prepare New York City teachers for the challenge of classroom teaching. With increased backing from the Citigroup Foundation, Teachers Network will now support 500 teachers in Brooklyn’s Region 8 and 1,000 Teach For America educators.  Teachers Network’s New Teachers Handbook, a practical guide authored by 45 veteran teachers, is a key part of the organization’s support for new teachers.    

“For the first time ever, the entire New York City Teach For America corps will be able to draw upon the collective wisdom of veteran teachers captured in the New Teachers Handbook,” said Iris Chen, Teach For America’s New York City Executive Director, “No doubt, this handbook will inform and support all aspects of our corps members’ teaching, from lesson planning and execution to classroom management and classroom investment.”

Ellen Dempsey, President and CEO of Teachers Network and former public school teacher said, “We will work closely with Iris Chen and her staff to identify and chart ways that our resources can help teachers excel in the classroom.”

Teachers Network offers practical advice for new teachers who need to work out systems for classroom management, lesson planning, time management and other areas in which teachers are high on need and low on resources.  All Teach For America first- and second-year corps members will receive the New Teachers Handbook and the New Teachers New York program flyer, which details the comprehensive resources available on Teachers Network’s award-winning website (http://teachersnetwork.org).  Region 8 teachers will receive the New Teachers Handbook along with the CD-ROM set of Successful Teaching Practices in Action videos; and scholarships to Teachers Network’s New Teacher Online Survival Courses.   

About Teach For America
Teach For America is a non-profit organization that recruits and trains recent college graduates who commit two years to teaching in high-need public schools in low income urban and rural communities across the United States.  New York City comprises Teach For America’s largest corps, with 1,000 teaching corps members, 500 of them first-year teachers. 

About Teachers Network
Teachers Network is a non-profit organization—by teachers, for teachers—with a 25-year track record of success, dedicated to improving student learning in public schools nationally and internationally. Teachers Network is unique in its focus on professional development as the key to improving student achievement. Using the power of an award-winning web site, videos, and print resources, Teachers Network leverages the creativity and expertise of a national and international community of outstanding educators. Through its leadership, Teachers Network empowers teachers to transform public schools into creative learning communities. For more information about Teachers Network, go to http://teachersnetwork.org.