20 Outstanding AmeriCorps Alumni: Alissa Farber

"Being a Teaching Fellow allowed me to experience a snapshot of urban education in Boston... and cemented my belief that alignment and partnership among these constituents is critical to building and sustaining great schools."

Alissa Farber  
Program Director
T3 Initiative at Teach Plus

Please briefly describe the work you do today.

The mission of Teach Plus is to improve outcomes for urban children by ensuring that a greater proportion of students have access to effective, experienced teachers.  The T3 (Turnaround Teacher Teams) Initiative is an innovative teacher leadership program for high-needs schools.  The initiative trains and supports experienced, effective teachers to become T3 Teacher Leaders; preparing them to lead their peers in improving instructional practice and accelerating student academic outcomes.  As Program Director, I oversee a national team charged with teacher recruitment, selection and placement, program analysis and evaluation, and school and district partnership development.

What was most memorable about your time as a Teaching Fellow with Citizen Schools? 

Aside from meeting my husband (Teaching Fellow Alum Dan Restuccia), what most stands out to me about my service as a Teaching Fellow was the opportunity to try on so many different "hats," between my morning partnerships, afternoons in schools with students, and summers supporting the national office and local summer programs.

How did being a Teaching Fellow position you to better serve your community and enrich your career? 

Being a Teaching Fellow allowed me to experience a snapshot of urban education in Boston from a variety of perspectives - students, parents, faculty, volunteers, and business and nonprofit partners - and cemented my belief that alignment and partnership among these constituents is critical to building and sustaining great schools.  Since graduating from the Fellowship, I have continued to work in education reform organizations, all of them focused on innovative ways to support urban public schools.