Success Stories

Marilyn Rhames, Teacher, Third Grade, Chicago, Illinois

“I feel somewhat like a doctor, that what I’m doing is a matter of life and death,” says Marilyn Rhames, a third grade teacher at Chicago’s Sherman School of Excellence. “Education means the difference between a good quality of life for these kids in the future or enduring suffering and poverty for the rest of their lives.”

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Ellen Lau, Preservice Teacher, Chicago, Illinois

Ellen Lau knew she wanted to teach in a high-need school – but she also knew she needed some direct exposure to the challenges high-poverty schools face. To get that experience, she signed up for ACI’s High-Need Schools Internship while she attended Knox College.

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Did You Know?

Chances are, most of the dedicated teachers who guide the children in your community are female and white.Nationwide and in Illinois, only 25% of our teachers are men. In Illinois, only 16% of teachers are minorities, compared to 42% of students. In Chicago, the odds of drawing a minority teacher are even less: Only 55% of teachers are minorities, compared to 91% of students.