Attracting diverse talent, driving economic growth

A business executive with a background in Missouri public policy, Rich McClure cares deeply about healing the region’s educational inequities. McClure is the president of UniGroup and former chief of staff for then-Missouri Governor John Ashcroft (who went on to serve as U.S. Attorney General). McClure is also the regional chair of Teach for America. He spoke with The St. Louis American about Teach for America’s impact on the region.

The St. Louis American: Looking at your past experience in public policy and also your current experience in civic organizations, you are deeply embedded in St. Louis and invested its future. Where does education come into play in pushing St. Louis forward?

Rich McClure: We have so much work as a city to do to ensure that all kids have access to excellent, equitable education. And what’s encouraging is that every day great teachers and great principals prove that that’s possible. We know that it can be done working in close partnership with parents, families and community members. 

The American: What impact do you feel Teach for America is having on the St. Louis community, particularly the African-American community?

Rich McClure: Just a little over 10 years ago, in 2002, we had 33 corps members. If you look at the group for this coming year, it’s going to be 165 to 170 members. Over that time period, we now have 450 alumni in the region, partnering with St. Louis Public Schools, Normandy, Riverview Gardens and Hazelwood, as well as our charter-school partners of KIPP, St. Louis Charter, South City Prep and Confluence Academy. In only 10 short years, Teach for America has grown to be a big supplier of education and leadership talent.

In St. Louis, like many cities, we see major opportunity gaps between economic and racial lines that are morally wrong. Our corps members are charged to teach in the highest-needs schools – schools which tend to be disproportionately African-American in their populations. What we challenge our corps members to do is to prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that demographics do not have to define destiny.

We work hard to bring an increasingly diverse group of teachers to St. Louis. In fact, over one-third of our incoming teachers self-identify as people of color, and more than 35 percent grew up low-income communities. We have teachers from all backgrounds. However, we know the teachers who share the backgrounds of their students have potential for a profound impact.

Fueling this diverse talent pipeline, we see a growing number of corps members with local ties to St. Louis: alums of SLPS and graduates of Washington University, Saint Louis University and University of Missouri – St. Louis. In 2012, Teach for America was the largest employer of graduates from Washington University, so I think that shows we are working hard to retain talent in this region – and diverse talent.

All of those things, we hope, will come together to have a profound impact on the African-American community, over time.

The American: Teach for America is in Normandy and Riverview Gardens school districts. What do you see are some of the potential effects of the recent Missouri Supreme Court ruling regarding student transfers from unaccredited schools? 

Rich McClure: Our teachers are called to teach students wherever they find themselves. We are going to be in districts that have high free-and-reduced lunch populations. If those students choose another alternative, we will help prepare them for their new schools. If they choose to stay in the districts we’re teaching, then our corps members are called to set high expectations and provide a high quality of education.

The American: How can public policy play a role and what do legislators need to do?

Rich McClure: First and foremost, great schools come from school leaders and effective excellent teachers. That’s what Teach for America is about, growing that pipeline of very effective teachers who are committed to education equality. That’s what we focus on. From a public policy perspective, legislators can provide an environment where excellent schools can thrive. It’s important that that’s what they focus on.

The American: What aspects of education are you most passionate about?

Rich McClure: We have such a challenge of educational inequity in St. Louis. In 2012, only 18 percent of the low-income SLPS, Normandy, Riverview Gardens High School seniors enrolled in a four-year college. That is a tremendous opportunity to create new opportunities for those students to drive economic growth.

The college-ready rate is a critically important measure for our region. Unfortunately, this fuels pervasive low expectations, and that’s just morally wrong. What we have to do is realize there are wonderful models of successful teachers, successful school leaders and successful schools, who by setting high expectations get wonderful levels of academic performance, well above state averages and get students ready for college. That’s what we need to focus on.

For more information on Teach for America, visit http://www.teachforamerica.org/.