Leading with purpose: Teach For America’s people strategy

Teach For America (TFA) is a nonprofit organization that recruits, develops, and supports leaders committed to expanding educational equity for all children. TFA understands that to drive impact in classrooms and communities across the United States, the organization must first invest in its people.

Over the past five years, Teach For America has navigated extraordinary change – from the global pandemic and a major organizational restructuring to new leadership and ongoing political uncertainty. Through it all, they’ve remained committed to connecting to their people. With support from Culture Amp, TFA watches employee sentiment closely, using survey feedback to surface challenges early and respond with intention. Even in the company’s most difficult moments, this approach has helped TFA maintain high engagement and foster stability.

Recently, Culture Amp sat down with three of Teach for America’s HR leaders – Tracy-Elizabeth Clay, EVP, People and Administration; Dr. Barbara Logan Smith, Chief of Equity and Belonging; and Cliffton Johnson, VP, Internal Communications and Knowledge Management – to understand how they use transparency, listening, and intentional action to support their people and strengthen their culture. Here are a few highlights from the conversation:

Transparency as a cornerstone for engagement

At any company, employees may sometimes feel cut off from their peers and unsure how their day-to-day efforts tie into business success. True engagement starts with clarity, says Dr. Barbara. “Part of what we’ve learned is folks really have to have clarity around what we are up to and how we are doing it. The absence of clarity – particularly in the context of now – sets folks up to not understand what we’re doing or why.”

Clarity isn't just about alignment on organizational goals; it’s about helping every team member understand how they contribute to making a collective impact. “In order to be fully invested, you have to be informed first,” shares Cliffton. “The way that we inform [employees] about what’s happening, the work we’re doing, and the impact we’re having needs to be in a way that allows them to see... and recognize their own impact as part of it,” he adds.

Transparent communication isn’t just a best practice at TFA; it’s a necessity. With long-term goals that span decades, not years, the organization leans on openness to keep teams grounded in purpose and progress. Sharing updates, acknowledging challenges, and celebrating wins are all part of how TFA maintains engagement, especially during periods of dramatic change.

How Teach for America promotes transparency across the organization:

• Based on employee feedback gathered from Culture Amp surveys, the company introduced AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions, giving staff a chance to submit questions and receive direct answers from senior leaders.
• TFA trains its leaders in emotional intelligence and resilience to help them effectively guide their teams through change and uncertainty.

Listening, learning, and evolving

Teach for America partnered with Culture Amp in 2020 – a year marked not only by the global pandemic but also by an internal staff event that didn’t quite go as planned. While the TFA HR and People team knew it was a tough time to launch an engagement survey, they recognized the importance of facing the moment with honesty. They anticipated the data would likely reflect low trust, diminished confidence in leadership, and a need for greater transparency, but they also knew it was a critical first step toward rebuilding their culture.

Instead of using the data as a pass/fail report card like it had in the past, the company began using what they learned as a roadmap. With Culture Amp’s support, TFA was able to dig into not just what employees were feeling, but why – and more importantly, find opportunities to act.

Over the last 15 years, TFA’s workforce has evolved from primarily early-career professionals to many employees now balancing caregiving responsibilities for children and aging parents. At the same time, the organization transitioned from large offices to a fully remote model with coworking hubs. These shifts made it even more critical for the People team to understand employees' day-to-day realities and how best to support them.

“Our impact happens through our people. So we have to pay attention to what they are telling us they need as they evolve and change. We must keep up with, anticipate, and align with those needs to keep our kids and communities at the center of what we’re doing,” states Tracy-Elizabeth.

Since partnering with Culture Amp, that new mindset has paid off. While facing internal and external challenges, TFA reached its highest engagement scores since the partnership began – a testament to the company’s commitment to continuous listening and improving the employee experience.

How Teach for America listens to employees and evolves with them:

• TFA uses Culture Amp engagement data to inform ongoing conversations, not as a one-time metric.
• The organization has adapted its benefits (e.g., generous time off, winter breaks) to better support employees.
• TFA offers coworking spaces for employees who value in-person connection.

Building a purpose-driven community

Unlike most job applicants, who discover a company during their job hunt, many Teach for America employees first encounter the organization in a deeply personal way – they may have been taught by a corps member or served as one themselves. As a result, they often come to TFA with a strong connection to its mission and a clear expectation that the organization will live up to its values.

To meet the passion and purpose these employees bring, Teach for America grounds its work in a bold, long-term vision. The organization’s 2030 goal is to ensure that twice as many children in the communities it serves reach key educational milestones, putting them on a path to economic mobility and a future filled with possibility.

“But while we’re working to make sure that this is true for our kids, we must also think about how we are setting ourselves up to make this true for the staff that we’re trying to create that reality with,” says Dr. Barbara. This commitment to purpose, she explains, requires building a community – internally and externally – where everyone feels connected, invested, and aligned. That includes recognizing that TFA can’t achieve its mission in isolation.

“One of the other evolutions of our values is that if we think for a moment that Teach for America will do this by ourselves, we are so mistaken. Horribly sadly mistaken,” shares Dr. Barbara. “We have to do this work in service to – and alongside – community. We have to do this work with others. You can’t get twice as many kids doing the things I just described as an isolated entity... You only do that in partnership with the children, their families, and those communities.”

By aligning its internal culture with its values, TFA continues to nurture a purpose-driven community – one where mission and impact are deeply shared.

How Teach for America fosters a mission-driven culture:

• TFA regularly shares updates on the company’s 2030 goal to remind employees how their efforts are fueling long-term educational outcomes.

How Culture Amp supports mission-driven organizations

Teach For America’s journey shows what’s possible when a mission-driven organization invests in listening, learning, and evolving with its people. Through ongoing engagement surveys, a willingness to embrace tough feedback, and the tools to turn insights into action, TFA has built a more connected, resilient culture – one that’s equipped to support both staff and students for years to come.

At Culture Amp, we’re proud to support non-profits like Teach for America through our dedicated Culture Amp Foundation and non-profit pricing discount. Whether you're navigating change, deepening employee engagement, or building a more equitable employee experience, we're here to help you amplify your impact.

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