为美国而教（Teach for America），“为美国而教”是美国一项旨在吸引各专业优秀大学生到中小学执教的计划，自1990年创立至今，已经有数万名来自哈佛、耶鲁等名校的大学生毕业生放弃了投行、咨询公司的机会，毅然走上了教学的讲台，为教育欠发达的地区做出自己的贡献。在20多年的发展历程中，其对美国教育领域产生了深远的影响。“为美国而教”的成功被包括《时代周刊》、《商业周刊》、《纽约时报》各大媒体报道。同时，还被选为“受美国名牌大学生欢迎的雇主”。

其创始人温迪科普开辟了美国教师培养的新路径。因其所做的贡献，她被授予多项荣誉，2008年获得总统公民奖章，这是仅次于总统自由勋章的美国第二高平民荣誉。同年，被《时代周刊》评为“具影响力的100人”之一。

史蒂文·法尔（Steven Farr），资深的教师培训师，毕业于耶鲁大学法学院，是“为美国而教”教师培训和支持项目的负责人。他对那些带领学生取得突出进步的高效能教师进行研究，开发了“为美国而教”的多部培训教材。

A road map for teachers who strive to be highly effective leaders in our nation's classrooms Teach For America has fought the daunting battle of educational equity for the last twenty years. Based on evidence from classrooms across the country, they've discovered much about effective teaching practice, and distilled these findings into the six principles presented in this book. The Teaching As Leadership framework inspires teachers to: Set Big Goals; Invest Students and Their Families; Plan Purposefully; Execute Effectively; Continuously Increase Effectiveness; Work Relentlessly. The results are better educational outcomes for our nation's children, particularly those who live in low-income communities. Inspires educators to be leaders in their classrooms and schools Demystifies what it means to be an effective teacher, describes key elements of practice and provides a clear vision of success Addresses the challenges every teacher, in every classroom, faces on a daily basis An accompanying website includes a wealth of tools, videos, sample lessons, discussion boards, and case studies.