Wendy Kopp
| Wendy Kopp | |
|---|---|
 Kopp at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in 2012 |
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| Born | Wendy Sue Kopp June 29, 1967 Austin, TX |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Princeton University |
| Occupation |
CEO of Teach For America CEO of Teach For All |
Wendy Sue Kopp (born June 29, 1967) is the CEO and Founder of Teach For America (TFA), the national teaching corps and the CEO of Teach For All.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Kopp attended Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas and later was an undergraduate in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton in 1989 and was a member of Princeton's Business Today.
[edit] Teach For America
Shortly after graduation from Princeton, Kopp founded Teach For America.
In 1989, Wendy Kopp proposed the creation of Teach For America in her undergraduate thesis at Princeton University. She was advised in her thesis by senior sociology professor Marvin Bressler.[1] She was convinced that many in her generation were searching for a way to assume a significant responsibility that would make a real difference in the world and that top college students would choose teaching over more lucrative opportunities if a prominent teacher corps existed.[2]
In 2007 Wendy founded Teach For All, an organization that seeks to apply the methods of Teach For America to countries around the world.
Kopp chronicled her experiences at Teach For America in two books, One Day, All Children: The Unlikely Triumph of Teach For America and What I Learned Along the Way and A Chance To Make History: What Works and What Doesn't in Providing an Excellent Education For All
[edit] Personal life
Kopp is married to Richard Barth, president of the KIPP Foundation. They have four children and live in Manhattan.[3]
[edit] Honorary Doctorates
- 2010: Marquette University
- 2009: Washington University of St. Louis
- 2008: Georgetown University
- 2007: Mount Holyoke College
- 2007: Rhodes College
- 2004: Pace University
- 2004: Mercy College
- 2001: Smith College
- 2000: Princeton University
- 1995: Connecticut College
- 1995: Drew University
[edit] Awards
- 2011: Spelman College National Community Service Award
- 2008: The Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship
- 2008: Presidential Citizens Medal
- 2006: The Harold McGraw, Jr. Price in Education Award
- 2004: The John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award
- 2003: The Clinton Center Award for Leadership and National Service
- 2003: The Schwab Foundation's Outstanding Social Entrepreneur Award
- 1994: Aetna's Voice of Conscience Award
- 1994: The Citizen Activist Award from the Gleitsman Foundation
- 1993: Princeton University Woodrow Wilson Award
- 1991: The Jefferson Award for Public Service
[edit] Books
- One Day, All Children: The Unlikely Triumph of Teach For America and What I Learned Along the Way. (2001)
- A Chance to Make History: What Works and What Doesn't in Providing an Excellent Education for All. (2011)
[edit] Trivia
- 5 February 2007: Kopp appeared on the Colbert Report.[4]
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Patel, Ushma, Marvin Bressler, sociologist, education pioneer and mentor, dies, News at Princeton, Princeton University, July 9, 2010 12:42 p.m. ET. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
- ^ "Kopp Named MHC Commencement Speaker". 2007. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/news/newsfull.shtml?portal_id=2JGDhD~HryUDcnDQiDD~nhQU&node=5187646&full=1. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
- ^ Gootman, Elissa (2011-04-10). "No Breakfast, but Bagels for Lunch". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/nyregion/10routine.html. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- ^ "Wendy Kopp Pays a Visit to the Colbert Nation". http://www.teachforamerica.org/newsroom/documents/TeachForAmerica_News_20070206.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wendy Kopp |
Biographies:
- Official biography - Teach For America
- Thesis sparks thriving teacher corps - Princeton University
- Biography - John Glenn School of Public Affairs
- Wendy Kopp at the Internet Movie Database
- Wendy Kopp: America's Best Leaders
Interviews and speeches:
- Feature video interview with Wendy Kopp on The Alcove with Mark Molaro
- Teaching Children - PBS
- Change the World Interviews
- 2009 Commencement Speech - Washington University in St. Louis
- 2008 Commencement Speech - Georgetown University
- 2007 Commencement Speech - Mount Holyoke College
- 2006 Commencement Speech - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Podcast Interview with Wendy Kopp Social Innovation Conversations, February 1, 2008
