Wendy Kopp

Function: From Student to Teacher
Elizabeth Venechuk, a Teach for America recruit and third grade teacher gives a lesson at Powell Elementary School in Washington. The Teach for America program places recent college graduates and professionals in schools in low-income communities around the country. In forming Teach for America, Kopp wanted to address the inequalities she saw in the American educational system, where income is often a factor in determining where a student goes to school. TFA provides a framework to recruit ambitious individuals who are not necessarily certified teachers, train them and put them to work in challenging environments and tough neighborhoods.