A Teacher Success Story
Dedicated to the cause. The 10,000 alumni of TFA have not turned their backs after their service, either. The organization says that nearly two thirds still work full time in education, most in low-income communities. TFA alum Jason Kamras, a math teacher in a Washington, D.C., public school, was just named national teacher of the year. Two other alumni, Mike Feinberg and David Levin, founded and now run what is probably the most successful set of charter schools in the country: the KIPP academies (Knowledge Is Power Program). Started in Houston and New York, the academies have become a network of 38 schools in low-income communities that demand extra studies by students, balance that with extracurricular activities like martial arts, music, chess, and sports, and--guess what?--have achieved the largest and quickest improvement in learning around the country. No fewer than 25 principals in KIPP schools are alumni of Teach for America.
What does all this mean? First, the nation owes a debt of gratitude to Wendy Kopp. She represents the emergence of a new breed of social entrepreneur, talented doers who are unleashing their generation's innovation and idealism to address long-standing social problems. Even as they struggle for the resources to turn their visions into reality, the success of Kopp and others shows that this has the makings of a social movement.
But it also shows that the rest of us need to wake up and see what we can do to help. It's time for the country to embrace the national service movement with serious money--not the cheap change we are putting today into AmeriCorps. It's time to scale up nonprofits so that when 17,000 kids volunteer, there are 17,000 openings. It's time, in short, to recognize the greatness that lies in the next generation.
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