Wendy Kopp, a white American woman with privileged education, started Teach for America 23 years ago. The social enterprise, initiated by 497 people in 1990, strives to seal the opportunity gap and provide education to kids who are not getting the education they deserve. Teach for America has recently acquired new members and is currently represented by more than 10,000 corps members that will be able to reach some 750,000 students in 46 communities in the U.S. The corps members comprises people of diverse professional and life experiences, such as bankers, consultants, engineers, and armed forces veterans that represent different ethnicities.
The innovative idea behind Teach for America’s mission to bridge the opportunity gap in the U.S. is a meaningful and relational one. The privilege of having teachers that have given up their lucrative occupations to educate children who are under privileged creates a sense of hope in childrens’ lives. Teach for America is very effective because it utilizes the diverse talents and background of teachers, that have perspective and credibility, to educate children back in their home communities, in which the teachers can relate to because they share a common background of their students.
Article Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendy-kopp/who-joins-teach-for-ameri_b_1631873.html