Wendy Kopp founded Teach For America in 1990 after proposing the idea in her undergraduate thesis at Princeton University. Participants in the program commit to teach in high-need schools for two years. More than 30,000 participants have completed the program, and this year more than 11,000 TFA corps members are teaching in communities across the country. In 2007, Kopp co-founded Teach For All, a global network of independent organizations that have adapted TFA’s model to expand educational opportunity in their own countries. LMU is TFA’s exclusive university partner in California, providing graduate training, mentoring and support for corps members teaching in the state. Kopp visited the LMU campus Sept. 17 to be honored with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for her work in education. She was interviewed by Editor Joseph Wakelee-Lynch.
What qualities do you look for in Teach For America applicants?
We are looking for people with a passion for working in the highest need communities. The biggest differentiator in our most successful teachers is perseverance in the face of challenges. There are other factors, too: an ability to influence and motivate others in a sophisticated way rooted in an understanding of another person’s values, problem-solving abilities, an ability to work across lines of difference, holding high expectations for kids in low-income communities. Then we invest a great deal in them, alongside partners such as LMU’s School of Education, to inculcate the mindset, skills and knowledge that we found differentiates our most successful teachers. Much of this is about mindset development: helping them internalize a sense of personal responsibility for ensuring their students’ success.
Read the full interview in the LMU Magazine.
(Photo by Jon Rou)
