Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America, discusses the creation and growth of the nonprofit organization that places college graduates in underserved public schools. The podcast also features Abby Kircher, a young entrepreneur, who shares her journey of starting her own nut butter business at the age of 19.
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Quick takeaways
Teach for America was founded to address educational disparities by recruiting college graduates to teach in underserved areas.
Abby's Better Nut Butter grew from a homemade product sold at a farmers market to being stocked in over 1,000 stores across the US.
Deep dives
Abby Kirchher starts her own nut butter business
Abby Kirchher, a teenager with a passion for peanut butter, becomes frustrated with the sugar and additives in store-bought peanut butter. She decides to make her own and experiments with different nuts and flavors. Abby's homemade nut butters are a hit with family and friends, inspiring her to start a business. With the support of her parents, Abby launches Abby's Better, offering a range of nut butters made with simple, natural ingredients. The business grows rapidly, with products stocked in over 1,000 stores across the East Coast and Midwest.
Teach for America's mission to improve education
Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America (TFA), shares the story behind the organization's mission to improve education in low-income communities. As a student at Princeton University, Kopp realized the stark disparities in education and the need for passionate individuals to teach in underserved areas. She proposed the creation of a national teacher corps that would recruit college graduates to teach in urban and rural public schools. Despite initial challenges and financial struggles, TFA has grown into a network of 7,000 to 8,000 teachers and 50,000 alumni, working to address systemic issues in education.
Abby's Better expands distribution and revenue
Abby Kirchher and her family start selling homemade nut butters at a local farmers market. Encouraged by positive feedback and high demand, they expand to selling in grocery stores and eventually scale up to over 300 stores. Abby's Better offers a variety of nut butters made with different nuts and natural ingredients. The company's distribution grows to nearly 1,000 stores across the East Coast and Midwest, including major chains. Abby's Better is projected to make $1.6 million in revenue this year.
Teach for America overcomes challenges to make an impact
Teach for America faces criticism and hurdles along its journey to improve education in low-income communities. Critics question the effectiveness and motives of the organization. However, Wendy Kopp and her team remain focused on the work and continue to make improvements. The impact of Teach for America can be seen in various cities where teachers and alumni of the program have contributed to positive changes in graduation rates, enrollment, and leadership. Teach for America continues to tackle systemic challenges in education with its network of teachers, principals, and advocates.
In 1989, college senior Wendy Kopp was trying to figure out how to improve public education in the US. For her senior thesis, she proposed creating a national teaching corps that would recruit recent college grads to teach in needy schools. One year later, she launched the nonprofit, Teach for America. Today, TFA has close to 60,000 alumni and continues to place thousands of teachers across the country. PLUS in our postscript "How You Built That," we check back with 19-year-old CEO Abby Kircher who turned a peanut butter obsession into Abby's Better Nut Butter.
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