WEBVTT - Wendy Kopp: Founder of Teach for All and Teach for America 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:07.600 You know, our generation was called the me generation because 0:00:07.600 --> 0:00:09.960 people were just so convinced that all we wanted to 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:11.600 do is make a lot of money and work on 0:00:11.680 --> 0:00:15.920 Fall Street. And I thought that that was just so misplaced, 0:00:16.000 --> 0:00:19.040 and that I was one of thousands of people searching 0:00:19.120 --> 0:00:21.160 for something that would enable us to make a real 0:00:21.239 --> 0:00:24.119 difference in the world. I saw these investment banks and 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:28.240 management consulting firms banging down the doors of liberal arts 0:00:28.240 --> 0:00:31.280 graduates like myself, asking us to commit just two years 0:00:31.320 --> 0:00:33.880 to work in their firms, and I thought, why aren't 0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:37.919 we being recruited just as aggressively to commit just two 0:00:38.000 --> 0:00:42.120 years to teach in urban and rural communities. Um. And 0:00:42.159 --> 0:00:45.200 that was that was really the beginning of my obsession 0:00:45.240 --> 0:00:50.600 with this idea. That was Wendy cup whose big idea 0:00:50.720 --> 0:00:54.400 was that all children, no matter where they live, deserve 0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:59.280 a good education in While she was still a student 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:05.160 at Princeton, she created Teach for America, the enormously successful 0:01:05.280 --> 0:01:09.920 program that signs up recent college grads to teach and 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:14.360 underserved schools for two years, a sort of Peace Corps 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:19.399 for education. In two thousand and seven, she took her 0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:25.479 mission international by launching Teach for All I'm a land 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:29.560 Ververe and this is Seneca's one Women to Hear. We 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:33.000 are bringing you one hundred of the world's most inspiring 0:01:33.640 --> 0:01:38.480 and history making women you need to hear. Wendy cop 0:01:38.560 --> 0:01:41.520 has been called the leader of a revolution and education. 0:01:42.720 --> 0:01:46.520 Teach for America can boast more than sixty four thousand 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:50.760 alumni and has created a network of leaders who are 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:55.800 working to improve children's education in the United States and 0:01:55.920 --> 0:01:59.680 around the world. Teach for All has helped boost education 0:02:00.280 --> 0:02:05.800 and develop leaders through local partnerships with organizations ranging from 0:02:05.840 --> 0:02:10.320 Teach for India, to Teach for Peru, to Teach for Nigeria, 0:02:11.040 --> 0:02:16.480 you name it, across sixty countries. Along the way, Wendy 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:19.680 Copp has been honored with just about every award you 0:02:19.720 --> 0:02:24.040 can think of, from the Time one hundred two Glamorous 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:29.240 Woman of the Year to the School Award. Listen and 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:33.600 learn why Wendy Copp is one of Seneca's one hundred 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:40.040 Women To Hear. I'm just delighted to be speaking today 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:44.520 to Wendy Copp, the founder of Teach for America and 0:02:44.600 --> 0:02:49.120 also the CEO and co founder of Teach for All. Wendy, 0:02:49.200 --> 0:02:52.120 it's an absolute pleasure to be able to speak with you. 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:55.480 You are indeed an inspiration. Oh, it's such a pleasure 0:02:55.520 --> 0:03:01.240 to be here. You've started two major organizations and both revolutionary, 0:03:01.280 --> 0:03:05.480 I might add in the world of education, so Teach 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:08.000 for America many of us know young people who have 0:03:08.080 --> 0:03:11.520 been involved in it. And then there's Teach for All. 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:16.640 What's the overall goal that links them and how would 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:20.040 you describe their mission? Well, Teach for All is really 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:26.160 a global network of independent organizations in now sixty countries 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:30.880 and growing that, like Teach for America, are all working 0:03:30.919 --> 0:03:35.440 to develop collective leadership to ensure all children fulfill their potential. 0:03:35.920 --> 0:03:40.040 I think what brings everyone together in this network is 0:03:40.360 --> 0:03:45.320 a belief that the fact that the circumstances of children's 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:49.240 birth predict their outcomes in life is a very big 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:54.040 systemic challenge and and that requires you know, it requires 0:03:54.040 --> 0:03:58.000 collective leadership. It requires people exerting leadership at every level 0:03:58.120 --> 0:04:02.080 of the education system and policy around the whole ecosystem 0:04:02.120 --> 0:04:04.920 around kids. Um, if if we're going to change that 0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:08.080 and actually build a world where all kids have the 0:04:08.200 --> 0:04:12.480 chance to thrive. And so each of these organizations shares 0:04:12.520 --> 0:04:16.279 an approach to cultivating that leadership UM. As you say, 0:04:16.440 --> 0:04:20.400 by enlisting promising leaders and committing at least two years 0:04:20.440 --> 0:04:25.240 to teach UM in in in under resource communities and 0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:28.960 investing in their leadership, UM knowing that those two years 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:34.440 fuel a lifetime of leadership and advocacy. UM. And uh, 0:04:34.520 --> 0:04:37.159 you know, in pursuit of the systemic changes that are 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:42.000 ultimately necessary. Do the member countries and Teach for All 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:45.919 do they have programs comparable to Teach for America. They 0:04:45.920 --> 0:04:48.880 should maybe back up and explain how this all came about, 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:51.640 how Teach for All came about, because, as you say, 0:04:51.640 --> 0:04:54.559 I mean I started Teach for America and I really 0:04:54.600 --> 0:04:59.080 had my head down, fully focused on tackling the massive 0:04:59.080 --> 0:05:02.200 inequities in in the US. I wasn't thinking at all 0:05:02.200 --> 0:05:05.240 about the rest of the world. UM. But there was 0:05:05.279 --> 0:05:09.000 something in the water about fifteen years ago, and within 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:13.640 one year I had met thirteen people from thirteen different countries, 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:17.360 from India to Chile to China to Lebanon, etcetera, who 0:05:17.400 --> 0:05:20.040 were just determined that something similar needed to happen in 0:05:20.080 --> 0:05:23.200 their countries. And so that is really and they were 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:26.919 looking for help. And that seems very overwhelming, given that 0:05:26.960 --> 0:05:30.560 I had my hands full in the US. But ultimately 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:33.839 that led to the idea of launching Teach for All 0:05:33.960 --> 0:05:39.320 is a network of independent, locally led, governed funded organizations 0:05:39.360 --> 0:05:43.320 that would all share this common purpose to common approach 0:05:43.600 --> 0:05:46.320 um and and that would have a global organization to 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:50.000 help us all learn from each other. Terrific. Uh. That 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:53.320 makes a whole lot of sense to a network in 0:05:53.360 --> 0:05:57.919 that way and enhance what each is doing. So I 0:05:58.000 --> 0:06:02.719 know that you've written that what is behind all of 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:07.280 this is the need to rethink the purpose of education too, 0:06:07.320 --> 0:06:11.960 if you will reimagine education. What do you mean by that? 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:16.320 You know? About five years ago, I think we had 0:06:16.360 --> 0:06:20.159 grown from Teach for America in the US and Teach 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:22.640 First in the UK, which was the first kind of 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:27.720 adaptation to then having forty of these independent organizations, from 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:31.919 Teach for India to Teach for China, etcetera. Um, you know, 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:35.200 and and there was such a push across our network 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:38.400 to say, ultimately, what do we mean? I mean, we 0:06:38.440 --> 0:06:41.200 started with a vision that one day all children would 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:44.159 have the chance to attain an excellent education, and I 0:06:44.200 --> 0:06:47.360 think there was just such a healthy push from all 0:06:47.400 --> 0:06:49.880 across our network to say, what do we mean by 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:53.760 excellent education. And so we came together in this process 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:57.240 probably five years ago now, to ask ourselves what are 0:06:57.320 --> 0:07:00.280 we working on together, like what's our twenty five year vision? 0:07:00.440 --> 0:07:03.560 And that process really brought to all of us the 0:07:03.680 --> 0:07:08.880 reality that if if our students today are not developing 0:07:08.920 --> 0:07:12.640 as leaders who can shape a better future for themselves 0:07:12.680 --> 0:07:15.480 and for all of us, meaning navigated changing economy and 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:20.520 pursue meaningful careers and solve increasingly complex problems that face 0:07:20.560 --> 0:07:24.240 their communities and our global society, then then there's just 0:07:24.320 --> 0:07:27.320 no hope for reaching any of our aspirations. And so 0:07:27.400 --> 0:07:31.280 that became, you know, our vision to say, you know, 0:07:31.360 --> 0:07:33.920 we want to reach the day when all kids have 0:07:34.080 --> 0:07:36.960 the education and support an opportunity to shape a better 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:41.000 future for themselves and all of us um And and 0:07:41.080 --> 0:07:43.800 that led us to spend a lot of time over 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:48.280 these last five years really thinking about what that means 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:50.840 for all of us. You know, what does that mean 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:54.320 for teachers and for schools and systems, Like what would 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:57.920 we have to be doing in order to develop students 0:07:57.920 --> 0:08:00.000 in that way? And so when we say we really 0:08:00.040 --> 0:08:03.200 need to reimagine education and reinvent the system, it's because 0:08:03.920 --> 0:08:06.280 you know, we've really come to think that we will 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:08.320 need to do that if we're going to in fact 0:08:08.360 --> 0:08:11.640 develop students, you know, to that end. And when you 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:14.880 started Teach for America, was that in your uppermost mind 0:08:15.040 --> 0:08:20.360 already back then? Actually, I you know, I started Teach 0:08:20.440 --> 0:08:26.440 for America because I had become disillusioned of the idea 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:30.760 that that my country is a land of equal opportunity. 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:34.160 You know. I had, I think, as a concerned college student, 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:38.800 um and as a public policy major, had just come 0:08:38.840 --> 0:08:43.440 to understand that the circumstances of kids birth, their economic background, 0:08:43.440 --> 0:08:48.200 their racial background, um, really predicts their their outcomes, um 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:51.880 and and I wanted to do something about that. And 0:08:52.160 --> 0:08:54.880 I realized I wasn't alone. I mean, I really felt 0:08:54.920 --> 0:08:58.360 that I was one of just thousands of people out there, 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:02.320 pragmatic ideal you know, who wanted to be part of 0:09:02.360 --> 0:09:05.560 something that would actually address that reality. And so that's 0:09:05.559 --> 0:09:09.040 what inspired the idea of Teach for America. And I 0:09:09.080 --> 0:09:13.320 think it lad me early on to think in terms 0:09:13.360 --> 0:09:17.560 of equity, you know, um, like we need to catch 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:21.760 kids up, Like you know, kids don't have equal opportunity 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:25.200 to excel, and thus we have these massive you know, 0:09:25.360 --> 0:09:30.280 achievement caps um. But ultimately, I think, and it didn't 0:09:30.280 --> 0:09:33.160 take too long to start realizing that catching kids up 0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:36.360 in an in an outdated system, you know, isn't enough, 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:39.720 and that ideally we would be developing students who could 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:44.360 actually ultimately challenge the very roots of inequity. Um So 0:09:44.440 --> 0:09:47.520 I think those thoughts were bubbling up that Teach for 0:09:47.559 --> 0:09:51.080 America and really all across our network, and it's it's 0:09:51.080 --> 0:09:53.080 really what led us to then say, we need to 0:09:53.120 --> 0:09:57.160 rearticulate what we're working towards. You know, it's it's just 0:09:57.720 --> 0:10:00.319 stunning to think about the fact that you were only 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:05.839 twenty one years old when you really uh incubated Teach 0:10:05.880 --> 0:10:09.520 for America. That was some thirty years ago, now, I guess, 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:15.559 and and in the process not only worked to address 0:10:15.720 --> 0:10:20.000 these massive iniquities, but also to inspire a whole host 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:24.040 of young people to pay their own experiences forward, if 0:10:24.080 --> 0:10:28.080 you will, to really engage in this way, both idealistically 0:10:28.080 --> 0:10:32.040 and pragmatically. So it's it's quite an achievement, you know, 0:10:32.559 --> 0:10:35.920 here on a hundred women to hear, we're we're really 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:40.640 interested in what catalyzed the kind of leadership that you 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:44.520 and so many others manifest. Was there something in your 0:10:44.600 --> 0:10:48.720 childhood or in your upbringing that set you on this path, 0:10:49.720 --> 0:10:53.440 you know. I think one the thing was that, you know, 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:58.320 my parents, who had you know, grown up in in 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:01.720 in rural communities and Midwest and had kind of put 0:11:01.760 --> 0:11:05.280 themselves through college and had started a very small business, 0:11:05.960 --> 0:11:10.360 you know, really prioritized education of my brother and I 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:14.320 and and you know, moved into a community sort of 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:17.960 on initially the edge of a community that that had 0:11:18.080 --> 0:11:22.760 really strong public schools. And as a result, um, you know, 0:11:23.000 --> 0:11:26.120 I you know, I experienced what it is to have 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:29.800 a strong public education. And and then I went off 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:34.320 to Princeton and and I was very conscious of the 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:36.800 fact my senior year in college that I felt like 0:11:36.840 --> 0:11:38.880 the whole world was open to me. I literally thought 0:11:38.920 --> 0:11:43.040 I could do anything. And that thought made me want 0:11:43.040 --> 0:11:46.960 to put my energy into education. I think just realizing 0:11:47.080 --> 0:11:51.839 how much freedom I felt because of the opportunities I 0:11:51.880 --> 0:11:55.839 had had, and and recognizing that not everyone had those 0:11:55.880 --> 0:12:01.000 same opportunities, um is what led me in this direction. 0:12:01.200 --> 0:12:03.840 And I will say, I mean I kind of knew myself, 0:12:03.880 --> 0:12:07.320 you know, I knew that I was just kind of 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:11.199 wired to work incredibly hard at whatever I was doing. 0:12:11.320 --> 0:12:14.520 And I wanted to make sure that I didn't work 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:16.640 on something that wasn't going to make a meaningful difference. 0:12:16.640 --> 0:12:19.080 Like I really was very clear on that by the 0:12:19.120 --> 0:12:21.240 time I got to my senior year in college, like, 0:12:21.280 --> 0:12:23.800 I want to make sure that I'm doing something that 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:27.320 will actually make a meaningful difference in the world. UM. 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:30.800 So I think those things came together to lead me 0:12:30.840 --> 0:12:33.199 to this sense that I was just searching for something 0:12:33.240 --> 0:12:36.440 I wasn't finding. And you know, our generation was called 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:40.320 the me generation because people were just so convinced that 0:12:40.360 --> 0:12:41.880 all we wanted to do is make a lot of 0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:45.040 money and work on Wall Street. Um And I thought 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:48.640 that that was just so misplaced, and that I was 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:51.800 one of thousands of people searching for something that would 0:12:51.880 --> 0:12:54.080 enable us to make a real difference in the world. 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:57.280 Um and, And that's really what led me to this 0:12:57.320 --> 0:13:00.280 particular idea. You know, I saw these investment banks and 0:13:00.320 --> 0:13:04.360 management consulting firms banging down the doors of liberal arts 0:13:04.360 --> 0:13:07.439 graduates like myself, asking us to commit just two years 0:13:07.440 --> 0:13:10.040 to work in their firms, And I thought, why aren't 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:14.079 we being recruited just as aggressively to commit just two 0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:18.240 years to teach in urban and rural communities. Um, and 0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:21.319 that was that was really the beginning of my obsession 0:13:21.360 --> 0:13:24.640 with this idea. Well, it was a very noble obsession 0:13:24.679 --> 0:13:28.640 and continues to be in And clearly you touched a nerve. 0:13:29.360 --> 0:13:33.200 Why do you think so many young people across America 0:13:33.320 --> 0:13:36.880 responded the way they did back when and continue to 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:40.320 do So? What what is it about a teach for 0:13:40.360 --> 0:13:45.480 America that's been so successful and and so catalyzing? And 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:48.240 you know, I'll even broaden that because we're seeing that 0:13:48.280 --> 0:13:51.240 this is really a worldwide phenomenon. I mean to see 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:56.600 young people all around the world clamoring to to apply 0:13:56.920 --> 0:14:00.920 for you know, teach for Indie out or teacher for 0:14:01.000 --> 0:14:04.959 Nigeria or the Senior Peru, etcetera. UM. And I think 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:09.600 we're tapping into an instinct that's already there. Meaning, you know, 0:14:09.720 --> 0:14:14.480 there's always a certain percentage of real leaders out there 0:14:14.520 --> 0:14:19.480 among our kind of you know, recent graduates who are 0:14:19.720 --> 0:14:22.640 who really want to do something that makes a real 0:14:22.680 --> 0:14:24.880 difference in the world, who want to be part of 0:14:24.920 --> 0:14:28.200 something much larger than themselves, and yet there are many 0:14:28.280 --> 0:14:31.600 pressures on them, you know, to to channel their energy 0:14:31.640 --> 0:14:35.520 in one direction or another. Um. Financial pressures, you know, 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:39.440 kind of paranal pressures, whatever it may be. And I 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:43.200 think we're making it possible for them to make this choice. 0:14:43.440 --> 0:14:47.920 And I think what even from the very beginning, you know, 0:14:48.000 --> 0:14:50.320 I was so obsessed with this, not only because of 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:52.480 what the impact could be during the two years, but 0:14:52.600 --> 0:14:56.800 because of what I thought the impact would be long term, 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:59.160 you know, because people can commit just two years, but 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:00.840 you know, they commit to two years to banks that 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:03.840 they never leave the banks. So that was the real idea, 0:15:03.920 --> 0:15:06.440 was to say, let's ask people to commit to years, 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:11.040 but those two years will change everything, their priorities, their 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:14.600 understanding of the realities of our country, their commitment to 0:15:14.640 --> 0:15:16.920 this work, and ultimately, I thought at the time, the 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:21.240 consciousness you know of of our country. So explain to 0:15:21.360 --> 0:15:24.800 us how an individual who is interested in Teach for 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:28.920 America goes about it? What is the process? Uh? And 0:15:29.000 --> 0:15:32.560 then what do they commit to doing? Uh? What do 0:15:32.640 --> 0:15:36.680 they get for it? If you will, how does that work? So, 0:15:37.160 --> 0:15:39.920 you know, for Teach for America or for any of 0:15:39.920 --> 0:15:44.840 these other network organizations, UM, people from all different academic 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:49.720 majors and backgrounds and career interests apply and and the 0:15:49.840 --> 0:15:55.520 organizations look for people who who have demonstrated real you know, 0:15:55.760 --> 0:15:59.960 leadership and UM and and and a commitment to these 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:03.560 issues UM. And then they invest a lot in their 0:16:03.600 --> 0:16:08.160 development through very intensive, essentially two year programs of professional 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:12.680 and development starting before the teaching commitment. And then you know, 0:16:12.720 --> 0:16:16.160 the teachers are clustered in schools and receive ongoing coaching 0:16:16.680 --> 0:16:19.880 and professional development during the two years, and then beyond 0:16:19.920 --> 0:16:23.400 the two years, UM, there's quite an investment in kind 0:16:23.440 --> 0:16:27.200 of fostering the ongoing leadership of these folks, UM, supporting 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:32.360 them as they either continuing classrooms or become school leaders, 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:35.640 or work in their government ministries or launch social enterprises 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:40.560 UM or just really think as individuals and collectively about 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:44.320 what more they believe needs to happen to take to 0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:47.200 take the issues on that that they saw play themselves 0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:50.640 play out in their classrooms. And are they accepted the 0:16:50.720 --> 0:16:56.400 same way as schools except the teach for America teachers 0:16:56.520 --> 0:17:01.120 is similar in India, in the UK, etcetera. And each 0:17:01.160 --> 0:17:05.040 of these organizations has has kind of adapted this approach 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:10.879 to their particular context. UM. And in each case, UM, 0:17:11.040 --> 0:17:13.880 though I mean I think I think you we could 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:16.720 say yes, I mean, there are new teachers coming into 0:17:16.760 --> 0:17:21.160 their school buildings. UM, and you know, they commit two 0:17:21.240 --> 0:17:23.399 years and in some cases they stay longer, in some 0:17:23.440 --> 0:17:27.280 cases not. But one of the biggest keys to success 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:31.639 is learning from and with and alongside the students and 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:34.320 their families and the other teachers in their schools and 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:39.640 so UM there's quite a focus and investment on UM 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:43.680 you know, really developing the teachers so that they are 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:48.240 you know, developing relationships and working in true partnership with 0:17:48.280 --> 0:17:51.639 the others in their schools, and that typically leads to 0:17:51.680 --> 0:17:55.879 a really mutually beneficial relations you know, just really strong 0:17:55.960 --> 0:18:00.280 relationships at at the school level. Well, I know so 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:03.000 many young people who went in to teach for America 0:18:03.080 --> 0:18:06.760 and truly it has been life changing for them. Some 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:10.560 have remained committed to education, others have gone on to 0:18:11.160 --> 0:18:16.199 UM really do extraordinary work in their communities or UM 0:18:16.240 --> 0:18:19.119 in other ways. So it is it is, it is 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:23.320 truly life changing. I think that's a real big component 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:27.520 of it. We've really seen that, and you know, just 0:18:27.600 --> 0:18:31.360 to give you to bring that to life a bit. UM. 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:34.080 If we look across the Teach for All network, about 0:18:34.560 --> 0:18:38.520 like seventy people have completed to your commitments to teach 0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:43.000 and seventy percent of them UM are still full time, 0:18:43.160 --> 0:18:46.879 long term in education, with others doing similar you know, 0:18:47.080 --> 0:18:49.480 maybe they're working in policy or law, but they're focused 0:18:49.520 --> 0:18:53.679 on improving the quality of life in low income communities. 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:57.560 So we've seen it be really transformative in terms of 0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:01.679 the priorities and careers to jactories of the participants. But 0:19:01.760 --> 0:19:05.760 even beyond that, you know, there's there now is a 0:19:05.840 --> 0:19:09.639 growing body of research that looks at what happens to 0:19:09.720 --> 0:19:13.200 these teachers during the two years and and this research 0:19:13.240 --> 0:19:15.760 shows and right now it's across five different countries. It 0:19:15.840 --> 0:19:19.240 shows that, you know, first of all, the teachers believe 0:19:19.359 --> 0:19:22.040 much more in their students and in their potential and 0:19:22.080 --> 0:19:24.040 in the students families at the end of their two 0:19:24.080 --> 0:19:27.560 year commitment even than they did at the beginning UM 0:19:27.640 --> 0:19:30.480 And and also it shows that they shift from viewing 0:19:30.480 --> 0:19:33.960 the problems as kind of a technical problem to understanding 0:19:33.960 --> 0:19:37.200 the problem and it's full complexity, so that ultimately they 0:19:37.480 --> 0:19:40.880 understand the nature of the problem and the solutions in 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:43.840 a way that's very similar to the way people with 0:19:44.000 --> 0:19:47.640 the lived experience of the the inequities view the solution. 0:19:47.800 --> 0:19:51.320 So what we're seeing is that this experience really shapes 0:19:51.480 --> 0:19:55.240 them into the leaders we need, you know, people who 0:19:55.359 --> 0:19:57.760 have a sense of possibility, who believe in their kids, 0:19:57.800 --> 0:20:00.840 who understand the complexity of the issue and the complexity 0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:04.280 of the solutions, and who are who have deep commitment 0:20:04.400 --> 0:20:08.080 to this work long term. So very true, and what 0:20:08.240 --> 0:20:14.440 a tremendous investment it makes beyond education, going to the 0:20:14.560 --> 0:20:17.439 root of other issues that have to be addressed because 0:20:17.480 --> 0:20:23.720 of these inequities. Senecas one hundred women to hear. We'll 0:20:23.760 --> 0:20:36.960 be back after the short break. So some seventeen years 0:20:36.960 --> 0:20:41.560 after you started Teach for America, you started Teach for All. 0:20:42.320 --> 0:20:44.160 You told us a little bit about what it does. 0:20:44.240 --> 0:20:47.159 Can you tell us what went into that process and 0:20:47.640 --> 0:20:51.320 how it came about and maybe how it works. Each 0:20:51.359 --> 0:20:55.120 of the organizations in the Teach for All network are 0:20:55.760 --> 0:20:59.720 united by certain principles. We have, you know, ten unifying 0:21:00.000 --> 0:21:03.240 innciples that you know or you could write on half 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:06.560 a page of paper, but they say a lot um 0:21:06.640 --> 0:21:11.240 and they're there. They represent commitments to as I said before, 0:21:11.240 --> 0:21:14.840 I shared purpose and and theory of change and vision 0:21:15.520 --> 0:21:19.360 um and also to the kind of high level programmatic 0:21:19.359 --> 0:21:24.000 principles and organizational principles. So there's a lot that brings 0:21:24.080 --> 0:21:27.920 us together, but it's at the level of principles and 0:21:28.200 --> 0:21:32.479 commitments UM, and and nothing is prescribed in terms of 0:21:32.520 --> 0:21:35.240 how to live into those principles. So each of these 0:21:35.280 --> 0:21:39.639 network partners are are you know, deeply rooted in in 0:21:39.680 --> 0:21:44.480 their own contexts and and you know, work to adapt 0:21:44.560 --> 0:21:47.560 this approach in ways that make the most sense UM. 0:21:47.640 --> 0:21:50.800 And then we have a global organization that is just 0:21:50.960 --> 0:21:55.000 all about supporting those network partners to learn from each other. 0:21:55.440 --> 0:21:58.119 And so I think what we've seen over time is that, 0:21:58.840 --> 0:22:01.560 you know, is just the power of of a of 0:22:01.600 --> 0:22:05.359 an approach like this to lead to deeply rooted you know, 0:22:05.520 --> 0:22:10.280 locally rooted but also globally informed UM to practice. And 0:22:10.600 --> 0:22:12.960 we see that at the organizational level, but now also 0:22:13.080 --> 0:22:15.520 at the level of the teachers and the alumni of 0:22:15.560 --> 0:22:20.760 these organizations, who are you know, again both locally rooted 0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:24.360 but also part of networks of of you know, teachers 0:22:24.359 --> 0:22:28.600 and alumni pursuing similar agendas in different communities around the world. 0:22:28.600 --> 0:22:32.960 And we've just seen that, UM, We've seen the tremendous potential, 0:22:33.080 --> 0:22:38.080 let's just say, of UM of that approach in fostering 0:22:38.119 --> 0:22:42.320 and fueling innovation and the spread of innovation and ultimately 0:22:42.359 --> 0:22:47.280 accelerating progress. So it has this extraordinary ripple effect that 0:22:47.320 --> 0:22:51.080 goes on to exponentially affects so much more so in 0:22:51.119 --> 0:22:54.480 the process of doing all of this, you're clearly developing 0:22:54.600 --> 0:22:58.840 leaders who bring change to their communities and beyond. You know, 0:22:58.960 --> 0:23:03.639 at Seneca, where so focused on women's leadership, does teach 0:23:03.720 --> 0:23:07.600 for all go about developing girls and women as leaders 0:23:07.640 --> 0:23:12.040 in any particular way. We do. We have developed over 0:23:12.160 --> 0:23:17.159 time Girls Education Initiative because you know, many of our 0:23:17.200 --> 0:23:20.520 network partners are are working in countries where you know, 0:23:20.920 --> 0:23:24.679 girls are are some of the most marginalized in the world. 0:23:24.800 --> 0:23:30.040 You know, from Afghanistan to Pakistan to Sierra Leone and 0:23:30.160 --> 0:23:36.240 Nigeria and Nepal, etcetera, where um, you know the the 0:23:37.119 --> 0:23:39.880 I guess you know, we just see girls attending school 0:23:39.920 --> 0:23:44.239 and persisting through school and the expectations of girls just 0:23:44.359 --> 0:23:47.160 at a totally different level. And what we've seen is that, 0:23:48.080 --> 0:23:51.600 you know, whether girls have the chances they deserve has 0:23:51.640 --> 0:23:55.320 everything to do with whether there is a local leader 0:23:55.359 --> 0:23:59.879 and advocate in that local community who is working towards 0:23:59.880 --> 0:24:03.920 as ends um. And I've personally seen you know, so 0:24:03.960 --> 0:24:07.119 many of the teacher leaders across our network have have 0:24:07.200 --> 0:24:12.080 a truly transformative effect on the expectations and possibilities for 0:24:12.160 --> 0:24:15.600 girls in their community. So seeing that scene, you know, 0:24:15.640 --> 0:24:18.440 I think about some of the villages in Nepal. At 0:24:18.480 --> 0:24:21.600 one point a few years ago, I was able to 0:24:21.640 --> 0:24:26.520 meet with successive cohorts of teaching fellows in a particular 0:24:26.600 --> 0:24:30.200 village in Nepal who had had taught over a period 0:24:30.240 --> 0:24:33.520 of seven years in this village, and they shared what 0:24:33.600 --> 0:24:38.240 the expectations of girls were when the first cohort arrived 0:24:38.760 --> 0:24:41.560 versus when the last you know who was still there 0:24:41.600 --> 0:24:44.800 it was was there and it's just like complete transformation. 0:24:44.920 --> 0:24:47.240 You know, they watched their girls go off and get 0:24:47.240 --> 0:24:50.800 the most prestigious scholarships in the country after you know 0:24:50.800 --> 0:24:53.480 when when in the beginning, they weren't even thinking that 0:24:53.520 --> 0:24:56.840 their girls should attend school. So we've just seen the 0:24:56.880 --> 0:25:00.479 transformative effect and that led us to create a Girls 0:25:00.560 --> 0:25:05.240 Education Fellowship. So we've you know, really invested in hundreds 0:25:05.240 --> 0:25:07.840 of the teaching fellows across our network who are working 0:25:07.840 --> 0:25:13.159 in these settings in exposing them to the knowledge, the mindsets, 0:25:13.200 --> 0:25:18.760 the understanding to pursue essentially gender sensitive education UM and 0:25:18.760 --> 0:25:22.119 and we're working to to expand that effort now as 0:25:22.520 --> 0:25:26.040 we speak. In fact, you do unlock so much. You know, 0:25:26.400 --> 0:25:29.000 as you were speaking, I was thinking about the fact 0:25:29.040 --> 0:25:34.040 that talent is universal, that opportunity is not, and you 0:25:34.119 --> 0:25:38.520 really are an opportunity provider in so many ways in 0:25:38.600 --> 0:25:42.280 what you do, and it makes such a difference. I'm wondering, 0:25:42.440 --> 0:25:46.679 since we're all still recovering and others are still going 0:25:46.760 --> 0:25:51.840 through the brutal consequences of the pandemic, how has it 0:25:51.920 --> 0:25:56.800 affected teach for all operations around the globe. You know, first, 0:25:56.840 --> 0:25:59.800