TEACH FOR AMERICA ALUMNA WINS KORET AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN EDUCATION
SAN FRANCISCO, September 20, 2007 — Teach For America alumna Becky Johnson (Newark Corps ’93) has been awarded the second annual Koret Award for Innovation in Education for her leadership of DonorsChoose.org, an entrepreneurial model that engages citizen philanthropists to support classroom-based projects in low-income communities, Teach For America and the Koret Foundation announced today. The Koret award is presented annually to a Teach For America alumnus in the Bay Area who best exemplifies innovative, inspired, results-driven, and effective educational entrepreneurship.
DonorsChoose.org harnesses the power of the Internet to connect corporate, foundation and individual donors with classroom project proposals submitted by teachers in low-income schools throughout the country. The proposals include requests for classroom materials or experiences, and donors can choose which projects they want to fund. Johnson joined DonorsChoose.org as executive director for the Northwest in 2004 and helped found the organization’s Bay Area branch. Under her leadership, the organization has seen rapid growth in its funding and impact; over the past four years, the Bay Area branch has raised more than $1.4 million and funded 3,517 projects.
“We are delighted to present this award to Becky Johnson and DonorsChoose, whose innovative work we have supported over the last three years,” said Debra England, Program Officer at the Koret Foundation. “This revolutionary model creates an unprecedented online marketplace that empowers people anywhere in the world to become citizen philanthropists. Becky’s exceptional leadership has been critical to driving the model’s rapid success in the Bay Area.”
The Koret Award for Innovation in Education was established in 2006 to honor and recognize the enduring dedication of Teach For America alumni to promote educational excellence through entrepreneurial means, especially for children growing up in low-income communities. The winner receives a one-time grant of $20,000 for his or her organization and a personal award of $5,000. The award is a component of a four-year, $500,000 grant to help Teach For America meet the ambitious goals set forth in its 2010 growth plan – in particular, to place 400 corps members in the Bay Area by the year 2010. Koret is among the leading funders of Teach For America in the Bay Area.
“This award encourages a culture of leadership among our corps members and alumni and helps us realize our shared vision of educational excellence for all children,” said Eric Scroggins, executive director of Teach For America-Bay Area. “Teach For America is thrilled to work with a dedicated partner that honors our alumni’s ongoing commitment to educational excellence.”
“Becky’s work to expand her organization’s impact through a variety of funding paths is an excellent example of innovative leadership in education,” Mr. Scroggins said.
This year, Teach For America-Bay Area has a corps of 203 of the nation’s most promising future leaders who are directly affecting the lives of 17,255 students in Oakland, San Jose, Alum Rock, West Contra Costa, Gilroy and Ravenswood school districts. There are also more than 800 Teach For America alumni working throughout the Bay Area, including more than 250 alumni still involved in education as teachers or school leaders.
About Koret
An entrepreneurial spirit guides Koret in addressing societal challenges and strengthening Bay Area life. Investing in strategic, local solutions, we help to inspire a multiplier effect – encouraging collaborative funding and developing model initiatives.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Koret adds to the region’s vitality by promoting educational opportunity, contributing to a diverse cultural landscape, and bolstering organizations that are innovative in their approaches to meeting community needs.
With our roots in the Jewish community, we embrace the community of Israel, especially through Koret Israel Economic Development Funds (KIEDF); we believe that economic stability and free market expansion offer the best hope for a prosperous future.
At Koret, we understand our responsibility to make an impact – to honor the legacy of our founders, and to find long-lasting solutions that improve people’s lives.
About Teach For America
Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in expanding educational opportunity. This year, more than 5,000 corps members are teaching in over 1,000 schools in 26 regions across the country, and more than 12,000 Teach For America alumni continue working from inside and outside the field of education for the fundamental changes necessary to ensure educational excellence and equity. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org.
Dave Nachtweih,
Teach For America-Bay Area
(212) 279-2080 ext. 370
david.nachtweih@teachforamerica.org
Susan Wolfe, Director of Marketing & Communications
(415) 882-7740
swolfe@koretfoundation.org