John Katzman
| John Katzman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 10, 1959 New York |
| Education | Birch Wathen School |
| Alma mater | Princeton University |
| Occupation | CEO, The Noodle Companies |
| Home town | New York |
| Spouse(s) | Alicia Ernst |
| Children | Daniel and Lyra |
John Katzman (born October 10, 1959) is best known as an educationalist. He has established a number of companies which assist students with their studies and career choices. He has also authored a number of books on the subject.
Early life
Katzman was born in New York, and grew up there with brother Richard, and sister, Julie. Katzman went to Birch Wathen, a small independent school, from kindergarten through high school. He attended Princeton University, where he majored in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) and then switched to the school of Architecture and Urban Planning. He started tutoring in sophomore year to pay his expenses, and continued through college.
Career
The Princeton Review
Katzman is best known as the founder of The Princeton Review, which initially taught SAT preparation to high-school students in New York City. He started the company in 1981 shortly after leaving college, then partnered with Adam Robinson to develop it, and served as the company’s CEO until 2007.
Katzman has authored and coauthored a number of books for The Princeton Review, including Cracking the SAT, a New York Times bestseller, and created products and services in several media.
Katzman has been involved in other startups, including Eat New York, an early software-based restaurant guide, Student Advantage, and over thirty education companies. He serves on the Boards of American Honors, Renaissance Learning, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the National Association of Independent Schools, and the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools.
2U
In 2008, Katzman founded 2U, an educational technology company that partners with leading nonprofit colleges and universities, such as the University of Southern California, Georgetown University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to offer online degree programs. He served as the company’s CEO until January 2012. Katzman originally self-funded, then raised almost $100 million in venture capital over the next four years.[1] Katzman shifted to Executive Chairman in January 2012, and left in August to help build Noodle. Like The Princeton Review, 2U became a Russell 2000 company.[2]
Noodle
In 2010, Katzman created and began funding The Noodle Companies, he joined the first of the operating companies, Noodle, in August 2012, and took over as CEO in December 2012.
Other
Katzman has been deeply involved in the founding of several other education companies, including Tutor.com and Student Advantage. He is an angel investor in several education technology ventures, and serves on the boards or advisory boards of several others including NAIS, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and Renaissance Learning.
Katzman and his wife pledged $1.5 million to help fund the Katzman/Ernst Chair in Educational Entrepreneurship, Technology and Innovation, an endowed chair in the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education to train and certify teachers for urban schools.[3]
Issue Advocacy
Despite being the founder of a business based on the preparation of students for a wide range of standardized tests, Katzman is an outspoken critic of the modern preoccupation with standardized testing. He has argued that many tests are no better indicator of achievement in the relevant fields than grades and scores on other tests (such as the Advanced Placement exams). He has also been outspoken in his opposition to the Common Core and tests based on it. He demands better outcomes from for-profit education providers. He often speaks on topics related to online education and the measurement of academic achievement.[4]
Selected Writing and Speaking
- Class Action: How to Create Accountability, Innovation, and Excellence in American Schools[5]
- MSNBC: I taught America to beat the SAT. That’s how I know it’s useless.[6]
- Washington Post: Relax. Getting into college has actually gotten easier.[7]
- EdSurge: Technology and Just-in-Time Learning[8]
- New England Journal of Higher Education: A Better SAT Starts with a Better College Board[9]
- Education Next: Putting the Schools in Charge[10]
- TedX Beacon Street: Hacking College Admissions[11]
- The Atlantic: Would Shakespeare Get Into Swarthmore?[12]
Personal
He lives in New York with his family. He is married to Alicia Ernst;[13] together, they have a son (Daniel, 20) and a daughter (Lyra, 18).
References
- ↑ "$95.9 Million in 6 Rounds from 8 Investors".CrunchBase.com. Retrieved March 31, 2014
- ↑ "2U, Inc. Added to the Russell 2000 and 3000 Indexes".Acquire Media. Retrieved June 30, 2014
- ↑ "New Partnership for Urban Education". USC News. University of Southern California. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ↑ Katzman, John. "The Underachieving Education Business". Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ↑ Katzman, John (1995). Class Action: How to Create Accountability, Innovation, and Excellence in American Schools. Villard Books. ISBN 0679434305.
- ↑ Katzman, John. "I taught America to beat the SAT. That's how I know it's useless.". Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ↑ Katzman, John. "Relax. Getting Into College Has Actually Gotten Easier.". Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ↑ Katzman, John. "Technology and Just-in-Time Learning". Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ↑ Katzman, John. "A Better SAT Starts with a Better College Board". Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ↑ Katzman, John. "Putting the Schools in Charge". Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ↑ Katzman, John. "Hacking College Admissions". Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ↑ Katzman, John. "Would Shakespeare Get Into Swarthmore?".
- ↑ "WEDDINGS; John Katzman and Alicia Ernst". New York Times. Retrieved 4 July 2015.