Message from the Founder

On behalf of the Board of Directors of The Teachers of Promise Foundation, welcome!

In the busy swirl of conversation that is contemporary education research and policy, one truth emerges time and time again: The only school-controlled variable that truly impacts student success is teacher quality. Finding or growing great classroom teachers and providing the support systems they require is the only way to guarantee the education every child deserves and to ensure that our country realizes its amazing potential.

That's why I established The Teachers of Promise Foundation in 2010. Our organization seeks to identify and recognize the best prospective teachers in the United States. We want to find - and celebrate - the next generation of great teachers. Great teachers hold the key to our future. They protect and develop our most precious assets and deserve honor and respect.

Our primary initiative is the Teachers of Promise Institute, founded in 2004, which has recognized more than 3,000 outstanding teachers from Virginia's 37 college and university Schools of Education. Each spring the Institute convenes to celebrate the decision to teach, to elevate the teaching profession to the status we believe it deserves, and to activate its participants to achieve professional excellence.

The TOP Foundation maintains no paid staff and dedicates all of its resources to this important mission. We rely on the generosity of donors and partners who share our passion for great classroom teaching and for honoring the work of those who carry it out. Our network of friends and associates spans the education and business worlds and carries one common thread: appreciation for the power of great teaching and motivation to make it happen.

If you have interest in supporting our work, please let me know. I would be thrilled to talk with you about the role you might play in our success and impact. Thanks again for stopping by.

Wade Whitehead
Founder & President