TDR’s NTPLA Receives $25K to Support Teacher Growth and Retention
TDR Idea’s NTPLA Receives $25K to Support Teacher Growth and Retention
Washington, DC — Social impact and minority-owned TDR Ideas, LLP joins Drexel University and the University City Science Center's Raynier Seed Fund's inaugural cohort for underrepresented entrepreneurs. The New Teacher Professional Learning Academe (NTPLA) is a digital learning tool that builds community and gives teachers access to learning opportunities that improve outcomes for themselves and their students.
The social impact firm, founded in April 2020 at the height of the pandemic, pitched to a panel of judges in July 2022 and is one of four startups receiving funding for projects designed to create positive changes in historically underserved communities. TDR Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer thought of NTPLA as a response to his classroom experiences and after teaching virtually during the pandemic.
The American education system faces a teacher shortage and a retention crisis. The teacher shortage impacts roughly 50 million students in the U.S and is predicted to triple by 2025. The cost of unqualified teachers and low teacher retention will cost over $9 billion annually. COVID has only worsened the American teacher crisis.
TDR Ideas Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer Kaleb Banks shared, " Instead of creating a new tool for students to interact with, we decided to focus on our educational professionals that work with students and families. The Raynier Seed Fund will allow us to accelerate NTPLA, complete the curriculum and modules, expand the team, and start serving teachers sooner," NTPLA will start with several Philadelphia charter schools.
TDR Ideas, LLP is a community-based grassroots company focused on assisting service-driven organizations to become more efficient, effective, innovative, and sustainable. We are servants serving servants. For more information on TDR Ideas and The New Teacher Professional Learning Academe (NTPLA), visit our website at tdrideas.com/ntpla.