Alma mater Princeton University Role Author Spouse(s) Alicia Ernst Education Princeton University | Children Daniel and Lyra Home town New York Name John Katzman | |
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Born October 10, 1959 (age 64) ( 1959-10-10 ) New York Occupation CEO, The Noodle Companies Books Cracking the SAT Premium, Cracking the Sat With Prac, The Princeton Review C, Cracking the SAT with DVD, Cracking the SAT II: French S | ||
Organizations founded The Princeton Review, 2U | ||
Hacking college admissions john katzman at tedxbeaconstreet
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.
Contents
- Hacking college admissions john katzman at tedxbeaconstreet
- John katzman of noodle
- Early life
- Career
- Issue advocacy
- Selected writing and speaking
- Personal
- References
John katzman of noodle
Early life
Katzman was born in New York City, 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. He authored and coauthored a number of books for the company, including Cracking the SAT, a New York Times bestseller, and created products and services in several media.
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. 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.
Noodle
In 2010, Katzman created The Noodle Companies, a studio with three operating companies; each is an attempt to make the education marketplace more transparent and efficient. Noodle.com helps parents and students find a school, college, tutor, or other education resource. Noodle Partners helps universities use technology to raise capacity and student engagement while lowering costs; its first partner school is Pepperdine. Noodle Markets helps K-12 school districts procure goods and services from a broader set of providers. The Noodle Companies and its subsidiaries have raised over $40 million from venture firms and individuals, including Katzman himself.
Other
Katzman has been deeply involved in the founding of several other education companies, including Eat New York, an early software-based restaurant guide, Tutor.com and Student Advantage. He is an angel investor in two dozen education technology ventures, and serves on the boards or advisory boards of several others including the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and Renaissance Learning.
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.
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.
Selected writing and speaking
Personal
Katzman lives in New York; he is married to Alicia Ernst; together, they have a son (Daniel) and a daughter (Lyra).