Stanley Kaplan
Encyclopedia
Stanley H. Kaplan was an American
businessman and scholastic test preparation pioneer
who founded Kaplan, Inc., in 1938.
Kaplan was born in New York City
to Jewish immigrant parents from the present-day countries of Latvia
and Belarus
. An aspiring doctor, Kaplan hoped to enter medicine, but claimed was rejected from all five New York City area medical schools because ethnic quotas
for Jewish students had already been filled. The rejections by the medical schools because of his religious and ethnic heritage left an impression on Kaplan which would last a lifetime.
He conceived the idea to issue each prospective student applicant a test he considered fair, with the hope that students would be admitted to schools based on concerns such as the applicant's ability, rather than on the needs of the school. Kaplan believed that he could create a tutoring company which could help prospective students do well on what, at the time, was widely called the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
In 1938, Kaplan founded the Stanley H. Kaplan Co.
as a tutoring service based in the basement of his parents' home in Brooklyn, New York. Kaplan's company became very successful in the wake of World War II
, when the United States government passed the GI Bill, which caused a large increase in college enrollment among American veteran
s.
Kaplan marketed his for-profit company's products on the notion that its tutorials and test preparation materials could increase a student's SAT
scores. In 1979, the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) launched an investigation into claims that the test prep industry was advertising its services too aggressively. Kaplan had claimed that his company could increase a student's SAT score by 100 points, though he never paid for advertising this claim. The Federal Trade Commission concluded that Kaplan may indeed raise a student's math and verbal SAT scores, but only by an average of 25 points, not the 100 points that Stanley Kaplan had believed.
The conclusion by the FTC that Kaplan could raise scores, even by as little as 25 points, rapidly expanded the company's business and attracted thousands of new customers. Leading figures within education, especially higher education
, continued to scoff at Kaplan's company, saying that no student could effectively study for the SATs. Educators claimed that the SATs measured a person's "innate ability to learn", not their "actual learning."
A turning point in relations between Stanley Kaplan and the educational establishment came in 1983, when the College Board
, which administers the SATs, asked Kaplan to speak at its annual conference. In an article in 2009, the Washington Post wrote that Kaplan viewed the invitation by the College Board as one of the high points of his life. Kaplan opened his speech to the conference attendees by telling them that, "Never, in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd be speaking to you here today."
In 1984, Stanley Kaplan sold his company to The Washington Post Company for $45 million. The acquisition enabled the Washington Post Company, whose operations had previously focused on newspapers, to became a larger media
and education entity. In 2009, the Kaplan Co. brought in two-thirds of its annual revenue from other educational services besides SAT prep, such as pre-kindergarten and even accredited law programs. In 2009, the Kaplan's revenue was $2.9 billion dollars from as estimated one million students who enroll in its courses each year. In a single quarter of 2009, Kaplan, Inc., accounted for approximately 58% of The Washington Post Company's total revenue.
Stanley Kaplan died of a heart ailment on August 23, 2009, at his home in New York City at the age of 90.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman and scholastic test preparation pioneer
Innovation
Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...
who founded Kaplan, Inc., in 1938.
Kaplan was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Jewish immigrant parents from the present-day countries of Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. An aspiring doctor, Kaplan hoped to enter medicine, but claimed was rejected from all five New York City area medical schools because ethnic quotas
Jewish quota
Jewish quota was a percentage that limited the number of Jews in various establishments. In particular, in 19th and 20th centuries some countries had Jewish quotas for higher education, a special case of Numerus clausus....
for Jewish students had already been filled. The rejections by the medical schools because of his religious and ethnic heritage left an impression on Kaplan which would last a lifetime.
He conceived the idea to issue each prospective student applicant a test he considered fair, with the hope that students would be admitted to schools based on concerns such as the applicant's ability, rather than on the needs of the school. Kaplan believed that he could create a tutoring company which could help prospective students do well on what, at the time, was widely called the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
In 1938, Kaplan founded the Stanley H. Kaplan Co.
Kaplan, Inc.
Kaplan, Inc. is a for-profit corporation headquartered in New York City and was founded in 1938 by Stanley Kaplan. Kaplan provides higher education programs, professional training courses, test preparation materials and other services for various levels of education...
as a tutoring service based in the basement of his parents' home in Brooklyn, New York. Kaplan's company became very successful in the wake of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when the United States government passed the GI Bill, which caused a large increase in college enrollment among American veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
s.
Kaplan marketed his for-profit company's products on the notion that its tutorials and test preparation materials could increase a student's SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
scores. In 1979, the Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
(FTC) launched an investigation into claims that the test prep industry was advertising its services too aggressively. Kaplan had claimed that his company could increase a student's SAT score by 100 points, though he never paid for advertising this claim. The Federal Trade Commission concluded that Kaplan may indeed raise a student's math and verbal SAT scores, but only by an average of 25 points, not the 100 points that Stanley Kaplan had believed.
The conclusion by the FTC that Kaplan could raise scores, even by as little as 25 points, rapidly expanded the company's business and attracted thousands of new customers. Leading figures within education, especially higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
, continued to scoff at Kaplan's company, saying that no student could effectively study for the SATs. Educators claimed that the SATs measured a person's "innate ability to learn", not their "actual learning."
A turning point in relations between Stanley Kaplan and the educational establishment came in 1983, when the College Board
College Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
, which administers the SATs, asked Kaplan to speak at its annual conference. In an article in 2009, the Washington Post wrote that Kaplan viewed the invitation by the College Board as one of the high points of his life. Kaplan opened his speech to the conference attendees by telling them that, "Never, in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd be speaking to you here today."
In 1984, Stanley Kaplan sold his company to The Washington Post Company for $45 million. The acquisition enabled the Washington Post Company, whose operations had previously focused on newspapers, to became a larger media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
and education entity. In 2009, the Kaplan Co. brought in two-thirds of its annual revenue from other educational services besides SAT prep, such as pre-kindergarten and even accredited law programs. In 2009, the Kaplan's revenue was $2.9 billion dollars from as estimated one million students who enroll in its courses each year. In a single quarter of 2009, Kaplan, Inc., accounted for approximately 58% of The Washington Post Company's total revenue.
Stanley Kaplan died of a heart ailment on August 23, 2009, at his home in New York City at the age of 90.