B.A. in History and BA in Anthropology, Boston University, 2013
M.A. in History and Education, Teachers College, Columbia, 2021.
Ph.D. in History and Education, Teachers College, Columbia, anticipated Fall 2023
History of Education, Out-of-School-Time Learning, Urban History.
Rachel Klepper is a PhD candidate in History and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her dissertation explores the history of afterschool programs in New York City in the mid-twentieth century, and how ideas about childhood, philanthropy, social welfare, and education shaped the varied opportunities available to children.
Previously, she worked at a youth development organization in Washington DC, as a program director and afterschool teacher. While experiencing both the significance of afterschool spaces for children and families as well as the challenges that many afterschool programs face, she was motivated to learn more about their history and document their complex and changing purposes.