KIPP: the Knowledge Is Power Program
Encyclopedia
KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a nationwide network of free open-enrollment college-preparatory schools in under-resourced communities throughout the United States
. KIPP schools are usually established under state charter school
laws and KIPP is America’s largest network of charter schools. Its headquarters are in Suite 1700 of the 135 Main Street building in Financial District, San Francisco.
commitment and launched a program for fifth graders in a public school in inner-city Houston, Texas
. Feinberg developed KIPP Academy Houston into a charter school
, while Levin went on to establish KIPP Academy New York in the South Bronx
. The original KIPP Academies have a sustained record of high student achievement. The Texas Education Agency
has recognized KIPP Academy Houston as an "Exemplary School" for almost every year of its existence. KIPP alumni have earned over $21 million in scholarships for college-preparatory high schools.
-preparatory curriculum
, and a strong culture of achievement and support will help educationally underserved students develop the knowledge, skills, and character needed to succeed in top quality high schools, colleges, and in the competitive world beyond.
More than 95% of KIPP students are African American
or Latino
/ Hispanic
; more than 75% are eligible for the federally-subsidized meal program. Students are accepted regardless of prior academic record, conduct, or socioeconomic background. However KIPP schools typically have lower concentrations of special education and limited English proficiency (LEP) students, than the public schools from which they draw.
, co-founders of Gap Inc., formed a unique partnership with Feinberg and Levin to replicate KIPP’s success nationwide. Established in 2000 with a $15 million grant from the Fishers, the nonprofit KIPP Foundation recruits, trains, and supports outstanding teachers in opening and leading high-performing college-preparatory public schools in educationally underserved communities. The foundation helps secure facilities and operating contracts while training school leaders through a yearlong KIPP School Leadership Program (KSLP) that includes an intensive program of coursework held at New York University
, residencies at other KIPP Schools, and support from KIPP staff.
Each middle school student receives a paycheck at the end of the week of KIPP dollars they have earned based on academic merit, conduct, and overall behavior.
End-of-year trips are also earned. They vary from school to school. KIPP Academy Middle School in Houston, Texas
, for example, sends fifth graders to Washington, D.C.
, sixth graders to Utah, seventh graders to the East coast (New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts) to see a Broadway play, go sightseeing or visit colleges, and eighth graders go to the west coast (California) to visit attractions like Yosemite National Park
, Disneyland, and other tourist attractions, as well as colleges.
When a student decides that he or she would like to attend a KIPP school, a home visit is set up with a teacher or the principal of the school, who meets with the family and student(s) to discuss what is required of the students, the teachers and the parents in KIPP. They all sign a KIPP contract promising that they will do everything in their power to help the student succeed and go to college. Once the contract is signed, the student is a KIPPster for life. KIPP follows the student's progress during KIPP and even after. The purpose of KIPP is for students to gain a college education; so even after they have finished KIPP, students maintain contact with their college counselor at KIPP. KIPP helps them go to private or boarding schools on full or mostly full scholarship, aids them in finding internships and/or summer programs, and even helps students prepare resumes, seek jobs and choose careers.
KIPP is in the process of developing new high schools throughout the nation. Students from well-established KIPP middle schools will have the opportunity to attend these high schools. While KIPP high schools will maintain KIPP's principles, they are focused on providing a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum that encourages increasing degrees of independent responsibility for learning.
A February 2007 strategy paper for the think tank
the Brookings Institution
commented favorably on the accomplishment of KIPP.
A research report published in March 2005 by the Economic Policy Institute in book form as "The Charter School Dust-Up: Examining the Evidence on Enrollment and Achievement," however, described the degree to which KIPP's admission process selects for likely high achievers:
In addition, some KIPP schools show high attrition
, especially for those students entering the schools with the lowest test scores. A 2008 study by SRI International
found that although KIPP fifth-grade students who enter with below-average scores significantly outperform peers in public schools by the end of year one, "... 60 percent of students who entered fifth grade at four Bay Area KIPP schools in 2003-04 left before completing eighth grade." The report also discusses student mobility due to changing economic situations for student's families, but does not directly link this factor into student attrition. Six of California's nine KIPP schools, researched in 2007, showed similar attrition patterns. Figures for schools in other states are not always as readily available. On the other hand, recent research casts doubt on whether observed attrition rates are atypical for students who have applied to KIPP school, as opposed to all students in general.
Kay S. Hymowitz
has written for City Journal
that the "question remains whether KIPP wasn’t overambitious from the start". While the KIPP founders planned on around seventy-five percent of their students graduating from a four-year college, Hymowitz wrote that only a third actually earned a bachelor’s degree.
Education in the United States
Education in the United States is mainly provided by the public sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. Child education is compulsory.Public education is universally available...
. KIPP schools are usually established under state charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
laws and KIPP is America’s largest network of charter schools. Its headquarters are in Suite 1700 of the 135 Main Street building in Financial District, San Francisco.
Overview
KIPP began in 1994 when teachers Dave Levin and Mike Feinberg completed their Teach For AmericaTeach For America
Teach For America is an American non-profit organization that aims to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting the nation's most promising future leaders to teach for two or more years in low-income communities throughout the United States...
commitment and launched a program for fifth graders in a public school in inner-city Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Feinberg developed KIPP Academy Houston into a charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
, while Levin went on to establish KIPP Academy New York in the South Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. The original KIPP Academies have a sustained record of high student achievement. The Texas Education Agency
Texas Education Agency
The Texas Education Agency is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States responsible for public education. The agency is headquartered in the William B...
has recognized KIPP Academy Houston as an "Exemplary School" for almost every year of its existence. KIPP alumni have earned over $21 million in scholarships for college-preparatory high schools.
Operating principles
The schools operate on the principle that there are no shortcuts: outstanding educators, more time in school, a rigorous collegeCollege
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
-preparatory curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
, and a strong culture of achievement and support will help educationally underserved students develop the knowledge, skills, and character needed to succeed in top quality high schools, colleges, and in the competitive world beyond.
More than 95% of KIPP students are African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
/ Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
; more than 75% are eligible for the federally-subsidized meal program. Students are accepted regardless of prior academic record, conduct, or socioeconomic background. However KIPP schools typically have lower concentrations of special education and limited English proficiency (LEP) students, than the public schools from which they draw.
KIPP Foundation
Doris and Donald FisherDonald Fisher
Donald George Fisher was an American businessman who founded The Gap clothing stores.-Personal history:...
, co-founders of Gap Inc., formed a unique partnership with Feinberg and Levin to replicate KIPP’s success nationwide. Established in 2000 with a $15 million grant from the Fishers, the nonprofit KIPP Foundation recruits, trains, and supports outstanding teachers in opening and leading high-performing college-preparatory public schools in educationally underserved communities. The foundation helps secure facilities and operating contracts while training school leaders through a yearlong KIPP School Leadership Program (KSLP) that includes an intensive program of coursework held at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, residencies at other KIPP Schools, and support from KIPP staff.
General information
Most KIPP schools run from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on select Saturdays (usually twice a month), and middle school students also participate in a two- to three-week mandatory summer school, which includes extracurricular activities after school and on Saturdays. As a result, KIPP students spend approximately 60 percent more time in class than their peers.Each middle school student receives a paycheck at the end of the week of KIPP dollars they have earned based on academic merit, conduct, and overall behavior.
End-of-year trips are also earned. They vary from school to school. KIPP Academy Middle School in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, for example, sends fifth graders to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, sixth graders to Utah, seventh graders to the East coast (New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts) to see a Broadway play, go sightseeing or visit colleges, and eighth graders go to the west coast (California) to visit attractions like Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
, Disneyland, and other tourist attractions, as well as colleges.
When a student decides that he or she would like to attend a KIPP school, a home visit is set up with a teacher or the principal of the school, who meets with the family and student(s) to discuss what is required of the students, the teachers and the parents in KIPP. They all sign a KIPP contract promising that they will do everything in their power to help the student succeed and go to college. Once the contract is signed, the student is a KIPPster for life. KIPP follows the student's progress during KIPP and even after. The purpose of KIPP is for students to gain a college education; so even after they have finished KIPP, students maintain contact with their college counselor at KIPP. KIPP helps them go to private or boarding schools on full or mostly full scholarship, aids them in finding internships and/or summer programs, and even helps students prepare resumes, seek jobs and choose careers.
KIPP is in the process of developing new high schools throughout the nation. Students from well-established KIPP middle schools will have the opportunity to attend these high schools. While KIPP high schools will maintain KIPP's principles, they are focused on providing a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum that encourages increasing degrees of independent responsibility for learning.
Outside comments
In June 2010, Mathematica Policy Research produced the first findings from a multi-year evaluation of the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP)A February 2007 strategy paper for the think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
commented favorably on the accomplishment of KIPP.
A research report published in March 2005 by the Economic Policy Institute in book form as "The Charter School Dust-Up: Examining the Evidence on Enrollment and Achievement," however, described the degree to which KIPP's admission process selects for likely high achievers:
Criticism and commentary
Some observers, such as the authors of The Charter School Dust-Up, say that KIPP's admission process self-screens for students who are both motivated and compliant, from similarly motivated and compliant—and supportive—families. Parents must commit to a required level of involvement, which rules out badly dysfunctional families. Reports of KIPP's discipline policy, which involves shunning the miscreant student, and other KIPP policies such as teaching students how to "walk briskly down the hall" (according to one admiring description of KIPP practices), might further tend to discourage willful, defiant or simply independent-minded students from applying.In addition, some KIPP schools show high attrition
Attrition
Attrition may refer to:*Physical wear*Attrition warfare, the military strategy of wearing down the enemy by continual losses in personnel and material*Loss of personnel by Withdrawal...
, especially for those students entering the schools with the lowest test scores. A 2008 study by SRI International
SRI International
SRI International , founded as Stanford Research Institute, is one of the world's largest contract research institutes. Based in Menlo Park, California, the trustees of Stanford University established it in 1946 as a center of innovation to support economic development in the region. It was later...
found that although KIPP fifth-grade students who enter with below-average scores significantly outperform peers in public schools by the end of year one, "... 60 percent of students who entered fifth grade at four Bay Area KIPP schools in 2003-04 left before completing eighth grade." The report also discusses student mobility due to changing economic situations for student's families, but does not directly link this factor into student attrition. Six of California's nine KIPP schools, researched in 2007, showed similar attrition patterns. Figures for schools in other states are not always as readily available. On the other hand, recent research casts doubt on whether observed attrition rates are atypical for students who have applied to KIPP school, as opposed to all students in general.
Kay S. Hymowitz
Kay S. Hymowitz
Kay Hymowitz is an American author. Born in Philadelphia, she earned her B.A. at Brandeis University, and her M.A. in English literature from Tufts University. She taught English literature and composition at Brooklyn College and at the Parsons School of Design. As of 2010 she was the William E....
has written for City Journal
City Journal
City Journal is a quarterly magazine, published by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a conservative think tank based in New York City. Its current editor is Brian C. Anderson. Myron Magnet, its editor from 1994 to 2006, is now editor-at-large. Many City Journal articles focus on urban...
that the "question remains whether KIPP wasn’t overambitious from the start". While the KIPP founders planned on around seventy-five percent of their students graduating from a four-year college, Hymowitz wrote that only a third actually earned a bachelor’s degree.
See also
- Education in the United StatesEducation in the United StatesEducation in the United States is mainly provided by the public sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. Child education is compulsory.Public education is universally available...
- Teach For AmericaTeach For AmericaTeach For America is an American non-profit organization that aims to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting the nation's most promising future leaders to teach for two or more years in low-income communities throughout the United States...
- Charter schoolCharter schoolCharter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
Published Resources on KIPP
- Tough, Paul, "What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?", The New York Times, September 14, 2011
- Video "The KIPP King Collegiate High School Story", Edutopia, August 25, 2011
External links
- KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program: the KIPP Foundation website.
- KIPP Academy Houston: The first KIPP school.
- KIPP Academy New York: The second KIPP school.
- KIPP Gaston College Preparatory: The third KIPP school, founded in 2001, one of two rural KIPP schools.
- Other KIPP schools: 99 schools in 20 states and Washington, DC
- Recent US national press articles on KIPP: Newsweek, Washington Post, NY Times, Reader's Digest, etc.
- US Charter Schools
- Teach For America
- KIPP in the news: Google news search for 'KIPP school'.
- The Educational Experiment We Really Need - SlateSlate (magazine)Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
- KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy
- Work hard. Be nice. (2009), by Washington Post education columnist Jay Mathews, tells the story of KIPP and its founders.
- Chong-Hao Fu, Principal, Knowledge is Power (KIPP)at British Council for School Environments Conference 2009 (panel discussion)(Video)