KIPP's report card
joannejacobs.com
KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program), a network of fifth through eighth grade schools, has issued its second report card:
There are currently 38 KIPP schools serving 6,000 students in high-need rural and urban communities across 15 states and the District of Columbia. 52.7 percent of KIPP students are female, and 47.3 are male. More than 90 percent of KIPP students are of color, and more than 75 percent qualify for the free and reduced meal program.
*COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE – 85 percent of the alumni of the original two KIPP Academies who were high school seniors in 2004 earned acceptance to college. In New York City, less than 25 percent of these students’ peers reported having plans to attend college.
*ACADEMIC GAINS – KIPP students who took the national Stanford 10 exam averaged score increases of 29 percent in mathematics and 22 percent in reading from 2003 to 2004.
KIPP reported dramatic gains in reading and math skills for students in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia. A study of three KIPP schools founded in 2001, the first to have all four grades, found KIPP enrollees had similar reading and math scores to other students in their neighborhoods. Eighty percent of KIPP's new students came from low-income families, compared to 89 percent of students at neighborhood schools. Some 98 percent of KIPP students were black or Hispanic, compared to 91 percent in the neighborhood.
KIPP offers a longer school day and year, so there's more time to learn. Students are taught how to pay attention and participate in class; disruptions aren't tolerated. Teachers are available after school hours to provide extra help. I like the motto: "Work hard. Be nice." |
