One Page Description: KIPP -- Knowledge Is Power Program

KIPP Schools

KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools in under-resourced communities throughout the United States. There are currently 52 locally-run KIPP schools in 16 states and Washington, DC, which are serving over 12,000 students. KIPP schools have been widely recognized for putting underserved students on the path to college. More than 80 percent of KIPP students are low-income and more than 90 percent are African American or Hispanic/Latino.

KIPP schools have high expectations for academic achievement and conduct. Each member of the school community - parents, students, and teachers - signs a 'commitment form' pledging to the quality work and long hours necessary for success. KIPP schools are typically in session from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday, every other Saturday, and for three weeks in the summer. Students are expected to achieve at a level of academic performance that will allow them to succeed at the nation's best colleges.

The majority of KIPP schools, 45 out of 52, follow the KIPP middle school model. KIPP middle schools start with a fifth grade class and add a grade each year to serve fifth through eighth grades. KIPP has also grown to include elementary schools and, through the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is opening high schools in communities that already contain KIPP middle schools.

The Origins of KIPP

KIPP began in 1994 when two idealistic teachers, Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin, launched a fifth grade public school program in inner-city Houston, TX, after completing their commitment to Teach For America. In 1995, Feinberg remained in Houston to lead KIPP Academy Middle School, and Levin returned home to New York City to establish KIPP Academy in the South Bronx.

Since their founding, the original KIPP Academies have sustained track records of high student achievement. KIPP Academy New York has been the highest performing public middle school in the Bronx in terms of reading scores, mathematics scores, and attendance for nine consecutive years. KIPP Academy in Houston has been named an Exemplary or Recognized School by the Texas Education Agency for ten of the past eleven years.

While fewer than one in five low-income students typically attend college nationally, KIPP's college matriculation rate stands at nearly 80 percent for students who complete the eighth grade at KIPP. In addition, KIPP alumni have earned over $12 million in college scholarships.

The KIPP Foundation

In 2000, Doris and Donald Fisher, co-founders of Gap, Inc., formed a unique partnership with Feinberg and Levin to replicate the success of the two original KIPP Academies across the country through the non-profit KIPP Foundation. The KIPP Foundation focuses its efforts on recruiting, training, and supporting outstanding teachers to open new, locally-run KIPP schools in high-need communities.

The KIPP Foundation trains prospective school leaders through the yearlong KIPP School Leadership Program, which includes an intensive program of coursework at Stanford University run in partnership with the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute (SELI), residencies at KIPP schools, and support from experienced KIPP staff.