The Knowledge Is Power Program, or KIPP, is a nationwide charter school network whose 鈥渘o excuses鈥� model and high academic performance have brought it widespread praise. Critics, however, have questioned whether KIPP schools鈥� academic showing is partly attributable to attrition of low-performing students whose seats often end up going unfilled.
The network consists of 31 separate charter-management organizations, each of which sets its own disciplinary policies. Overall, there are 125 KIPP schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Founded in 1994, KIPP now enrolls more than 41,000 students, of whom 59 percent are African-American, 36 percent are Hispanic, and 87 percent qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, according to the San Francisco-based national organization. In addition, 14 percent of its students are designated English-language learners, and 9 percent receive special education services.
KIPP鈥檚 chief executive officer, Richard Barth, answered a series of questions by email from Education Week about the charter organization鈥檚 discipline policies.
How are KIPP鈥檚 disciplinary policies related to its mission?
KIPP emphasizes high expectations for both students and the adults who support them. We structure our schools around a three-way partnership between students, parents, and teachers. School culture is so vitally important, and we strive to create an atmosphere where everyone is inspired to do their very best. What we鈥檝e found is that the schools are most successful at creating this culture when they have a standard of behavior that鈥檚 cohesive and clear.
Some school systems have made efforts recently to standardize expulsion/discipline policies across traditional and charter schools. Do you think bringing more uniformity to these policies makes sense, or not?
Historically, educators have looked through a 鈥渄istrict vs. charter鈥� lens. But in communities across the country, we鈥檙e seeing a move to a 鈥渙ne city鈥� or 鈥渙ne community鈥� model. Discipline policies are a part of that, but there鈥檚 so much more: Districts and charters are sharing facilities, professional-development approaches, sports teams, enrollment strategies, and a whole host of other best practices and resources. ... The shift to this new collaborative way of thinking won鈥檛 happen overnight. But I鈥檓 optimistic, and I think that sharing and standardizing these practices鈥攊ncluding discipline鈥攊s absolutely a good thing.
Some critics say that tough disciplinary policies mean that your schools aren鈥檛 educating more-challenging students and that their academic performance shouldn鈥檛 be compared with that of regular public schools. What鈥檚 your response to that allegation? Should KIPP schools be serving the 鈥渟ame鈥� students as other public schools? Are they?
Right now, we have independent researchers seeking to address those very issues. Mathematica is conducting a multiyear study of KIPP middle schools, to better understand our demographics and achievement. So far, Mathematica has found that, on average, students who come to KIPP in 5th grade are more likely to be from low-income and minority backgrounds, but less likely to be designated ell or special education, than at neighboring district schools.
Mathematica concluded that entering test scores of KIPP students are comparable with those at neighboring district schools. Mathematica also found that KIPP鈥檚 middle school attrition is not systematically different from that of neighboring school districts, and that we backfill鈥攖hat is, enroll new students in 6th through 8th grades鈥攁t similar rates to district schools.
