As I alluded to last Friday, KIPP is radically different than the traditional one-size-fits all school. KIPP schools have a common set of values know as the Five Pillars: High Expectations, Choice & Commitment, More Time, Power to Lead, and Focus on Results. Here are some examples of differences between traditional public schools and KIPP. (Disclaimer: These are my initial observations and not an exhaustive list.)
– High Expectations for EVERY studento Strong college-going culture o College pennants decorate the walls and classroomso College Field Tripso Solid, Rigorous curriculum including Algebra in 7th gradeo Consistent Discipline standards o Positive Rewards such as Out-of-Town Field Trips- More Time for Instructiono Longer School Day (9 hours) o Summer Schoolo Saturday School (every other week) – Enthusiastic and Hard Working Teacherso Work longer hours than traditional teacherso Willing to do whatever it takes to help students succeed o Able to be creative and experiment in the classroomo Make home visits to every student’s home o Available at night to answer students’ phone calls regarding homework – Principals are Truly School Leaderso Have the power to hire and fire teacherso Set salaries of teacherso Have control over their schools’ budgets
As KIPP charter schools continue to succeed and expand – they hope to have 100 schools by 2011 and serve approximately 40,000 students – I hope traditional public schools will take some plays out of the KIPP playbook and implement some of these strategies in their classrooms. One important lesson KIPP has taught all of us is that thinking “outside the box,” trying new things, and innovating can lead to amazing results.
– Brooke Terry