Press Center: National News

Richard Barth, chief executive officer, and Dave Levin, co-founder of the KIPP charter school network, discuss the path “to and through college” and the sustainable school model. They talk with Jane Williams on Bloomberg Radio’s “Bloomberg EDU.” >

Morning Joe profiled Erinn Cottman, a teacher at KIPP WAYS in Atlanta who developed an innovative reading system in her classroom that has already raised test scores by 10% in the first few weeks. >

Tulane University and one of the country's most prominent public charter school operators plan to sign a new agreement Tuesday with the dual aim of boosting college graduation rates among at-risk students and producing more qualified teachers. The university, which has just one KIPP graduate enrolled this fall, has agreed to set aside 10 slots each year for students from KIPP charter schools nationwide, including the 2,500 or so students who attend KIPP schools in New Orleans. >

The Walton Family Foundation is announcing its plans today to donate $25.5 million to the Knowledge is Power Program, or KIPP, charter network. >

KIPP Houston expects to issue long-term tax-exempt debt in the future as it executes its growth strategy, according to Steve Mancini, spokesperson. Other financing options may be considered based on market conditions, availability and specific project requirements, he said. As previously reported, KIPP Houston has plans to grow to 40 schools by 2020, serving 20,000 students pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. >

After 10 years of shining the spotlight on high-performing urban school districts through a $1 million award program, the Los Angeles-based Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation plans to do the same for urban charter schools. Next summer, the organization plans to present the first Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools, which aims to reward charter school networks that can demonstrate high academic outcomes for their students with a focus on closing achievement gaps. >

First-grader Lena Barrett clicks through a series of icons and logs onto a laptop under the fluorescent lights of her classroom. Before long, a cartoon version of a game-show announcer appears. >

Dave Levin, co-founder of KIPP and superintendent of KIPP NYC. >

Monica Groves, curriculum specialist for KIPP Metro Atlanta. >

Former US President Bill Clinton gives his thoughts on KIPP and public education nationwide. >

Two California-based charter school organizations have been awarded $12.6 million in federal grants to start 13 new campuses in Los Angeles, federal education officials announced Wednesday. >

A new neuroscience twist on a classic psychology study offers some clues to what makes one student able to buckle down for hours of homework before a test while his classmates party. >

Victoria Mendoza, 8th grade writing teacher at KIPP Aspire Academy in San Antonio, TX. >

...She's going to college this September after all, thanks to a partnership between KIPP charter schools and Southern Vermont College, a small four-year school here. >

Six years after that first meeting, Levin and Randolph are trying to put this conception of character into action in their schools. In the process, they have found themselves wrestling with questions that have long confounded not just educators but anyone trying to nurture a thriving child or simply live a good life. What is good character? >

Classrooms are festooned with college pennants. Hallway placards proclaim: “No Excuses!” Students win prizes for attendance, and pore over math problems with newly hired tutors. They start classes earlier and end later than their neighbors; some return to school on Saturdays. >

One of the heroes of this familiar tale is Dave Levin, the co-founder of the highly regarded KIPP network of charter schools (KIPP stands for Knowledge Is Power Program). >

There will be no courses at the Relay Graduate School of Education, the first standalone college of teacher preparation to open in New York State for nearly 100 years. Instead, there will be some 60 modules, each focused on a different teaching technique. >

Faced with troubling statistics about the college completion rates of its graduates, a network of college-preparatory public charter schools is helping to launch the Partnership for College Completion (PCC), an ambitious college-completion initiative that combines matched savings accounts, college-readiness and financial literacy workshops, as well as academic scholarships. >

Talk of the Nation - Jessica Cunningham, Chief Academic Officer of KIPP DC. >

A pilot program will give students at KIPP urban charter schools college savings accounts — along with education about college readiness — in hope that college savings will inspire them to go to college. >

A new report being released today will add to the debate about the Knowledge Is Power Program or KIPP schools — a highly influential non-profit network of public schools serving low-income students. The study is important because it's the first large-scale look at the college completion rate for students in schools at the leading edge of today's reform efforts. The results show that while KIPP graduates—who are 95 percent African-American and Latino and overwhelmingly low-income—far outpace the national averages for similar students, they also fall short of the network's own goals: 33 percent of students who completed a KIPP middle school at least 10 years ago have a bachelor's degree today. Among similar students nationwide, just 8 percent have graduated college. >

Harriett Ball, a well-known teacher trainer who inspired the most successful charter school network in the country, died Feb. 2 at a Houston Northwest Medical Center after a heart attack. She was 64. >

We respect Mr. Kahlenberg’s right to question KIPP’s results, and we welcome healthy debate about the merits of KIPP’s philosophy and model. However, it is also important to clarify the fact base around the issues he raises. >

As Mayor-elect Vincent C. Gray prepares to take office, the D.C. education community is holding its breath. With the winds of progress at our back, it is critical that we continue to be relentless in our efforts to provide a high-quality education to every student in the District. Though the outgoing administration laid the groundwork for reform, many important and difficult decisions lie ahead. >