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"These awards reflect the hard work and grit our students and staff show all year long," said Maisie Wright, school director. "At KIPP, we set the bar high, and are committed to doing whatever it takes to see our students achieve. These recognitions are a good indicator of the success that is possible with that kind of commitment."

KIPP KC has rented space in the old Metropolitan Community College Pioneer Campus building at 18th and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City for eight years. Now, the charter middle school has bought the entire 95,000-square foot property as it embarks on a larger expansion plan.

KIPP Delta Public Schools and local public school districts will continue "KIPP Through College," a partnership designed to increase the number of students in the region pursuing college. For the past two school years, "KIPP Through College" has advised students and their families in the Helena-West Helena and Lee County school districts with college guidance.

KIPP has been part of the fabric of Nashville for more than a decade, changing the lives of some of Nashville's most at-risk students. Kids like LaTrya Gordon, who attended seven other public schools before finding the academic environment she needed at KIPP Nashville, where she thrived.

During the 2012 election season, we were flooded with information from all sides. While politics absorbed most of our attention, there was one report that came out to relatively little fanfare. But its findings have crucial ramifications for our entire economy, right down to how we educate our children.

KIPP Academy celebrated its graduating class Friday at the Lynn Auditorium. Ninety-seven percent of KIPP's class of 2016 will graduate in June, while 90 percent plan to attend college, according to the school. This year's graduating class also received more than 400 acceptance letters, 100 more than last year.

"At KIPP it's really important to us that we're teaching our kids about character and building their character," explained Frank Cush, KIPP Explore Academy's founder and principal. "With this program, the students are learning about what are the things that they should be doing. Not necessarily in the situation where they face a bully, but it's about being more proactive, learning how to be good citizens. We're also encouraging our students to know more about themselves and what makes them unique."

The Economic Development and Industrial Corp. is reviewing plans to renovate the J.B. Blood building even as the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) Charter School adds classrooms in the Wheeler Street building. KIPP houses 121 kindergarten students and offices in the Blood building and plans to add a first grade, pushing its enrollment to 240 students in September. "We'll be on two floors and adding to that," said Caleb Dolan, KIPP's Massachusetts executive director. "We love being in the heart of the city."

Twenty years ago, two Teach for America alumni launched a small academy with 47 kids inside a traditional public school in Houston. Today, KIPP academies are educating 58,000 kids in 20 states across the country and last week, the KIPP Foundation was awarded the third annual Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools.

Nine-year-old Alexander Garza had trouble focusing in school and a hard time making friends. As a "Human of KIPP," he shares his fourth-grade experiences for others who struggle to understand they're not alone.