KIPP Fairs Poorly in New Report From Western Michigan University

Excerpts from the Report summary:

How and Why KIPP is Successful at Improving Student PerformanceSelective entry of students.

• The findings in our report show that students with disabilities and students classified as English language learners are greatly underrepresented. The relative

absence of students with disabilities and English language learners results in more

homogenous classrooms. Secondly, in both traditional public schools and KIPP schools, the

additional costs for these students—especially students with moderate or severe

disabilities—is typically not fully funded, and therefore some of the costs for regular

education is devoted to students requiring additional remediation. Because traditional public

schools have a higher proportion of students with disabilities, and a higher concentration of

students with severe and moderate disabilities, the burden of having to subsidize their

education falls more heavily on them.

• High rate of student attrition with nonreplacement. The departure of low-performing students

helps KIPP improve its aggregate results. Unlike local school districts, KIPP is not replacing

the students who are leaving. When a student returns to a traditional public school after the

autumn head count, KIPP retains most or all of the money (the amount depends on the

particular state) allocated for educating that student during that school year. Traditional

public schools do not typically benefit in the same way when they experience attrition, since

vacancies are typically filled by other mobile students, even in mid-year. The discussion of

findings at the end of this paper describe how “peer effects” play to KIPPs advantage,

especially given its practice of filling few of the large number of vacancies from students

who leave.

• High levels of funding that KIPP schools receive from both public and private sources. The

additional resources KIPP receives are further compounded by the cost advantages it enjoys

based on the students it serves compared with traditional public schools. Such advantages

may be offset in part by the additional resources KIPP requires for its program’s longer

school day and longer school year. KIPP estimates that the additional costs for its expanded

hours of instruction amount to between $1,000 and $1500.

Using the federal dataset on school finance (2007-08), we were able to obtain detailed revenue

from 25 KIPP schools and their local districts.

• During the 2007-08 school year, KIPP received more per pupil in combined revenue

($12,731 per student) than any other comparison group: the national average for all schools

($11,937), the national charter average ($9,579), or the average for KIPP schools’ local

school districts ($11,960).

• KIPP received more in per-pupil revenue from federal sources ($1,779) than did any other

comparison group: the national average ($922), the national charter district average ($949),

or KIPP schools’ host districts ($1,332).

KIPP’s practices that result in selective entry and exit result in homogeneous groups of

students that mutually benefit from peers who are engaged, have supportive families, and are

willing and able to work hard in school.

To see the full report go to:

KIPP study

KIPP charter schools receive more taxpayer dollars per student than regular public schools

Study Says Charter Network Has Financial Advantages Over Public Schools

By SAM DILLON Published: March 31, 2011 NY Times

Most charter schools receive less government money for each student, on average, than traditional public schools.

But the KIPP network, one of the fastest-growing and most academically successful charter groups, has received more taxpayer dollars per student than regular public schools, according to a new study, which also noted that KIPP receives substantial amounts of private philanthropic money.

KIPP officials disputed the report by Western Michigan University researchers, saying it significantly overstates the amount per student that the network receives from both public and private sources.

The Knowledge Is Power Program, a network of 99 schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia, has attracted more academic research than many other charter groups because of its success in raising the academic achievement of poor students, especially African-American youths.

The Department of Education last year awarded KIPP a $50 million grant to finance its growth.

In the study, “What Makes KIPP Work? A Study of Student Characteristics, Attrition and School Finance,” Gary Miron and two other Western Michigan researchers note that KIPP’s academic achievements have been well-documented in previous research.

Instead, they said their goal was to examine the network’s methods and model to see whether they could be replicated widely. Among other findings, the study concludes that KIPP schools enjoy significant financial advantages over traditional public schools.

In Fight for Space, New York Educator Takes On Charter Chain, KIPP

By MICHAEL WINERIP Published: March 27, 2011 The New York Times

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Joel I. Klein, the former schools chancellor, are strong supporters of charter schools. Mr. Bloomberg and Mr. Klein have repeatedly told principals at New York City’s traditional public schools that a new age of reform has dawned, that charter schools are the cutting edge and that if these principals want traditional public schools to survive, they must learn to compete in the educational marketplace.

And so, last summer, Julie Zuckerman, the principal of a highly regarded public elementary school — Central Park East 1 in East Harlem — applied to open a new elementary school on the other side of Manhattan, in Washington Heights. Her plan was to create something truly rare: an urban school not focused on standardized testing.

Ms. Zuckerman, who worked in education as a principal and teacher for nearly 30 years and has a doctorate from Columbia, was given preliminary approval for the school in October. On Jan. 6, she was one of 30 people invited to the Education Department’s headquarters at Tweed Courthouse, where Cathleen P. Black, the current chancellor, congratulated them for being chosen to run new schools.

On Jan. 19, Ms. Zuckerman was informed that her school — to be called Castle Bridge — would be located in a vacant space at Public School 115 in Washington Heights. “We are all systems go,” wrote Elizabeth Rose of the Education Department. On Jan. 27, Ms. Zuckerman was informed by Alex Shub, another department official, that she would be getting $40,000 in start-up money. “Sounds like you are doing all the right things,” Mr. Shub wrote in a Feb. 14 e-mail.

And then, a few days later, Ms. Rose called to say that everything had changed. Ms. Zuckerman would not be getting the space at P.S. 115. Instead, Marc Sternberg, a deputy superintendent, had decided to award that space to KIPP, the biggest, richest charter school chain in the country.