RJ’s Blog

Jay Mathews’s article in the Washington Post draws attention to a little known program known as the Knowledge Is Power Program. KIPP, as its known, is a grassroots educational program aimed at improving the achievements of low-income, minority students. As of now only 47 schools nationally use this method of teaching, however, this may change due to KIPP’s prognosis thus far. The KIPP system is somewhat difficult to explain, as it is not the same in every setting. For the most part, KIPP involves 7:30 to 5 pm school days as well as mandatory summer school, calls to teachers at home with homework questions, visits to student homes, emphasis on character and behavior, principal power to hire and fire teachers, teacher cooperation and training and an elaborate system of student sanctions and rewards. Although tedious on both the student and the teacher, KIPP thus far has proven to be an effective teaching practice. One statistic mentioned was that students who enter KIPP are typically in the bottom third of test takers nationwide but by the eighth grade outperforms nearly three out of four test-takers. I believe that KIPP is an example of the changing functions of our schools. Traditionally the high school diploma has been viewed as a certificate of attendance because of the lax standards by which schools have been administered by. KIPP on the other hand, aims at not just passing students but instead to prepare students for higher education. There is a trade off though, in this case being additional time and effort. To be honest I believe most teachers would be reluctant to working in a school that practices KIPP. I find that many people go into teaching because of the ample vacation time associated with the job. I am not one of these people. Just as a doctor or lawyer expects to work long hours, so should up and coming teachers. Teachers need enthusiasm in their jobs, because their attitude will rub off on their students. A student is more likely to take school seriously when they have teachers that highly value education. And just as we wouldn’t want our doctors to perform in a laidback fashion, we shouldn’t expect the same from our educators.

 Related Article

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/17/AR2006011700445_2.html