KIPP Report Card

KIPP's annual Report Card was released today. Check it out here. Here's why the report card is pretty cool.

1. Being transparent about our successes and our challenges is something we try hard to do well at KIPP, both nationally and at KIPP Philadelphia. The Report Card is a big part of this initiative because we publish tons of data about each of our schools and regions. We're proud of almost everything in the report, but we don't hide the information that we're not so happy with. We've taken this even further at KIPP Philadelphia, where we now publish everything from bios of board members to lease agreements for our buildings to our salary scale in the Open Book section of our website.   


2. Just like looking at a student's report card demonstrates what the school thinks is important enough to measure, the KIPP Report Card measures what we as an organization think matters most. And unlike what some critics may say, what matters at KIPP is way deeper than state test scores. The report contains information about our student attrition, staff retention, and the success of our alums in college, among other measures. 


3. This is the first year that KPEA is included! We're on pg. 112 if you're curious. 


4. Rowena Lesher, one of our amazing kindergarten teachers is highlighted in the report (pg. 11) and in a video on the report's webpage. Besides being a phenomenal teacher, Ro is the only person I know who has been a founding teacher at two KIPP schools, which is no small feat. 


5. Besides having one of our teachers featured in the report, a KIPP West Philadelphia Prep student named Brooklyn is highlighted in the Report Card and in the video on the website. She taped this interview when she was only in 6th grade and she's already a way better interview subject than I am. 


6. As always, the report looks cool, with vivid infographics, stunning photos, and a great overall design feel. Big props to fellow TFA Bay Area '03 corps member Rachel Young who creates the report for KIPP Foundation.


7. I love skimming through the report and being reminded of the scope of the work that we do at KIPP. It's sometimes hard to visualize what it means that we have 109 schools all across the country, but flipping through page after page of school reports (and seeing the great things happening in these schools) makes the power of our collective work incredibly tangible.