ABOUT KIPP AUSTIN

KIPP Austin Public Schools was founded in 2002 in response to the increasingly prevalent educational inequities in East Austin. We are a growing network of free, open-enrollment public schools that provide an excellent education to historically underserved low-income students in East Austin through a unique and successful model.

What We Do

We start by hiring the very best and brightest teachers and providing them the tools they need to succeed: more time in the classroom, freedom to plan and deliver innovative lessons, and a higher starting salary.

Our program focuses on college readiness, character development and lifelong wellness for our students from day one.

• Our students attend 67% more school than their counterparts in traditional public school.
• Students engage in community service activities throughout the year
• Each grade participates in an end-of-year field lesson.
• Our students receive hands on leadership training

In addition, every KIPP Austin Public Schools’ student develops close relationships with teachers and other adults at school.

• All students have advisors who work closely with them and their families.
• We maintain ties with our alumni through college with our KIPP Through College program

Our program is founded on the following pillars.

High Expectations

KIPP Austin Public Schools are characterized by explicitly defined and observably high expectations for behavior and academic achievement. We have created an atmosphere in which every minute of every day is considered valuable learning time for students.

 

Choice and Commitment

Students, their parents and the faculty make a choice to be at our schools. Everyone must make and uphold a commitment to one another to put forth the time and effort required to attain educational success.

 

More Time on Task

We believe that there are no shortcuts to academic success. A longer school day, week and year are necessary for students to prepare academically, socially and culturally for competitive colleges.

 

Power to Lead

As a network of public charter schools, KIPP Austin Public Schools operates as an independent school district in the state of Texas. Principals have control over their budgets and personnel at their schools and exercise authority to implement the curriculum, programs and policies that will maximize student success.

 

Focus on Results

KIPP Austin Public Schools focus on results: quantitative results such as student achievement on standardized tests and other objective measures, as well as qualitative results such as student leadership, engagement in community service, and the development of musical, theatrical and artistic expression.

 

Character Education

All students at KIPP Austin Public Schools develop traits that will help them succeed in life and contribute to their communities. These traits include resiliency, persistence, curiosity, leadership and team skills, and meaningful community service that gives students a sense of how their personal academic success can be used to benefit the larger community.

 

Nutrition and Fitness

School-based fitness and nutrition programs help students attain better physical health and improve academic performance. KIPP Austin Public Schools has developed an innovative fitness and nutrition program that includes elements recommended by the Task Force for Access to Health Care in Texas, such as regular physical education during the week, extracurricular team and individual sports, nutrition education that is integrated into the core curriculum content and a vegetable garden on campus.

 

Supportive Relationships

Every KIPP Austin Public Schools student has close relationships with teachers and other adults at school, and all students have advisors who work closely with them and their families. Through our KIPP Through College program, we continue to maintain ties with our alumni long after they have moved on to higher education. These relationships ensure students receive the support and resources they need to prepare for higher education and for life.

Jill Kolasinski founded KIPP Austin Public Schools in 2002 after learning first-hand about the educational inequities for students as a teacher in East Austin. Having served as a pioneer teacher at the original KIPP Academy in Houston, she recognized that the KIPP educational model would work best for students in East Austin. She is thrilled to support Kathrin Brewer as she carries on the transformative work of KIPP Austin and continues to ensure KIPPsters get to and through college.

WHAT IS KIPP?

KIPP, the "Knowledge is Power Program," was founded in 1994 by Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin, two young teachers who had just completed their Teach For America service. This program for Houston inner-city fifth graders has grown to a national network of 109 schools, serving more than 32,000 students.

KIPP schools are widely recognized for narrowing the achievement gap in public education and putting underserved students on the path to college. Nationally, fewer than one in five low-income students typically attend college. By contrast, for KIPP schools, the college matriculation rate stands at nearly 80 percent for students who complete the eighth grade at KIPP.

The KIPP Foundation, based in San Francisco, was established in 2000 to enable innovative and pioneering educators to open new KIPP schools across the nation. New principals must complete a rigorous one-year training program, called the Fisher Fellowship. The KIPP Foundation provides support for all KIPP schools, but each school or region is locally governed by a board of directors and is subject to the regulations of its home city and state.

To read more about the national KIPP movement, please visit www.kipp.org.