KIPP Austin Public Schools
Frequently Asked Questions
What is KIPP Austin Public Schools?
Since 2002, KIPP Austin Public Schools has empowered underserved students to strengthen the academic skills, intellectual habits, and character traits necessary to thrive in, and graduate from, four-year colleges and universities, giving them the freedom to shape their futures and positively affect their communities. The students we target and serve are overwhelmingly low-income and come from predominantly underserved Latino/a and African American populations in Austin, Texas. KIPP Austin Public Schools will meet the needs of Austin’s large and growing population of historically underserved students by expanding to include ten schools that provide a high quality college preparatory education from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Our growth plan calls for phased development of two pods of five schools each—two elementary, two middle and one high school that will, when fully enrolled, serve a total of 5,280 students.
What is KIPP?
KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools in under-resourced communities throughout the United States. There are currently 82 locally-run KIPP schools in 19 states and Washington, DC, which are serving over 20,000 students. KIPP schools have been widely recognized for putting under-served students on the path to college. More than 80 percent of KIPP students are low-income and more than 95 percent are African American or Hispanic/Latino. Nationally, nearly 80 percent of KIPP alumni have matriculated to college.
What is a charter school?
Charter schools are free, open-enrollment public schools of choice that are run independently of the traditional public school system but are held accountable by the Texas Education Agency for both academic results and fiscal practices. Charter school operators are pioneers and innovators who have the freedom to design curriculum, have a longer school day, provide more options and better serve particular populations.
Does KIPP Austin Public Schools take only the most successful students?
No. As public charter schools, KIPP Austin Public Schools are free and open to all students. We do not, nor are allowed to, take applications, give admissions tests, set forth admissions requirements or select students in any way.
During the open-enrollment period each year, we collect student lottery forms from interested families. We hold a public lottery and choose names randomly until all open seats are filled. Staff members, parents, and members of the Board of Directors attend this lottery to ensure fairness. Members of the public are also welcome. Any names not chosen from the lottery are placed on a waiting list.
Historically, at the time of enrollment, our fifth grade students typically enter middle school reading at the second or third grade level. Upon completion of eighth grade, however, many students have reading and math skills equivalent to the eleventh and twelfth graders. Our teachers spend a great deal of time filling in gaps in learning that have occurred for our students in their previous schools.
What is it like to be a teacher at KIPP Austin Public Schools?
Teachers at KIPP Austin Public Schools are a dynamic group of creative and committed educators who dedicate their time to providing an equitable and challenging education for our Austin area students, and thus improving educational equity in our nation. Our teachers hold high expectations for each student and firmly believe that each student has what it takes to be successful and KIPP, in college and beyond.
KIPP Austin teachers make themselves available to students after-hours to answer questions about homework through a school-provided cell phone. In addition, each student benefits from the direction of a teacher advisor who makes home visits several times a year.
How do I apply to become a KIPP Austin teacher?
The first step is to visit our “TEACH” page on the website and to review the available positions. When you find one or more positions that match your experiences and qualifications, you can apply for each position by a) creating one online profile, b) completing a 250 word essay, and c) uploading your resume and cover letter. Each position may have an additional question for you to respond to. Please note that you must assign yourself to at least one position for consideration.
What happens once I submit my application? What can I expect in the hiring process?
You will receive an email immediately upon hitting “submit” informing you that the recruitment team will review your application; next steps may include:
1) Screening interview (phone)
2) Formal interview(s) (phone or in person)
3) For academic positions, we will observe you conduct a lesson in one of the following ways: a) through conducting a sample lesson(s) for 1-2 days at one of the KIPP Austin Public Schools, by providing a video of an entire lesson, or, observing you conduct a lesson in your classroom; or, for non-academic positions, conduct an interview activity and site visit for 1-2 days
4) Reference checks, including a positive reference from your most recent supervisor
5) Criminal background check
How much experience do I need to join the KIPP Austin team?
Most academic positions require at least 2 years of prior full-time classroom teaching experience; however, we are open to considering candidates with less experience on a case-by-case basis, including individuals with advanced degrees, or other comparable experiences.
What if I am not selected this year?
We encourage you to apply again in the future!
How can I learn more about what it takes to become a KIPP Austin teacher?
There are a number of ways you can learn more about what we seek in strong teaching candidates: a) Visit us at an open house or participate in a teleconference information session, b) Read Work Hard. Be Nice. by Jay Mathews, a history recounting the beginning and growth of KIPP Schools across the country, and read The Skillful Teacher by Jon Saphier and Robert Gower, c) become familiar with the Understanding By Design model of backwards curriculum planning and d) in addition to reviewing our website, peruse the national KIPP website at www.kipp.org.
When is the best time to apply?
We take applications throughout the year, as available, on a rolling basis. For all teaching positions, we encourage you to apply as early as November 1st, and highly encourage you to apply by March 1st. We strive to ensure your application process is as efficient, yet thorough as possible; the timeframe can be as short as two weeks, or up to eight weeks. We seek to fill school-based positions a month prior to each individual school’s start dates, in June (middle school) and July (elementary and high school).
Do I need certification to teach at a KIPP Austin Public School?
Although we look favorably on certification in the subject area you wish to teach, it is not mandatory for you to be certified when you begin teaching with us. We require that you do receive certification within one year of hire.
What are your benefits?
KIPP Austin offers a robust benefits program to encourage our staff members to enjoy a long-term career as a KIPP Austin staff member.
Medical/Dental/Disability/Life/Vision. Currently, KIPP Austin currently pays 100% of the premium of medical and dental benefits for full-time employees AND their dependents. In addition, we offer Life, Short/Long-Term Disability & AD&D as well as Vision coverage for full-time employees. Vision coverage for dependents is offered at a small additional cost.
Vacation. KIPP Austin provides 10 days of paid time off for teachers, and an additional amount of time off for our administrative team based on accruals. Additionally, KIPP Austin covers a week during Spring Break (for teachers), all national holidays, and all of KIPP Austin staff enjoys 2 weeks paid at Christmas and 2 days at Thanksgiving.
Annual Performance Bonuses. Through our Employee Evaluation process, employees have the opportunity to earn additional performance-based compensation, which varies according to the bonus distribution plan approved by the school and individual performance.
Retention Bonuses/Longevity Pay. KIPP Austin also provides retention bonuses for all non-executive, full-time staff members who continue on with us, $500 for every year. So an employee who has been with us for 5 years would get an additional $2,500 upon their return the following year.
Retirement. A retirement program is offered through the Texas Retirement System. Since the State administers the TRS program. For more information please refer to the TRS website at http://www.trs.state.tx.us/ or call their office at 512-542-6400.
401(k). Plans are offered with employees who have been with KIPP Austin for 6 months or longer, however, KIPP Austin doesn't currently offer matching.
Maternity Leave. KIPP Austin offers maternity leave in certain increments for those employed on a full-time basis. For the first 2 years with KIPP Austin, employees are eligible for 2 weeks of paid maternity leave.
Employee Referral Bonuses. KIPP Austin Public Schools is always looking for good people, and employees can help. Employment referral could be worth up to $500 to $2,500 if the person is hired.
What is your salary scale?
In recognition of their amazing contributions, we are happy to offer our teachers a starting salary that is approximately 10 percent higher than neighboring traditional public school districts. KIPP Austin Public Schools also features a robust professional development program and offers opportunities for performance pay. In fact, many teachers choose to work with our schools because of the camaraderie associated with a like-minded group of individuals who are committed to ensuring that every child who walks through his or her classroom door will go to—and complete—a four year university program.
What is required of KIPP Austin Public Schools parents and guardians?
We believe that parents and guardians play a critical role in their child’s education and we seek to complement this role as a school. KIPP Austin parents make the commitment to ensure their child comes to school, that their child has a quiet place to complete homework, and to work in tandem with school staff.
Parents have the opportunity to be involved in KIPP Austin Public Schools in many ways. For example, middle school parents and students attend monthly family nights that focus on an academic issue or cultural celebration. They serve as volunteers on campus. Parents also serve on a volunteer Parent Task Force that meets regularly with school leadership to collaborate and provide a parent voice in school decisions. In addition, translation services are provided at all school events and in all communications to ensure that Spanish-speaking parents can be actively engaged in their child’s education.
Why is your “at-risk” population so low?
An “at-risk” student is identified as at risk of dropping out of school based on criteria defined by Texas Education Agency. These criteria include a variety of academic factors, such as failing a grade or failing multiple TAKS examinations, as well as social and cultural factors such as having limited English proficiency, being pregnant or a parent, being homeless, or being on probation or parole.
Our “at-risk” population is lower than those of schools with similar demographics for one simple reason: after being a KIPP Austin student for one to two years, the vast majority of our students are no longer at risk for dropping out of school.
When our students come to us, they are more likely to be classified as “at-risk” because of a limited English proficiency or because they have failed a grade or multiple TAKS tests. However, as our students advance through the years, they move out of the “at-risk” qualification because they now can speak, read and write English fluently and are succeeding academically.
Our focus, then, is not on maintaining a high number of “at-risk” students. Instead, as we open new schools, we are committed to maintaining a 90 percent or higher “low-income” population.
How do you achieve such high results with your students?
There is no magic: our students reach and exceed our expectations because of their commitment, great teaching, and extra time in the classroom. From day one, our principals and teachers create a culture that values excellence. Our students, who come to us first with the desire to succeed, are given the resources they need in and out of the classroom to catch up to grade level expectations and then surpass them.
KIPP Austin Public Schools believe in the small school model. As small schools (120 students or fewer per grade level), we are able to dedicate individualized time to each student so we may know them as students and as people. The result is a very high level of achievement.