KIPP Schools Wins 2014 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools

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Jul 01, 2014, 03:00 ET

LAS VEGAS, July 1, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- KIPP Schools is the winner of the 2014 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools and will receive $250,000 to support college-readiness efforts for their students, The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation announced today at the National Charter Schools Conference.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation (PRNewsFoto/Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation)

In the 20 years since starting its first school, KIPP Schools has demonstrated its ability to scale and to bring an increasingly high-quality education to thousands of low-income students and students of color who otherwise might not have had the opportunity. KIPP serves 50,000 students in 141 schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia, with the majority of that growth coming in the last five years. More than 86 percent of KIPP students come from low-income families, and 95 percent are students of color. Nationally, more than 93 percent of KIPP students who completed eighth grade have gone on to graduate from high school, and more than 83 percent have gone to college, according to KIPP.

"With 50,000 students—larger than 99 percent of school districts in the country—KIPP Schools is providing a quality education to low-income students and students of color on a scale that naysayers of public charter schools thought was impossible," said Bruce Reed, president of The Broad Foundation, who announced the winner to an audience of more than 3,000 public charter school leaders attending the national conference in Las Vegas. "For 20 years KIPP has shown that when it comes to ensuring every student the opportunity to a great education, there can be no excuses. Every school and school system has something to learn from KIPP's success."

The Broad (rhymes with "road") Prize for Public Charter Schools is an annual award that honors the public charter school system demonstrating the most outstanding overall student performance and improvement in the nation in recent years while reducing achievement gaps for low-income students and students of color.

An eight-member review board of prominent education researchers, policy leaders, practitioners and executives from around the country evaluated publicly available student achievement data on 20 large established public charter school systems. They selected the top three public charter systems—Achievement First, IDEA Public Schools and KIPP Schools—and ultimately found that KIPP Schools deserved recognition for its ability to provide a high-quality education to students across the country, particularly noting the network's ability to scale, adapt to new locations and pursue continuous innovation by bringing technology into the classroom. The Broad Foundation did not play a role in selecting the winner.

"In the third year of The Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools, we looked not only for strong academic results but also for a charter network that has demonstrated a sustainable track record of scale, an admirable commitment to provide a high-quality education for more and more students over time, and evidence of continuous improvement," said Jane Hannaway, vice president of the American Institutes for Research and the director of the Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. "KIPP Schools has done just that. The network is a leader in the public charter school movement and, because of its size and ability to expand while maintaining a high quality bar, the network is a particular inspiration for CMOs and traditional public school districts alike."

KIPP's philosophy—built on its five core principles of believing in all students, working toward the goal of college graduation, a focus on academics and character, and the importance of visionary leadership and excellent teachers—has helped drive its strong student learning outcomes. Among the reasons KIPP Schools won the 2014 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools:

In 2013, in 84 percent of available comparisons (in elementary, middle and high school reading, math, and science), proficiency rates for KIPP's African-American students ranked in the top 30 percent of their respective states when compared to African-American students in the rest of that state. By comparison, on average, eligible CMOs ranked in the top 30 percent of their state(s) in 41 percent of available comparisons.
In 2013, in 85 percent of available comparisons, proficiency rates for KIPP's Hispanic students ranked in the top 30 percent of their respective states when compared to Hispanic students in the rest of that state, according to The Broad Prize methodology. By comparison, eligible CMOs on average ranked in the top 30 percent of their state(s) in 41 percent of available comparisons.
KIPP closed 21 percent of its ethnic and income achievement gaps in middle school reading, math and science across the available comparisons in 2013. By comparison, the remaining eligible CMOs on average closed 2 percent of achievement gaps in middle school. KIPP also narrowed 65 percent of its ethnic and income achievement gaps across the available comparisons in elementary school math, science and reading
KIPP closed 21 percent of achievement gaps between its Hispanic students and the state's white students across the available comparisons, while on average, eligible CMOs on average closed 6 percent of achievement gaps between these groups in 2013.

As the winner of The Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools, KIPP Schools will receive $250,000 to support college-readiness efforts for low-income students, such as scholarships, speaker series or campus visits.

In selecting the winner, The Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools review board examined data since the 2009-10 school year collected by RTI International, a leading global research institute. The review board considered student outcomes, scalability, size, poverty and demographics, and selected the charter management organization that it believed showed the most outstanding overall student performance and improvement while reducing achievement gaps. No formula was used. For more information on the methodology, visit http://www.broadprize.org/publiccharterschools/FAQ.html.

Charter management organizations eligible for the 2014 award operated a minimum of five schools for at least four years, had at least 2,500 enrolled each year since the 2009-10 school year—an increase of 1,000 students compared to last year's criteria—and served sizeable percentages of low-income students and students of color. Organizations cannot apply for the award nor be nominated. For a list of eligible organizations, visit http://www.broadprize.org/publiccharterschools/eligible.html. The list of organizations eligible for the 2015 award will be released this fall.

"Congratulations to KIPP Schools for winning this much-deserved award," said National Alliance President and CEO Nina Rees. "Over the past 20 years, their schools have given tens of thousands of students access to a high-quality education and their results continue to impress. Because of KIPP schools, many students have gone on to brighter futures and many more are on their way. Charter schools like KIPP have shown us what is possible—that every student can succeed."

The Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools is the sister award to The Broad Prize for Urban Education that is awarded to traditional public school districts. The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation launched both awards to help schools and school systems across America learn from innovative public school systems producing the strongest student outcomes. The Broad Foundation will release data summary analyses on all organizations eligible for the award next month, followed by the research-based best practice findings from a site visit to KIPP Schools this fall.

Founded by entrepreneur Eli Broad and his wife Edythe, both graduates of Detroit Public Schools, The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation is a philanthropy that seeks to ensure that every student in an urban public school has the opportunity to succeed. Bringing together top education experts and practitioners, the foundation funds system-wide programs and policies that strengthen public schools by creating environments that allow good teachers to do great work and enable students of all backgrounds to learn and thrive. For more information, visit www.broadeducation.org.

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SOURCE The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation