C-98 Part 4: Case StudiesKIPP Houston’s mission is to “develop in under-
served students the academic skills, intellectual hab-
its, and qualities of character necessary to succeed at
all levels of pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade,
college, and the competitive world beyond.”^3 KIPP
Houston takes the college attendance aspect of its mis-
sion very seriously. Getting all of its students “to and
through college” is a mantra of the organization. They
painstakingly track the outcomes of all their students
to find out how many attend and matriculate through
college. Some KIPP Houston employees work full time
to prepare and support students in their college appli-
cation process.
Within KIPP Houston Public Schools, Ali man-
ages 8 elementary schools (grades pre-kindergarten to
grade 4), 10 middle schools (grades 5 through 8), and
3 high schools (grades 9 through 12). In order to estab-
lish a strong school culture from the ground up, a school
is typically founded with the earliest grade level first,
then expands each year into the next grade level. In the
2012–13 school year, KIPP Houston employed 968 people
and served about 8,500 students; some schools have not
yet added all grade levels. (More student demographic
information is found in Exhibit 1.)Storied Beginnings
The founding of KIPP has become the stuff of legend in
education circles. In 1992, Michael Feinberg and David
Levin, fresh out of Ivy League colleges, joined Teach for
America (TFA), which places top college graduates as
teachers in neighborhoods of high poverty for a two-
year commitment. After a summer of training, Feinberg
and Levin started teaching fifth grade in two poorly
performing schools in the Houston Independent School
District (HISD).^4
At first they struggled to control disruptive stu-
dents and engage their classes in learning activities,
but Levin soon discovered a mentor in Harriet Ball, a
master teacher down the hall from his classroom. As
often as possible he would meet with and observe her
teaching. He soon began to adopt some of her unorth-
odox methods—including singing, chanting, and lots
of body movement—which seemed to capture the stu-
dents’ attention, make lessons memorable, and led to
higher achievement.
Levin shared these new methods with his roommate,
Feinberg. Both teachers also began visiting students in
their homes, which strengthened relationships with their
families and reinforced their high behavioral expecta-
tions. By the end of their first year, Levin and Feinberg
Exhibit 1 KIPP Houston 2013 EnrollmentTotal 8584
Eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Meals 7317
American Indian/Alaskan 36
Asian 73
Black/African American 3083
Hispanic/Latino 5287
White 55
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 2
Two or more 48
Limited English Proficiency 2559
Pre-Kindergarten 1247
Kindergarten 891
Grade 1 845
Grade 2 696
Grade 3 537
Grade 4 292
Grade 5 719
Grade 6 775
Grade 7 755
Grade 8 668
Grade 9 461
Grade 10 367
Grade 11 206
Grade 12 125
Male 4196
Female 4338
Source: Internal 2013 PEIMS reporting document used with permission.were succeeding with their improved teaching and deter-
mination to reach students.
In their second year, Levin and Feinberg met another
legendary teacher named Rafe Esquith. Esquith’s inner-
city Los Angeles fifth graders would arrive at school as
early as 6:30 am and often stayed late into the evening.
They performed complete Shakespeare plays, practiced
problem-solving and mental math, learned to play musi-
cal instruments, and took field trips to Utah’s national
parks and Washington, D.C. The classroom operated
a token economy in which students earned “money”
through various efforts and achievements and could
spend it on rewards and privileges.
In 1994, at the end of their two-year commitment
to Teach for America, feeling confident in the class-
room, getting excellent results, and inspired by Esquith’s