Case 9: KIPP Houston Public Schools C-109
great teachers.” On the other hand, Ali sees potential
for technology to enhance teacher effectiveness by, for
example, providing minute-to-minute student perfor-
mance data. This might indirectly alleviate the retention
problem because “teachers who feel good about what
they’re doing in their classrooms tend to stay.”^63
Competitive Pressures
While KIPP Houston might have been the trailblazer in
effective models of public schooling for low-income stu-
dents, the competition is not sitting on its hands.
The Houston Independent School District has
responded to the success of charter schools by attempt-
ing to replicate their most effective practices, including a
longer school day, a college-bound culture, and one-on-
two tutoring, in some of its underperforming schools.
The program, called Apollo 20, was launched in the
2010–11 school year.^64 After its first year, HISD reported
math “gains [similar] to those seen in charter schools,”
especially in grades six and nine, in which students had
received one-on-two tutoring,65, 66 HISD has not been
able to fund the program through its regular operating
revenues, however, and has depended on philanthropic
gifts for funding.^67
YES Prep, the charter network with consistent
“Exemplary” ratings, was founded in 1995 (the same
year KIPP established its charter) by another TFA
alum and friend of Michael Feinberg.^68 It has long been
a friendly competitor but has had a slower growth tra-
jectory and a different management philosophy. From
the beginning, YES Prep’s focus was less on leadership
and more on defining curriculum and teacher expec-
tations. New schools were opened by veteran leaders
working side-by-side with less experienced leaders.^69
YES Prep schools aligned assessments of student learn-
ing years before KIPP, and they now use a common
framework for evaluating, promoting, and compensat-
ing teachers.
Sehba Ali feels that KIPP Houston and YES Prep fill
different niches in the education landscape:
“We’re different. What we bring is innovation and cre-
ativity and autonomy for our leaders and teachers. There
are people who are better suited for KIPP and peopleExhibit 8 Promotional Flyer for the KIPP Courage Blended Learning Model and Initial Results
(^0) 0%
5
10
Reading Math Reading Math
3.06 38%
7.05 72%
Percentage of Students who met
MAP^1 RIT Growth Goals from
Fall 2012 to Winter 2013
Average MAP^1 RIT Score Growth
from Fall 2012 to Winter 2013
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Phase I: Learning Lab
Two 30 minute Rotations:
30 minutes of Rosetta Stone in English or Spanish Instruction
30 minutes of Math or Reading Intervention with Success Maker or Khan Academy
30 minutes of “Explore Pod” with Teacher-Created Blogs
Phase II: Blended Reading Classroom
Two 30 minute Rotations:
30 minutes of Independent Non-fiction Work on Chromebooks with Achieve 3000
30 minutes of Small Group Instruction with a Teacher
30 minutes of Group Work in a Fiction Book Club with other Students
Source: KIPP Courage College Prep