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FAQ

Independent researchers who studied KIPP have reported that students make significant academic gains while at KIPP schools. Several independent reports also identify areas for development for KIPP schools.

Current Studies in Progress

Our major external evaluation effort, the National Evaluation of KIPP Middle Schools, released its first report on June 22, 2010. In November 2007, Mathematica Policy Research was selected to conduct a longitudinal evaluation of KIPP's impact on middle school students. This rigorous study delivers information about both academic and non-academic outcomes. Findings from the National Evaluation will help KIPP identify opportunities for program improvement and to share knowledge and will be used to share insights with the broader education community. The second report will be completed in late 2012.

Completed Reports

These reports are in PDF format, requiring Adobe Reader.

Who Benefits From KIPP? NBER Working Paper Series 

Key findings: "The results show overall gains of 0.35 standard deviations in math and 0.12 standard deviations in reading for each year spent at KIPP Lynn. LEP students, special education students, and those with low baseline scores benefit more from time spent at KIPP than do other students."

San Francisco Bay Area KIPP Schools: A Study of Early Implementation and Achievement - Final Report

SRI International. September, 2008.

Key findings: "Bay Area KIPP students make above-average progress compared with national norms, and they outperform their host districts."

Urban School Reform: Year 4 Outcomes for the Knowledge is Power Program in an Urban Middle School

Center for Research in Educational Policy, University of Memphis. March, 2008.

Key findings: "Overall, the achievement analyses revealed fairly positive outcomes for KIPP students relative to matched control students."

Baltimore KIPP Ujima Village Academy, 2002-2006: A Longitudinal Analysis of Student Outcomes

The Center for Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University. June, 2007.

Key findings: "Even when pre-existing differences between KIPP and comparison students are controlled in statistical analyses, KIPP students generally outperformed comparison school students on achievement measures."

Opening Closed Doors: Lessons from Colorado's First Independent Charter School

Augenblick, Palaich & Associates. September, 2006.

Key findings: "Standardized test scores indicate that Cole College Prep produced improved student outcomes. This [study] reviews Cole College Prep student performance on both the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) and Stanford 10 (SAT-10) standardized tests."

San Francisco Bay Area KIPP Schools: A Study of Early Implementation

SRI International. March, 2006.

Key findings: "Students attending Bay Area KIPP schools score consistently higher on standardized tests than for comparable public neighborhood schools across grades and subjects - in a few cases dramatically so."

Focus on Results: An Academic Impact Analysis of the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP)

The Educational Policy Institute (EPI). August, 2005.

Key findings: "The Knowledge Is Power Program has posted large and significant gains on a nationally norm-referenced standardized test. This performance is true across schools and throughout the nation. The fact that KIPP fifth grade cohorts showed a dramatic increase well above normal growth rates in reading, language, and mathematics is laudable and worthy of continued investigation and practice."

Can an Intense Educational Experience Improve Performance on Objective Tests? Results from One Charter School

Musher, Musher, Graviss, and Strudler. Summer, 2005. 

Key findings: "Objective testing showed that the KIPP students in this study improved remarkably in academic performance during three years of observation."

KIPP DIAMOND ACADEMY Year Three (2004-2005) Evaluation Report

Center for Research in Educational Policy, University of Memphis. October, 2005.

Key findings: "Parents remain positive regarding KIPP:DA. Parents cited the "innovative ways of teaching" along with smaller classes where teachers pay more attention to students as positive aspects"

Analysis of Year 2 (2003-2004): Student Achievement Outcomes for the Memphis KIPP Diamond Academy

Center for Research in Educational Policy, University of Memphis. January, 2005.

Key findings: "These results are clearly suggestive of positive KIPP DIAMOND Academy effects in year two, especially in view of the doubling of school size and special unanticipated challenges faced during the year."

Year 1 Evaluation of the KIPP DIAMOND Academy: Analysis of TCAP Scores for Matched Program-Control Group Students

Center for Research in Educational Policy, University of Memphis. May, 2004.

Key findings: "These results show that KIPP:DIAMOND Academy students performed directionally higher than control students on all criterion-referenced tests and norm referenced subtests."

Evaluating Success: KIPP Educational Program Evaluation

New American Schools, Educational Performance Network. October, 2002.

Key findings: "The results of this evaluation provide evidence that students' test scores improved at impressive rates after their enrollment in the KIPP schools. Of critical importance, these gains were reflected across demographic subgroups and exceeded those achieved by these same students in the year prior to their enrollment."

 KIPP uses the following four criteria for including reports/studies on this website:

• The report is written by a researcher or team of researchers independent from KIPP;
• The report uses original data drawn from quantitative and/or qualitative research in KIPP schools;
• The report focuses exclusively on KIPP;
• The report or article has been published.