KIPP Delta and local school districts continue promising partnership

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KIPP Delta Public Schools and local public school districts will continue “KIPP Through College,” a partnership designed to increase the number of students in the region pursuing college.

For the past two school years, “KIPP Through College” has advised students and their families in the Helena-West Helena and Lee County school districts with college guidance.  Advisors work with the students throughout the long college preparatory process, from preparing for the ACT, to reviewing application essays, to sorting out financial aid requirements.

At Central High School in the Helena-West Helena School District, over 90 percent of students graduating this spring applied for college, with and 80 percent acceptance rate.

“The partnership has played a significant role in supporting our school’s efforts in fully preparing our students for college,” said Earnest Simpson III, principal at Central High School.  “We can always depend on the college advisors to provide encouragement and assistance to students in all aspects of college preparation.”

“This is a program we have seen work for our students at KIPP Delta, and we are excited to be able to partner with other schools to increase the college-going rate of students in the Delta,” said Scott Shirey, executive director of KIPP Delta Public Schools.

The partnerships between KIPP Delta and the Helena-West Helena and the Lee County school districts were made possible by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation.