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Dallas' KIPP Truth Academy is Creating a New Model for Educational Success
WFAA Channel 8
MARJORIE FORD
May 21, 2007
05:48 PM CDT on Monday, May 21, 2007
KIPP Truth Academy started in an on Oak Cliff strip mall in 2003. The exterior of the Dallas middle school is ordinary and rather drab. But once you step inside, you know you've entered a place where the light of knowledge shines bright. At KIPP, education is taken seriously. Students are expected to participate in class, to be prepared, and to do lots of homework.
"As soon as I got here, I had almost 3 hours of work every single day. So, I might stay up 'til twelve o'clock to finish it, " said 13 year old Devin Chapman. "But once I got into the system, it started getting easier for me, because I started gaining more knowledge, so, I started to figure out how to manage time."
Devin's parents said he was "always a good a student," but after he began attending the charter school, four years ago, his math skills immediately improved.
"They taught him a lot of different things to--where he could grasp the concepts a lot easier. And he went from a "B" student to an "A" student, within a matter of weeks. I mean, it was a drastic improvement," said Devin's mother, Beverly Chapman
The focus at KIPP is on getting the 5th to 8th grade students on the path to higher education. Principal, Steve Colmus said they try to "set the kids up for success." He explains, "One of our founders describes fifth grade as being two minutes left in the fourth. There's still time on the clock. But, we've got to work really, really hard to get them up to where we think they need to be."
Devin's father, Bryan Chapman, likes the fact that KIPP encourages students to achieve. He said, "I've always believed to where, if you're in a system, to where, everyone's on the same page about striving---going to high school, then going to college--I think that's a good program."
KIPP's program is demanding: the school year is longer--extending into summer. And the school days are longer--from 7:30 to 5. Devin's mother said, "There are no excuses. There are no shortcuts. If the kids need to be here at 7:30; they need to be here at 7:30." Devin cautions would-be students, "Be prepared to work hard. Because since you hit KIPP, that next day, you may be writing a page essay or something. So you need to be ready, in your mind, that you want to work hard and you want to be here."
This year, 160 students are enrolled at KIPP. The school requires everyone to make a commitment to excellence: students, teachers, and parents.
"You have be very dedicated," said Devin's mother. "The school policy is that children write out their homework assignments in their planner, and you have to initial those assignments every night. And that's going to be new for parents to do, with most middle schools."
Devin's father adds, "You really have to be involved. (At) KIPP - you sign a contract-- you really have to be involved with the child. Whether that's going to the PTA meeting; making sure (their) homework is signed --and if it's not done, that falls on you, as the parent."
The school principal, said he and the teachers are held to the same high standard. "It's a really powerful thing, I think, when you all sit around the table and you're essentially equal partners in the agreement."
KIPP's rigorous requirements are paying off for the charter school's first graduating class. The majority of the 30 eighth-graders have been accepted to some of the top-rated high schools in Dallas, among them Bishop Dunne, Booker T. Washington, Episcopal, Greenhill, St. Mark's and Peak.
Devin is the only student who will attend an out-of-state prep school. His proud mother explains, "He's been accepted to accepted to Middlesex Academy in Concord, Massachusetts. He received a scholarship. The scholarship is for roughly around 40-thousand dollars a years, and it includes his college application fees; his travel for him and the family. Any event that he would need additional funding---it's all covered by the school."
Devin Chapman has a promising future. The scholarly, personable young man wants to be a neurosurgeon. "I'm very excited. I'm waiting for the next school year to start," he said. And Devin said he can rely on the "tenacity and knowledge" that he's gained from KIPP Truth Academy. "And I think that's needed in life, in college and in high school."
KIPP is not a designated gifted and talented school, but the students there are learning how to realize their full potential. The charter school is free. Enrollment is open to any student who is willing to make a commitment. "There is no criteria. If kids and families express interest in joining our mission, then we welcome them. It's that simple," said principal, Colmus.
KIPP is currently recruiting 5th and 6th graders for the 2007 - 2008 school year, which kicks off with a three--week summer session starting June 7. Priority is given to students who live in the Oak Cliff / southern sector. To learn more: call 214-375-TEAM (8326) or log on to the website - http://www.kipptruth.org/
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