How are the children?

Click on graphic above for video interview as Angelica Light, Hampton Roads Community Foundation, speaks with Mike Feinberg, KIPP Houston. DIRECT Video Link

“How are the children?”

It is still the traditional greeting among the fabled African Masai warrior tribe to acknowledge the high value placed on their children’s well-being. Even warriors with no children of their own always give the traditional answer:  ”All the children are well.” Meaning that peace and safety prevail and recognizing that the society’s reason for being, its proper function and responsibility, is to care for and nurture its young.

“All the children are well” means life is good. It means the daily struggle for existence, even among a poor population, do not preclude proper caring for its children.

That’s the parable Mike Feinberg, co-founder of the charter school system Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), used to open at the Community Matters luncheon on Wednesday, October 27, 2010, a program of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation and the Economics Club of Hampton Roads.

By Missy Schmidt, Communication Manager, Hampton Roads Partnership

The message was clear that America’s children are not at all well, at least in terms of their education and future opportunities. Feinberg posed this rhetorical question to the nearly 200 attendees: “How great would our society be if that was our daily focus?”

After joining Teach for America in the early 90s, fresh out of college, Feinberg became a fifth grade bilingual teacher in a low-income school in Houston. He was happy that his bright engaging students stayed in touch with him after moving onto the next grade level but appalled when they called and asked for homework. His former student had been turned off from the learning process.

In response, Feinberg co-founded KIPP in 1994, along with fellow TFA corps member, Dave Levin.

KIPP’s program design was meant to help kids not just survive but also thrive, teaching the intellectual and how-to-learn skills needed to be successful. The program’s basic premise was to stop finger-pointing and placing blame on others, which only contributes to the problem, not the solution. Feinberg asked program participants to look in the mirror and point the proverbial finger at ourselves, to quit looking for the magic bullet and get to work.

Middle school years are turbulent and yet creative, setting the stage for future learning. When implemented, KIPP did not create new curriculum; it just made sure kids were actually learning.

There are five pillars, the core set of operating principles, in KIPP as Feinberg explained:

• More time: More time on task each day is needed to close the achievement gap; however, more bad teaching will not mean better learning. The school day must be lengthened to get everything done.
• Choice and commitment: Only middle and upper income families have any choice today to break the monopoly the U.S. public education delivery system has become. Schools are mainly focused on testing accountability, when they should be focused on kids and parents. The day should be so full of learning and fun that kids want to come back every day. Commitment to excellence forms are signed by parents, kids, teachers and administrators. Parents and teachers must choose to be there.
• Power to lead: Principals must be empowered to make the best choices and truly lead their schools, getting rid of under-performing teachers when needed, hiring excellent teachers, not sacrificing programs like art. People make the difference not the “stuff.” If the teacher is mediocre, not all the “stuff” in the world will help. Hiring amazing teachers is a key to success.
• High expectations: College prep can start even in early childhood education. Children should start thinking like and aspiring to their graduation class, that number is 16 years away, the college graduation year. By the end of high school, students should have developed into independent learners.
• Focus on results: Measurable goals are necessary, and everyone is expected to achieve a high level of academic performance that will set them up for success. There are no shortcuts; the program is about changing the mindset.

Visitors to KIPP schools are inspired by seeing great teaching and more of it, said Feinberg. Then they think it cannot happen in their own communities, but it can. Not every school is exactly alike. The basic pillars are, though. The original schools in Houston and NY were “cousins,” not twins.

Perhaps many lunch-goers were “KIPP-notized” as coined by Feinberg:  Prove what is possible and problems can be overcome. Belief and mindset are the most important problems to overcome.

As a society, we do not yet believe that any child in any zip code can succeed in life. If a kid in the “hood” graduates from college, we want to make a TV movie of the week, chided Feinberg.

Feinberg believes that academic competition within school districts, everyone aspiring to attend that one best school, can help elevate the other schools in the district, too, comparing the impact FedEx and UPS had on the U.S. Postal Service.

What is the tipping point in public education, asked Feinberg. He believes it is when we want extraordinary results for our kids …and that requires extraordinary efforts… to demand enough high quality choices.

“Someone has to be the first guy to say ‘I’m not sure this is the best idea’,” using the myth of some 80 years ago when common thinking told us that smoking helped improve athletic prowess.

Virginia currently has only four charter schools and momentum to create more around the Commonwealth is building. Feinberg said charter schools are not THE answer but can be part of the solution, if done properly.

During Q&A, Feinberg added:

The arts in school are not critical in standard testing, but they are critical to stimulate both lobes of the brain and provide a well-rounded education. “Skill and drill” does not engage a kid. A child’s school day should be filled with joyful opportunities to keep ‘em coming back for more.

To get KIPP started in a school or school district, it starts with community leaders. Funding the facilities requires the same dollars as every other public school, not more. Charter legislation in the state is needed that allows the freedom to empower school principals. In its 15-year history, KIPP has had 5000 applicants; only 120 were selected and 20 dropped out. When performing an “autopsy” on the failed KIPP schools, the result was always the wrong leader.

What about parents’ input? Other than signing a non-legally binding contract, the commitment may be in spirit only. KIPP schools do not expect parents to do anything, but they do work for and hope for a partnership with them such as doing homework, getting to school on time and meeting with the school. Systems are in place to help with this. The most important job is to do whatever it takes to make that kid successful. “We’re on the hook,” said Feinberg. Parental support does not always mean involvement.

How do you get legislators involved without offending your school district?  Monopoly is not a negative. The average administrators are just trying to do their jobs. However, if you do not have to compete, the job is easier. Success does require forward thinking elected officials and school district leaders to understand that serving the children, not the adults, should drive the decision-making. If a KIPP school fails, i.e., the competition is removed, typical district schools regress back to mediocre or failing.

What if college isn’t the right choice for students?  The KIPP program instills skills necessary to go to college but also skills that are necessary for life. Preparing kids for success is the goal and it should be the child’s choice as to their college and/or career path, not a result of their socioeconomic status.

KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools with a track record of preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. There are currently 99 KIPP schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia serving more than 26,000 students.

Mr. Feinberg currently serves as superintendent of KIPP Houston. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1991, Mr. Feinberg joined Teach for America and became a fifth grade bilingual teacher in low-income school in Houston ISD. In 1994, Mr. Feinberg co-founded the Knowledge Is Power Program along with fellow TFA corps member Dave Levin.

Mr. Feinberg and his KIPP partner were the subject of the 2009 book by Jay Mathews, Work Hard Be Nice.

KIPP builds a partnership among parents, students, and teachers that puts learning first. By providing outstanding educators, more time in school focused on learning, and a strong culture of achievement, KIPP helps all students climb the mountain to and through college, if that is the career path they choose. Over 80% of KIPP students are from low-income families and eligible for the federal free or reduced-price meals program, and 95% are African American or Latino. Nationally, more than 90% of KIPP middle school students have gone on to college-preparatory high schools, and over 85% of KIPP alumni have gone on to college. Students are accepted regardless of prior academic record, conduct or socioeconomic background.

KIPP is one of the school programs highlighted in the movie, Waiting for Superman, now playing, a title based on the premise that today’s school children, and their parents and neighborhoods, are waiting for a mythical character, a “Superman,” to save them and the failing educational system. Feinberg did share that his Houston schools do not conduct a public lottery as shown in the film, as it is “humiliating.”

But, due to the large numbers of children and parents who want “in” and the very small number of schools available, a child’s future may be determined by the drop of a bingo ball.