KIPP Houston Public Schools Business Case Study 9 Analysis Read KIPP Houston Public Schools, Case 9, pages C-97 through C-111. For this case analysis, you
KIPP Houston Public Schools Business Case Study 9 Analysis Read KIPP Houston Public Schools, Case 9, pages C-97 through C-111.
For this case analysis, you should prepare a written analysis of 3 to 5 pages that uses the text and other credible sources as appropriate. Your paper should have 1″ margins, be double spaced, and use APA formats for
topic and subtopic headings
citations
references
Your case must minimally address the following issues / questions:
Summarize the organizational strengths and core competencies which distinguish KIPP Houston from its competitors. Does the new regional structure advance or interfere with the goals of the organization?
What are the weaknesses of KIPP Houstons internal operations? Compare the organizations performance to the achievements of its competitors. What steps have been taken to manage its problem areas?
Describe the factors in the external environment which affect the charter organizations ability to meet its objectives. Discuss KIPP Houstons current expansion goals.
Describe and consider Alis strategic posture on the major issues facing KIPP Houston. Based on your analysis, do you agree with her judgment? What additional recommendations can you make to guide the organizations strategy and actions?
Rubric
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAnalysis of internal strengths and core competencies
6.0 pts
Superior: Exceeds expectations and thoughtfully assesses the potential impact of the expanding regional structure.
5.0 pts
Proficient: Analysis thoroughly describes the relevant strengths and core competencies which distinguish KIPP Houston from its competitors.
4.0 pts
Competent: Analysis includes significant strengths and core competencies which distinguish KIPP Houston from its competitors.
2.0 pts
Needs Improvement: Analysis excludes some of the relevant strengths and core competencies which distinguish KIPP Houston from its competitors.
6.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAnalysis of internal weaknesses
6.0 pts
Exceeds expectations, fully exploring and recognizing competitor achievements which impact KIPP’s success in the marketplace.
5.0 pts
Analysis thoroughly describes KIPP Houston’s internal weaknesses and demonstrates a full understanding of the steps being taken to overcome them.
4.0 pts
Analysis includes significant weaknesses of KIPP Houston’s internal operations and the steps being taken to manage these weaknesses.
2.0 pts
Analysis excludes some of the weaknesses of KIPP Houston’s internal operations and/or the steps being taken to manage these weaknesses.
6.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAnalysis of external environmental conditions
6.0 pts
Exceeds expectations and provides an outstanding critique of the organization’s current expansion goals.
5.0 pts
Analysis fully and accurately describes the external factors which affect the organization’s ability to meet its objectives.
4.0 pts
Analysis describes external factors which affect the organization’s ability to meet its objectives.
2.0 pts
Analysis fails to describe some of the external factors which affect the organization’s ability to meet its objectives
6.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeStrategic intent and recommendations
7.0 pts
Exceeds expectations and offers extraordinary suggestions to guide the organization’s strategy and actions.
6.0 pts
Response fully considers Ali’s strategic posture on major issues facing KIPP Houston, citing her experience, training, and body of results to credit her judgment.
5.0 pts
Response considers Ali’s strategic posture on major issues facing KIPP Houston.
3.0 pts
Response does not fully consider Ali’s strategic posture on major issues facing KIPP Houston.
7.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeGrammar, Writing, APA Format
5.0 pts
Information is appropriately sequenced with topical headings and subheadings. Language use, grammar, spelling, and punctuation are at an appropriate graduate level, with no errors. Uses paragraph form with topical sentences that are supported by the remainder of the paragraph, and effective transitions. Writing is clear, concise, and in correct voice and tense. Correct application of APA format. NO errors in citations and references.
4.0 pts
Information is appropriately sequenced with topical headings. Language use, grammar, spelling, and punctuation are at an appropriate graduate level. Uses paragraph form with topical sentences that are supported by the remainder of the paragraph. Writing is clear and concise. Somewhat correct application of APA format. Two to three errors in citations and references.
3.0 pts
There is some order to the information with some heading usage. Presentation has two to four misspellings or grammar errors, or two or three word use errors. Uses paragraph form but sentences within the paragraph may not be related. Somewhat correct application of APA format. Four to six errors in citations and references.
1.0 pts
Limited structure or no topical headings used. Presentation has more than four misspellings or grammar errors, or more than four word use errors. Language use makes it difficult to understand the intended meaning. Incorrect application of APA format. Several errors in or missing citations and references.
5.0 pts
Total Points: 30.0 CASE 9
KIPP Houston Public Schools
Dane Roberts
they pay a licensing fee and which is responsible for the
Rice University, Jones Graduate School of Business year-long leadership training program that all school
principals attend before founding a new KIPP school.
KIPP schools also adhere to a set of common oper-
Sehba Ali, the recently selected superintendent of KIPP ating principles known as the Five Pillars,” which the
(Knowledge Is Power Program) Houston Public Schools, KIPP Foundation describes as:
prefers that people do not refer to KIPP as a miracle”
Yes, it has effectively quadrupled the rate at which its HIGH EXPECTATIONSKIPP schools have
low-income students attend college compared to tradi- clearly defined and measurable high expectations
tional public schools. Yes, it has created a new model for for academic achievement and conduct that make
public education that has spread throughout the United no excuses based on the students’ backgrounds.
States and beyond. And, yes, visitors to the schools are Students, parents, teachers, and staff create and rein-
often astounded by the focus and character shown by its force a culture of achievement and support through
students-often called KIPPstersin comparison to the a range of formal and in formal rewards and conse-
chaos that sometimes prevails in other schools serving quences for academic performance and behavior.
neighborhoods of high poverty. But Ali believes there is CHOICE & COMMITMENTStudents, their par-
no magic or miracle to it.
ents, and the faculty of each KIPP school choose
Instead she attributes KIPP’s success to “a lot of smart to participate in the program. No one is assigned
people working hard and being nice. It’s about innova- or forced to attend a KIPP school. Everyone must
tion. It’s about creativity. It’s about being as smart as we make and uphold a commitment to the school and
can and being willing to take risks and make change.” to each other to put in the time and effort required
Despite the organization’s dedicated staff members to achieve success.
and students, who have committed with their signatures MORE TIME-KIPP schools know that there are
to do whatever it takes” to succeed, there is no guarantee no shortcuts when it comes to success in academics
the future will be an unqualified success. KIPP Houston and life. With an extended school day, week, and year,
has faced challenges finding enough qualified teachers students have more time in the classroom to acquire
and leaders to continue its plans for rapid expansion. the academic knowledge and skills that will prepare
Securing adequate funding for its programs and facilities them for competitive high schools and colleges, as
is also a perennial challenge. Finally, some lapses in qual- well as more opportunities to engage in diverse
ity among the 21 elementary and secondary schools in extracurricular experiences.
the Houston metro area are forcing Ali and other KIPP POWER TO LEAD-The principals of KIPP
Houston leaders to grapple with the trade-off between schools are effective academic and organizational
campus autonomy and top-down management.
leaders who understand that great schools require
great school leaders. They have control over their
Setting the Scene
school budget and personnel
. They are free to
swiftly move dollars or make staffing changes,
KIPP Houston is a network of charter schools located allowing them maximum effectiveness in helping
in Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in the United students learn.
States. Charter schools are public, taxpayer funded, FOCUS ON RESULTS-KIPP schools relentlessly
and open to all students; however, they operate inde- focus on high student performance on standard-
pendently of traditional school districts. The 21 schools ized tests and other objective measures. Just as there
KIPP Houston operates are among 125 nationally that are no shortcuts, there are no excuses. Students are
use the KIPP name. While all KIPP schools have a high expected to achieve a level of academic performance
level of autonomy, they share the imprimatur of the that will enable them to succeed at the nation’s best
KIPP Foundation in San Francisco, California, to whom high schools and colleges.
Copyright 2017 Cama Leaming. All Rights Reserved. May the cupied cand, duplicated in waslearin pat. Due to clatronic rights, we thind party content may be on the candelen
Fuditorial review has deemed that we contendent day like the wall leaming experie.Ceny.crming moves the right to me to contain if bepantigas restrictions remainit
C-98
Part 4: Case Studies
73
5287
55
2
48
2559
1247
891
845
696
537
Grade 3
Grade 4
292
Grade 5
719
775
Grade 6
Grade 7
755
668
KIPP Houston’s mission is to develop in under- Exhibit 1 KIPP Houston 2013 Enrollment
served students the academic skills, intellectual hab-
its, and qualities of character necessary to succeed at Total
8584
all levels of pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, Eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Meals 7317
college, and the competitive world beyond. KIPP
American Indian/Alaskan
36
Houston takes the college attendance aspect of its mis-
Asian
sion very seriously. Getting all of its students to and
3083
through college” is a mantra of the organization. They
Black/African American
painstakingly track the outcomes of all their students Hispanic/Latino
to find out how many attend and matriculate through White
college. Some KIPP Houston employees work full time Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
to prepare and support students in their college appli-
Two or more
cation process.
Within KIPP Houston Public Schools, Ali man-
Limited English Proficiency
ages 8 elementary schools (grades pre-kindergarten to
Pre-Kindergarten
grade 4), 10 middle schools (grades 5 through 8), and Kindergarten
3 high schools (grades 9 through 12). In order to estab- Grade 1
lish a strong school culture from the ground up, a school Grade 2
is typically founded with the earliest grade level first,
then expands each year into the next grade level. In the
2012-13 school year, KIPP Houston employed 968 people
and served about 8,500 students, some schools have not
yet added all grade levels. (More student demographic
information is found in Exhibit 1.)
Grade 8
Storied Beginnings
Grade 9
Grade 10
The founding of KIPP has become the stuff of legend in
206
education circles. In 1992, Michael Feinberg and David
Grade 11
Levin, fresh out of Ivy League colleges, joined Teach for
Grade 12
America (TFA), which places top college graduates as Male
teachers in neighborhoods of high poverty for a two- Female
year commitment. After a summer of training, Feinberg
Source: Internal 2013 PEIMS reporting document used with permission
and Levin started teaching fifth grade in two poorly
performing schools in the Houston Independent School
District (HISD).
were succeeding with their improved teaching and deter-
At first they struggled to control disruptive stu- mination to reach students.
dents and engage their classes in learning activities, In their second year, Levin and Feinberg met another
but Levin soon discovered a mentor in Harriet Ball, a legendary teacher named Rafe Esquith. Esquith’s inner-
master teacher down the hall from his classroom. As city Los Angeles fifth graders would arrive at school as
often as possible he would meet with and observe her early as 6:30 am and often stayed late into the evening.
teaching. He soon began to adopt some of her unorth- They performed complete Shakespeare plays, practiced
odox methodsincluding singing, chanting, and lots problem-solving and mental math, learned to play musi-
of body movementwhich seemed to capture the stu- cal instruments, and took field trips to Utah’s national
dents’ attention, make lessons memorable, and led to parks and Washington, D.C. The classroom operated
higher achievement.
a token economy in which students earned “money”
Levin shared these new methods with his roommate, through various efforts and achievements and could
Feinberg. Both teachers also began visiting students in spend it on rewards and privileges.
their homes, which strengthened relationships with their In 1994, at the end of their two-year commitment
families and reinforced their high behavioral expecta- to Teach for America, feeling confident in the class-
tions. By the end of their first year, Levin and Feinberg room, getting excellent results, and inspired by Esquith’s
461
367
125
4196
4338
achievements, Levin and Feinberg decided to work was charged with training principals to start new KIPP
together to start a new program for HISD fifth graders schools that would replicate the success of the first two.
called the knowledge Is Power Program, or KIPP. “Fisher Fellowships” are still awarded each year to those
After struggling to recruit students and maneuver who will train with the foundation before starting new
through the school district bureaucracy to get the pro- schools.
gram off the ground, Levin and Feinberg launched KIPP, In its original incarnation, the KIPP Foundation
co-teaching about 50 students in one classroom. The stu- focused on finding the right high-caliber leaders and
dents arrived by 7:30 a.m. and stayed until 5 p.m., came giving them free rein to start schools anywhere in the
for weekend enrichment dasses, and were required to United States. In those first years, each individual KIPP
attend summer classes. Using a mixture of Ball’s engag. school was governed by its own board of directors and
ing teaching practices, Esquith’s high expectations and operated completely autonomously. Around 2005, when
motivational techniques (including the chance to earn a Richard Barth became CEO of the KIPP Foundation, the
field trip to Washington, D.C., at the end of the school strategy shifted to a regional model, where KIPP schools
year), a continual emphasis on college attendance, and in the same city or geographical area were grouped
their own personal innovations, the two teachers suc- together into regional networks. Today, there are 31
ceed in leading 90 percent of their students to pass the regional KIPP organizations in 20 states and the District
states math and reading tests, after a fourth grade year in of Columbia.
which about half had passed.
A Region Is Born
Nationwide Growth
Houston got an early start in this regional reorganization
With the success of KIPP’s first year under his belt, Levin effort, creating more middle schools and expanding into
moved to New York, his home city, to start another elementary and high schools, which made it possible for
Knowledge Is Power Program in the Bronx. Hoping to students to remain with KIPP from pre-kindergarten at
continue the gains the KIPP fifth graders had achieved, age three until high school graduation.
Levin and Feinberg also decided to expand both pro- After working for the new KIPP Foundation, Feinberg
grams to become full middle schools, adding grades 6 returned to Houston to serve as superintendent of the
through 8 as the students moved up through the grades. growing KIPP Houston district. Feinberg believed the
This expansion brought a new challenge of finding excel traditional districts, such as the Houston Independent
lent teaching talent to maintain the high academic and School District, would continue to underperform until
behavioral expectations, but both Levin and Feinberg they were directly challenged by a competitor capturing
were able to lead their schools to results that far sur. a larger share of student enrollment. Using the analogy
passed the neighboring public schools.
of the U.S. Postal Service offering overnight mail ser-
The success of the schools began to attract atten- vice only after FedEx had captured a significant share of
tion. Dozens of Teach for America teachers visited the market, Feinberg initiated an ambitious growth plan
the schools to see the teachers and kids in action. The called KIPP Turbo” which called for 42 KIPP schools in
mayor of Houston and the HISD superintendent and Houston by 2017
future U.S. Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, dropped With the economic crisis of 2008, the Great Recession,
in. In the coming years, the two schools broke off from and a subsequent $5.4 billion cut to education spending
their school districts to become state-sanctioned charter in 2011 by the Texas state legislature, KIPP Turbo was
schools, free from some of the constraints of operating scaled back. Instead of the original goal of 42 schools
in a school district bureaucracy.
by 2017, KIPP Houston now plans to grow to 50 schools
In 1999, 60 Minutes aired a 13-minute segment show- by 2033? The budget shortfalls also led Feinberg to
casing the success of the two KIPP middle schools. At reconsider his role within the district. In 2011, Feinberg
the same time, Donald Fisher, who had co-founded announced he would dedicate more of his time to fund-
the dothing retailer The Gap with his wife Doris, and raising and political advocacy, on behalf of both KIPP
his family were in the midst of a year-long search for Houston and the KIPP network as a whole. Although
an education-related philanthropic project. Fisher was he would still play a key role on KIPP Houston’s board,
impressed by what he saw on 60 Minutes and donated Feinberg decided it was time to turn KIPP Houston over
$25 million to help found the KIPP Foundation, which to a new leader.
In late 2011, Sehba Ali was announced as the sole alone navigate the process of preparing for and applying
finalist for the role of KIPP Houston superintendent, for college admittance. Parents often work in jobs that
and in July of 2012 she took over the superintendency. require long hours or irregular schedules, making it dif-
Like Feinberg, Levin, and many other KIPP leaders, ficult to help their children or hold them accountable for
Ali started her education career with Teach for America. completing school assignments.
After her two-year commitment as an English teacher in Crime is significantly higher in the denser low-
a low-income Houston middle school, Ali taught for one income neighborhoods, and some children have to cope
year at another Houston charter outfit called YES Prep. with exposure to violence and gang activity. Houston
She then attended Stanford, earning a master’s degree in has become an active hub for gangs, with a reported
education in 2003. The KIPP Foundation awarded Ali 29 percent increase in the gang presence from 2010 to
the Fisher Fellowship, and in 2004 she founded KIPP 2012.”Gangs actively recruit young people in neighbor-
Heartwood Academy, located in a low-income neigh- hoods of high poverty, primarily in middle school but
borhood near San Jose. The school went on to score as early as elementary school, offering camaraderie and
among the highest 8 percent of schools in California on protection.”
standardized achievement tests. When hired, Ali was Studies have also found that students from low-
serving as the chief academic officer of the KIPP Bay income families generally come to school less well-
Area region.
prepared to succeed academically. Due in part to
differences in parenting patterns between high-income
The Target Market”
and low-income parents, poor children have significantly
lower vocabularies than the children of the professional
From its founding, KIPP has sought to serve students in classes. Two researchers who observed and quantified
high-minority, low-income communities. School leaders the verbal interactions between high-socioeconomic
actively recruit students from Houston’s low-rent apart- and low-socioeconomic parents found that professional
ment complexes and neighborhoods. Of KIPP Houston’s parents directed 2,153 words per hour at their children
roughly 8,500 students, 85 percent are low income (as compared to parents on welfare assistance, who used 616.
measured by receiving federal free or reduced-price This substantial gap in exposure to language resulted in
lunch assistance), 36 percent are African-American, and a comparable gap in vocabulary when children entered
62 percent are Latino. Thirty percent are dassified as school. Tests of language skill at the ages of 9 and 10
having limited English proficiency.
showed the discrepancy persisted, affecting students’
The Gulfton neighborhood of Houston was among readiness for higher-level academic work.’
the first areas from which KIPP recruited students and Despite the challenges facing families in poverty,
is typical of the areas KIPP schools target. Many of its many parents in the target neighborhoods are eager to
residents are immigrants, with 58 percent of residents seize the opportunity KIPP offers to give their children
born outside the United States. The median family a good education. In a typical recruitment visit, a KIPP
income is $28,703, with more than half of children under teacher will sit in the home of a prospective student
18 years old living below the poverty level. Of Gulfton and explain exactly what the school requires of parents,
residents aged 25 and older, 18 percent have attained a students, and teachers. After answering questions, the
bachelor’s degree or higher. Nearly half (47.1 percent) teacher will ask the parents and student if they are will-
have not graduated from high school. By compari- ing to make these promises. If they answer in the affir-
son, in the directly adjacent, affluent neighborhood of mative, the student, parents, and teacher will sign the
Bellaire, 77 percent of residents have attained a bache- “Commitment to Excellence.” The teacher usually takes a
lor’s degree or higher and less than three percent have photo of the new KIPPster holding a KIPP sign to cele-
not graduated high school. The median family income brate his or her decision.
is $184,600; 4 percent of children under 18 live under The number of students desiring to “Commit to
the poverty level.”
Excellence” at a KIPP school exceeds the network’s cur-
Although a bachelor’s degree is increasingly necessary rent capacity. From those who sign up, KIPP Houston
to secure a middle-class income in the United States, the decides which students to enroll through a lottery. The
socioeconomic realities of KIPP’s target neighborhoods only students not subject to this random selection are
can make the attainment of higher education a daunting those who have siblings who attended or currently attend
challenge for students. Many parents have limited educa- a KIPP Houston school. Students who are not selected in
tion and cannot help their children with homework, let the lottery are placed on a waiting list. According to KIPP
Cases iPP Houston PR SCHOOLS
LIUI
Houston, there are currently over 8,000 students on the Not required to provide 180 days of instruction as are
waiting list.”
other public schools (though funding levels depend
on days of instruction)
Rules of the Game
Not required to follow limitations on student-teacher
ratios and class sizes.
Efforts to grow the network to meet excess demand have
to meet
the regulatory constraints that govern charter The Money Gap
schools. The law allowing charter schools in Texas was
passed by the state legislature in 1995 and was designed Despite the increased flexibility afforded to charter
to increase the level of choice for students and teach- schools by the state code, KIPP Houston faces other
ers, as well as improve student learning by encouraging obstacles arising from the way public money is disbursed
innovation and performance accountability. The law lays to schools.
out areas in which charter schools have flexibility and Public schools in the United States are primarily
areas in which they must meet the same requirements as funded through a mix of local, state and federal sources.
other public schools.6 7
Nationally, federal funding accounts for 10 percent of
revenues, with the remaining 90 percent coming from
Staffing
a mix of local and state sources.” In Texas, most of this
Not required to hire certified teachers. The mini- money is raised from local property taxe…
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