KIPP ACADEMY CHARLOTTE CHARTER SCHOOL APPROVED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

KIPP Press Release, Thursday, March 1, 2007

-- New public middle school will provide college prep education to underserved children in Charlotte --

CHARLOTTE, NC – The KIPP Academy Charlotte public charter school, led by principal Keith Burnam, was approved today by the North Carolina State Board of Education. Scheduled to open in July of 2007, the new Charlotte public middle school will prepare students in Charlotte for college through innovative teaching, hard work, and a structured learning environment.

KIPP Academy Charlotte, modeled after the national KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) network, will feature an extended school day, week, and year. Students will attend school Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., alternating Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and for a three-week summer session. The school will open with a first class of 90 fifth graders and will add one grade each year until it reaches 360 students in grades five through eight in 2010.

“We are excited for the arrival of the first KIPP school in Charlotte and are confident that it will offer another effective public school option for children in Charlotte,” says board chair Aaron Means. “KIPP has a track record of success in North Carolina and across the country, and we are looking forward to serving the community in Charlotte.”

KIPP is a national network of 52 free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools in 16 states and Washington, D.C. that prepares underserved students for success in college and in life. The success of KIPP has been featured in numerous national news outlets including Washington Post, Newsweek, People, Reader’s Digest and US News & World Report. In April of 2006, Oprah Winfrey called KIPP “a revolutionary new school system.” In November of 2006, a New York Times article by Paul Tough stated: “the most influential schools are the ones run by KIPP.”

KIPP Academy Charlotte is modeled after the highly acclaimed KIPP Gaston College Preparatory in Gaston, North Carolina. KIPP Gaston College Prep is the highest performing public school in Northampton County, as measured by the 2006 End-of-Grade reading and mathematics assessments. Gaston is also home to a KIPP high school - one of two in the national KIPP network.

Burnam will begin recruiting children this month for his new school. The deadline for student applications will be April 13, 2007. KIPP Academy Charlotte is an open-enrollment, public school to which students are admitted regardless of prior academic record, conduct, or socioeconomic background. Students and parents enroll by signing a “commitment to excellence” learning pledge that outlines KIPP's high expectations, extended days, and structured discipline.

“KIPP’s arrival in Charlotte reflects our commitment to provide a high quality education option to as many children as possible in North Carolina and across the country,” says Caleb Dolan, principal of KIPP Gaston College Prep. “The experience that Keith gained through his teaching and leadership in Gaston will be an asset to KIPP in Charlotte.”

Burnam graduated from Morehouse College in 2002, where he was a Ronald E. McNair Scholar and three year starter on the Morehouse football team. In 2002, he joined Teach for America in Durham, NC. Burnam taught sixth grade math for four years at KIPP Gaston College Prep. Last year 100 percent of his sixth grade class passed the state test and earned the 8th highest scale score in the state of NC on the state exam. As the Chair of KIPP GCP’s Math Department, 99 percent of the students at GCP passed the end-of-grade math test and Algebra 1 EOC.

“I am thrilled by the opportunity to serve the students and community of Charlotte,” says Burnam. “KIPP is a ‘no excuses’ organization, and we will do whatever it takes to help all students learn and climb the mountain to college.”

About KIPP KIPP was founded in 1994 in Houston by two idealistic teachers, Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin, after completing their commitment to Teach For America. KIPP has grown to a national network of 52 public schools in 16 states and the District of Columbia. KIPP schools have been widely recognized for narrowing the achievement gap in public education and putting underserved students on the path to college. Nationally, 80 percent of KIPP students have matriculated to college.