Over and over again, quality research is dismantling claims that the large gains seen in urban charter schools are simple a mirage.
The rapid expansion of charter schools is fundamentally reforming urban education. Those who want to slow their growth often deflect by saying that the educational gains from attending an urban charter seen in the research are due to factors other than better quality schooling. Perhaps the most commonly cited boogeyman is that charter schools benefit from high attrition rates of the most difficult-to-educate students. New research is debunking that claim.
No charter school network is more synonymous with urban education reform than the Knowledge is Power Program, or KIPP.
KIPP has rapidly grown throughout the years and now serves about 70,000 students – the vast majority of whom are minority and come from low-income households – in 183 schools across 20 states and the District of Columbia. Their schools exemplify the “no-excuses” model that holds students accountable for meeting high standards, regardless of their backgrounds.