Together with families and communities 2 022-2 02 3 ANNUAL UP DATE
OUR MISSION Together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and create a more just world.
The KIPP NYC team is grateful for our community’s understanding of any unintentional errors or omissions in this Annual Update. 1
LETTER FROM LEADERSHIP Dear Friends of KIPP NYC, This fall, we are thrilled to welcome over 8,200 students to KIPP NYC, open two new buildings in the Bronx, begin our high school expansion, and greet our staff of more than 1,000 individuals (11% of whom are alumni themselves). Last year, we shared KIPP NYC’s six Graduate Aims that were created in partnership with our community of stakeholders and are a detailed articulation of what it will look like to achieve our mission for KIPP graduates. In order to realize these aims, we successfully completed a yearlong planning project to specify the program design that will align with these aims. In this year’s KIPP NYC Annual Update, you will read about the work we have done to bring our Graduate Aims to life, as we look forward to our goal of having a lasting, thriving educational model. We were also thrilled that school year 2022–23 provided us with an opportunity for uninterrupted learning. We are pleased with the gains we made in both our academic and extracurricular work. We focused on creating the best learning environments for our students and saw the substantial impact it made on student growth, including significant growth in our state test results. As we begin school year 2023–24 and head into our 29th year at KIPP NYC, we must continue to work together to ensure that we meet our mission, both for the next five years, as well as for the next 30. Our goal is to do so in a way that supports our Graduate Aims, our programmatic plans, our values, and our commitment to equity.
At the start of this year, our community feels stronger than ever, with a renewed commitment to excellence and understanding that academic growth only happens when we are prioritizing the holistic needs of our students. We believe in the power of ensuring that every moment in our schools— whether it is at a desk, in a music room, or in a hallway—is an opportunity for holistic growth and agency. It is in these micro-moments with our students that we are helping them exercise their own agency, use their own voice, and, ultimately, fuel their ability to create choice-filled lives. Each of you is part of this community, along with our students, alumni, families, teachers, and staff. Because of your commitment to our work at KIPP NYC, we are able to fuel an organization that ultimately provides a life of choice for our students and that allows us to fulfill our mission. We continue to be so grateful for your unwavering support of our work and your deep commitment to our students and our schools. Thank you!
ALICIA JOHNSON Chief Executive Officer
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GRADUATE AIMS Our Path Forward KIPP NYC’s Graduate Aims were developed after a two-year, community-driven process to define a vision for student success that embodies our commitment to social justice and equity. This work is one of the most critical reflections we have done, with our “North Star” rooted in the best possible outcomes for our graduates. Through the 2022–23 school year, with the assistance of Wellspring Consulting, we organized a five-year strategy to operationalize and execute this vision. After continuous stakeholder feedback involving steering committees, community advisories, and our Board, we are proud to introduce eight programmatic approaches that will carry out the Graduate Aims and drive our on-the-ground work. Each approach is a critical component of our vision, and our hope is that they will work in concert to help guide our students to their highest potential.
Approaches
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Project-based capstones
Advisory
Culturally responsive pedagogy
Classroom debate
Social emotional learning-informed pedagogy
Student leadership and community engagement
Extracurricular programming
Financial literacy
DATA SPOTLIGHT KIPP NYC 2022–23 Snapshot
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SCH O O LS
7,150+
ST UDENTS
2,554
A LU MNI SERVED
99%
78%
STUDE NTS OF COLOR
TE AC H E R S A N D SC H O O L L E A D E R S O F CO LO R
96%
88%
O F K IPP CO L L EG E P R E P H IGH SC H O O L (C P HS) C L A SS O F 2 02 3 GR A D UATE D
OF C P HS C LA SS OF 2 02 3 MAT R I C U LAT E D TO A T WO-YE A R / FOU R-YE A R COLLEG E
47%
KIP P N YC N EW Y OR K S TAT E T E S T R E S U LT S English Language Arts (Grades 3-8)
55%
PRO FIC IEN T A N D A DVA N C E D I N SY22-2 3
90%
COLLEG E G R A D UAT I ON R AT E I N 2 02 3
+4%
G ROW T H F ROM SY2 1 -22
94% Math (Grades 3-7)
ST U D ENTS QUALI F YI NG FOR F R E E AND RED U C E D PR I CE LUNCH
% O F STU D E N TS STAY IN G W ITH U S Y E A R OVE R Y E A R
69%
PRO FIC IEN T A N D A DVA N C E D I N SY22-2 3
+24%
G ROW T H F ROM SY2 1 -22
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EARLY LITERACY
7 3% OF K I N D E RG A RT E N ST U D E N TS F I N I S HE D T HE YE A R R E A D I N G ON A F I R ST- G R A D E LE V E L
Read, Baby, Read! At KIPP NYC, we want to ensure our youngest learners have the opportunity to develop the foundational skills needed to access complex texts and adopt a profound love for reading books. Nearly five years ago, we recommitted to the science of reading as a critical foundation to early literacy. The science of reading is an approach that relies on datadriven evidence emphasizing phonics, phonological awareness, word recognition, fluency, vocabulary and oral-language comprehension, and text comprehension. Our commitment to this instructional approach has set our students on a path to academic excellence by providing substantive literacy instruction from the very start. With carefully curated reading materials and engaging teaching methods, our young learners have not only developed exceptional reading skills but also unlocked a world of knowledge and imagination. We are proud to say that, five years later, we have seen this approach allow our young readers to grasp complex concepts with ease, in turn fostering critical thinking, creativity, and a profound understanding of various subjects. As a result, our students have thrived academically—in fact, 73% of kindergarten students finished the year reading on a first-grade level! This academic progress has provided our students the confidence to explore their curiosity. We saw this creativity and passion come to life during our annual, network-wide “Literacy Day” celebrations this year, where students and teachers alike dressed as their favorite storybook characters, KIPPsters presented book reports to their classes, and everyone participated in a Literacy Day Parade around school. 5
MUSIC EDUCATION The Power of Music at KIPP AMP Middle School Formed in 2009 by the late Jamison Chandler, the Legacy Jazz Ensemble is a group of current and former student musicians from KIPP AMP Middle School in Brooklyn. Under Mr. Chandler’s direction, and later with the assistance and leadership of KIPP NYC alumnus Justin Henry, the ensemble has included more than 200 student musicians. Performing the works of jazz masters past and present, their repertoire spans the works of Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and many other influential musicians. Past performances include the Newport Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Charlie Parker Festival, and others. Legacy Jazz Ensemble students have gone on to be accepted to institutions such as The New School, Purchase College, and Juilliard to continue their passion for music.
In 2018, KIPP AMP’s music program expanded to include the Summer Jazz Institute. A two-week intensive program, the Institute exposes students to world-class musicians and styles and provides them with a deeper love and understanding of the jazz genre. In summer 2023, the Institute hosted 20 young musicians and was featured on Fox 5 News, Brooklyn News 12, and the CBS Morning Show to highlight the impact the program has had on their lives and their overall growth as individuals. Check out the coverage by scanning the QR code!
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MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH Joyful Rigor Drives Growth A year removed from remote learning, our middle school teachers and leaders rallied around a new vision for math intervention and two core instructional priorities for 2022–23. Our first priority was a renewed focus on deep content knowledge and academic rigor, aligning our curriculum and assessments to New York’s newly adapted Next Generation Learning Standards. Our second priority was an emphasis on instruction that is responsive to student needs as determined by student work and formative data collected during class, knowing that this timely feedback and subsequent support are key drivers of student learning and growth. In addition, more students than ever before were given the opportunity to take Algebra I in eighth grade at KIPP NYC in 2022–23. This increased access to Algebra I puts more students on the path to take Advanced Placement (AP) math courses, such as AP Calculus, in high school and eventually creates more opportunities for our high school graduates to major in STEM fields when they matriculate to college.
85%
OF EIGHTH GRADERS ACROSS KIPP NYC TOOK THE ALGEBRA I REGENTS EXAM IN 2022–23
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In balance with this rigorous level of math instruction, we also worked to instill a love of math in our students. Our annual Math Is Life Tournament celebrated the growth and achievement of our Mathletes across KIPP NYC. In May, each of our nine middle schools sent a team of 16 students from fifth through eighth grade to KIPP Infinity Middle School, where they vied for medals and trophies in a friendly tournament, both as individuals and in school teams of four. While KIPP AMP received the most individual trophies, KIPP Freedom Middle School walked away as the school with the most points overall and retained the KIPP NYC Math is Life trophy!
KIPP NYC COLLEGE PREP HIGH SCHOOL ARTS PROGRAMS KIPP Students Express Themselves “When I think back to when I was a KIPPster playing in the orchestra and traveling to various places to play, there was so much comradery and a sense of belonging that we were creating music together. [Performing at Casino Night] felt like that! Thank you for helping our students be seen and appreciated.” – Janelle Taylor, CPHS Arts Program Chair
At KIPP NYC College Prep High School (CPHS), we know our students are multi-talented and have bold perspectives to share with the world. That’s why, in addition to a rigorous slate of academic offerings, we offer a variety of music and visual arts courses and clubs to give students the opportunity to express themselves in creative ways. From graphic arts to theater to advanced band to dance classes, students at KIPP NYC have many diverse avenues to explore their passions through the arts.
In April, the CPHS Advanced Band and Orchestra performed at Gotham Hall during our Casino Night fundraiser. This performance gave KIPP NYC’s donors an opportunity to see—and hear—the impact of their support, and it gave CPHS musicians a chance to showcase their talents. Members of the Advanced Band and Orchestra also participated in the New York State Music Association solo ensemble, represented KIPP NYC at the High Notes Music Festival at Six Flags, and performed in the Spring Musical as part of the pit orchestra. The CPHS arts program, which is led by Janelle Taylor, KIPP NYC Class of 2005, is preparing to double in size as the high school grows. This will create more opportunities for our students to develop as holistic people, demonstrate their leadership, have a positive impact on their community, and gain valuable exposure to plan their life paths. We know from multiple studies and our own experiences that engagement with the arts has a positive impact on students’ academic achievement and life outcomes. Our students deserve the opportunity to achieve their full potential, both academically and in their other pursuits. Our best-in-class arts programs at CPHS provide these opportunities and more to our students.
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CULINARY PROGRAM Food is Love Research has shown that healthy food helps students show up to their classes energized and ready to engage.The KIPP NYC Culinary Team was created at KIPP NYC College Prep High School in 2016 to provide students with tastier, healthier school lunch options. Since then, KIPP NYC has trained staff and students to serve fresh food made from scratch in our kitchens, changing mindsets on healthy eating, one meal at a time. As with all things at KIPP NYC, student agency plays a critical role in our culinary program. Students help select their lunch menus by completing surveys and submitting suggestions, offering students more choice in their food and nutrition journey. Through this collaborative feedback process, students also have the opportunity to teach and celebrate each others’ cultures and traditions through highlighting specific dishes and ingredients. By offering lunch options that range from Korean BBQ to pollo guisado to falafel gyros, students continue to gain an appreciation for the rich diversity in our communities.
SINCE 2016, THE CULINARY PROGRAM HAS GROWN FROM A SINGLE SCHOOL TO SERVING NINE KIPP NYC SCHOOLS AND
5,000 STUDENTS DAILY IN THE 2022–23 SCHOOL YEAR 9
FUTURE PROBLEM-SOLVERS KIPP NYC’S COMPUTATIONAL THINKING PROGRAM HAS REACHED: Computational Thinking Starting Day One Computational thinking (CT) is an interrelated set of skills and practices for solving complex problems, a way to learn topics in many disciplines, and a necessity for fully participating in an everevolving technological world. KIPP NYC is dedicated to ensuring that all of our elementary school students receive at least 30 hours of CT instruction annually. We believe that explicitly teaching our students CT at an early age allows them to develop the necessary skills to be creative problem-solvers and act as agents of change in their communities.
8,430 STUDENTS ACROSS
12 SCHOOLS IN SEVEN STATES AND INCLUDES OVER
150 HOURS OF INTEGRATED COMPUTATIONAL THINKING CURRICULUM TO DATE
Studies suggest that computational thinking and computing education have the potential to develop students’ higher-order thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills in ways that can advance learning in interdisciplinary subjects. Through learning core CT skills such as abstraction, debugging, algorithmic thinking, and pattern recognition, students are being taught the digital literacies and practices that will allow them to not just be users of technology, but those who are able to shape it. At KIPP NYC, we’re committed to ensuring our students have access to this growing realm of opportunity as they prepare to become leaders who innovate, inspire, and change the world. In addition to the impact we’re having here at home, KIPP NYC’s nationally recognized computational thinking program has spread beyond the walls of our schools to students all across the United States. We will continue to scale our CT program both regionally and around the country in the years to come.
To see our students in action, scan the QR code!
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STAFF HIGHLIGHTS Award-Winning Educators at KIPP NYC Commitment to excellence is at the core of everything we do at KIPP NYC. This year, we were honored to have a few of our educators celebrated for their incredible work driving our mission forward, promoting our values to the fullest, and inspiring our community to always do their very best. Luvenia Harris and Tennysha St. John, kindergarten teachers at KIPP Infinity Elementary School, were bestowed the coveted NYC Big Apple Award! Each year, teachers from all over the city are nominated by families and colleagues for inspiring students to be their best selves, modeling equitable learning, affirming students’ identities, and partnering with their communities to drive success. As part of this accolade, they will also serve as Big Apple Fellows during the 2023–24 school year. Jeff Li, sixth grade social studies and physical fitness teacher at KIPP Beyond Middle School, was selected as a 2023 Harriett Ball Excellence In Teaching Award winner. This award is given annually to a select group of K–12 teachers from KIPP schools around the country, based on their track record of improving student achievement, their leadership in the classroom and throughout their school, and their commitment to equipping students with the skills needed to be successful in getting to and through college. Mr. Li was among 10 educators nationwide to win this year’s award, and he received a $10,000 prize in recognition of his exemplary work in the classroom.
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REGIONAL FAMILY ADVISORY COUNCIL Together With Families The KIPP NYC Regional Family Advisory Council (RFAC) launched in 2020 as a way to engage family leaders about developments related to COVID-19 and to leverage their thought partnership as we navigated the pandemic and returned to in-person instruction. With a representative from each of our schools, the council has met monthly with various members of the KIPP NYC Leadership team and has shared feedback around enrollment efforts, revamping the social studies curriculum, and prioritizing safety in schools, all while engaging in opportunities to represent KIPP NYC in the broader community. RFAC has since evolved to a core group of families who not only have deep knowledge on initiatives across the region, but they also have a powerful avenue for expressing their opinions around curriculum, advocacy, and decision-making at KIPP NYC. RFAC continues to lean in on our most pressing topics with vigor, always challenging us to be the best possible organization we can be. This year, RFAC provided important insights for a number of disciplines that informed the work that we do, including how to best communicate our KIPP NYC brand story, growing the relationship between the classroom and home, re-imagining the high school experience as we prepare to double the number of ninth to 12th graders we educate, and advocating for our facilities and charter renewals at public hearings.
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REAL ESTATE GROWTH New Schools in the South Bronx In fall 2023, KIPP NYC opened its doors on two newly constructed school buildings in the South Bronx. These facilities house two elementary and two middle schools. Our new school facilities are as excellent as the education we offer to our students. The classrooms are spacious, column-free, and filled with natural light. The buildings include full commercial kitchens, enabling us to continue our commitment to preparing fresh, cooked-from-scratch meals for our students and staff. They also include safe, outdoor play spaces designed to provide our students with fresh air and exercise while also ensuring their safety. Finally, our new school buildings feature beautiful communal gathering spaces with fully wired AV, where the entire student body can come together to perform, celebrate, and build culture. Equally as important, these new buildings were constructed in true collaboration with the community and will be valued community resources for years to come. From our prioritization of diverse representation in our vendors, such as working with women- and minority-owned businesses, to designing the buildings to be safely accessible by the community during out-of-school hours, these buildings are the latest in our commitment to working together with communities to achieve our mission.
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KIPP FORWARD: COLLEGE AND CAREER A Future Without Limits Starting in kindergarten, we make a 20-year commitment to support our students to and through college and career. Through our KIPP Forward program, we are guiding students to choose and prepare for the educational and career path that fits their goals and sense of purpose. Starting in middle school, every student receives career readiness lessons, career exposure, and strategic summer and outof-school time programming. Throughout high school, KIPP students work closely with college and career advisors and delve into a special curriculum that helps them explore their interests and aptitudes as they prepare for their future after KIPP. Upon graduation, we help our students successfully enroll in a best-match college or career program that will prepare them for the path they choose for themselves. Our alumni are then matched with near-peer advisors who provide coaching, mentorship, and direct support to improve college persistence and on-time graduation rates. KIPP Forward also provides career diagnostics, skill-building workshops, resume coaching, interview preparation, networking opportunities, and job and internship listings to our alumni. This unique combination of programming has also fostered exceptional summer opportunities. For example, our students have received scholarships to attend Delta Air Lines’ National Flight Academy, explored Ecuador and Nicaragua with Amigos de Las Américas, studied culture and language in France and Spain with the Council on International Educational Exchange, and received dozens of fellowships and paid internships across New York City.
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KIPP FORWARD: ALUMNI RETURNING TO KIPP NYC Each One, Reach One We aim to provide every KIPP NYC alumnus with the skills and opportunities to chart their personal path to the career and life of their dreams. That is why it is so meaningful when they choose to return to KIPP NYC as teachers, leaders, and staff. In the 2022–23 school year, 10% of KIPP NYC staff were KIPP alumni. These alumni leaders embody the mission of KIPP in their work to build a more just world for us all. Here are two highlights of alumni team members who are back to drive our mission forward!
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KIPP FORWARD: ALUMNI RETURNING TO KIPP NYC Julia Martinez, KIPP NYC Shared Services Team Julia Martinez is a KIPP Academy Middle School and KIPP NYC College Prep High School alum. They graduated from Barnard College in 2022, majoring in American Studies with a concentration in Pop Culture and Media Studies. During their time at Barnard, Julia was the recipient of the Isabel Crowley Scholarship and participated in the American Studies department through various research projects. Julia has a passion for equitable education, a passion that was founded through their middle and high school experience at KIPP NYC. Julia returned to KIPP NYC as a Special Projects Associate, supporting CEO Alicia Johnson. Through their role, Julia hopes to contribute to making our schools safe and inclusive places of learning for all students. As a Special Projects Associate, Julia has enjoyed volunteering at schoolbased events, meeting new students, and observing what they are learning in the classroom.
Isaac Perez, KIPP Forward Isaac Perez was born and raised in the Bronx and is a KIPP Academy Middle School and KIPP NYC College Prep High School alumnus. He graduated from Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a double minor in Counseling and Latinx Studies. Isaac’s college counselor inspired him to support students from underrepresented communities in finding their path, leading him to become a mentor in different capacities throughout his high school and college career. In his time at Ithaca College, he served as a Peer Mentor for Higher Education Opportunity Program students, was on the Executive Board for the Men of Color Club, and was a member of Brothers 4 Brothers. Isaac also served as the Community Service Chair of the Kappa Xi Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity at neighboring Cornell University. He is returning to KIPP NYC as a College Success Fellow in the KIPP Forward program, where he will have a cohort of 100 KIPP NYC alumni to mentor and guide through the academic, financial, and social emotional challenges of college. As he reflects on his experiences, Isaac is most passionate about the opportunity to help support students on their journey in the same way KIPP NYC supported him. 16
KIPP NYC LEADERSHIP 2023–24 SCHOOL YEAR SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
REGIONAL FAMILY ADVISORY COUNCIL
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL MEMBERS
Alicia Johnson Chief Executive Officer
Elias Alcantara Amanda Baldwin Lisa Blau Gwendolyn Brunson Erica Dewan William Fogg Ann-Janette Fuentes Rebecca Kaden Kange Kaneene David Levin Rafael Mayer Kerry Mullins Larry Robbins Fred Scott Marva Smalls Abigail Klem Spector Richard Taft Whitney Tilson
Kristine Anderson Ivi Arzola Takisha Dozier Danice Jeremy Cindy Marte Charnea Paris Ideen Perez LaKeasha Pitchford Claudia Rahman Sandra Romero Lennith Santana
Mark Abdelnour Liz Barrera Joe Cornell Sharlene Disla Ernest Esparza Ben Goharian Stephanie Hummel Jonthan Lu Akhil Maddukuri Vasu Maheshwari Abby Mainwaring John Marinelli Marissa Moskowitz Mary Myles Katya Nadirova Anjali Lalwani Raghavan George Ramirez William Romney Alex Satine-Garcia Danny Schuster Sonya Smith Cole Tannor Anna Thomas Rohan Wadhwa Eugene Wood
Jane Martínez Dowling Chief of External Affairs Meeta Gandhi Chief Equity Officer Carolyn Hack President Lakeshia Highsmith Chief People Officer Leslie Kim Chief Academic Officer Rebecca Sleath Chief of Staff Natalie Webb Chief Schools Officer
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