KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy is a KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) charter middle school. Charter schools are independent public schools, designed and operated by educators, parents, community leaders, and entrepreneurs and supported by tax dollars. Charter schools are public schools of choice open to all students. They are sponsored in California by school districts and County Boards of Education that monitor their academic results and fiscal practices but allow them to operate free from certain provisions of the Education Code.

There are over 350 charter schools in California and 2,357 nationwide, serving students from kindergarten to grade 12. The charter establishing each school is a performance contract detailing the school's programs, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and school performance standards. Charters in California are granted for five years. At the end of the initial term, schools may apply for a five-year renewal by petitioning the original sponsor of the charter.

OUR MISSION

KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy is dedicated to providing our students with the knowledge, skills and character traits they will need to succeed in top-quality college preparatory high schools, colleges, and the competitive world beyond. We take our mission very seriously, and our students are among the hardest working around, with national and state test results that prove their commitment and dedication. We are now the top-ranked middle school in San Francisco and in the top 10% statewide.  We are a 9 on the API (Academic Performance Index) when compared to all schools, and a 10 when compared to like schools demographically (of all top-ranked schools, we have by far the largest African-American and Latino populations).

 

An additional core of our mission is our commitment to students beyond our walls. We stand behind every KIPPster througout their high school and college careers through the efforts of a dedicated Director of High School Preparation & Placement as well as through our KIPP to College Program, which tracks our KIPPsters and keeps them on the road to academic and life success.

KIPP NATIONAL

KIPP National is a non-profit organization that recruits and trains leaders to be principals and founders of KIPP affiliated schools nationwide. There are currently 52 KIPP schools, with 480 teachers serving over 11,000 students in 17 states and the District of Columbia. KIPP believes that the best way to reform public education is to train leaders to effectively run their own community-based charter schools.

Our Annual Report details our school history, curriculum, finances and offers photos of our staff and students:

» VIEW 2004-05 ANNUAL REPORT «

» VIEW 2005-06 ANNUAL REPORT «

KIPP History:

KIPP began in 1994 when teachers Dave Levin and Mike Feinberg completed their Teach For America commitment and launched a program for fifth graders in a public school in inner-city Houston, Texas. While only half of the students passed their fourth grade tests before enrolling in KIPP, more than 90% passed the Texas fifth grade exams in English and mathematics after one year at KIPP. In 1995, Feinberg's KIPP Academy Houston became a charter school, and Levin established KIPP Academy New York in the South Bronx.

The original KIPP Academies have a sustained record of high student achievement. The Texas Education Agency has recognized KIPP Academy Houston as an "Exemplary School" for every year of its existence. According to the New York City Department of Education, KIPP Academy New York is the highest performing public middle school in the Bronx. KIPP alumni have earned over $21 million in scholarships for college-preparatory high schools and are continuing to excel in four-year colleges and universities.

Doris and Donald Fisher, co-founders of Gap Inc., formed a unique partnership with Feinberg and Levin to replicate KIPP’s success nationwide. Established in 2000 with a $15 million grant from the Fishers, the nonprofit KIPP Foundation recruits, trains, and supports outstanding teachers in opening and leading high-performing college-preparatory public schools in educationally underserved communities. KIPP helps secure facilities and operating contracts while training School Leaders through a yearlong KIPP School Leadership Program that includes coursework at the University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business, Residencies at other KIPP Schools, and support from KIPP staff.

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