Straight Up Conservation: KIPP CEO Richard Barth on the College Completion Challenge
by Frederick M. Hess • Jun 20, 2011 at 8:20 am
Cross-posted from Education Week
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ShareRichard Barth is CEO and President of the KIPP Foundation, supporting KIPP schools that now enroll over 27,000 students at 99 campuses. Just recently, KIPP released its long-term study of its earliest cohorts--those students who had completed eighth grade ten or more years ago from its initial Houston and New York City campuses. The report found that 33% had finished college within six years. These results were cheered by some as "a substantial and commendable improvement relative to today's status quo" and a welcome example of transparency. At the same time, the KIPP leadership readily noted that these results mean even its heralded schools can do much better. Last week, I had the chance to chat with Richard about the findings, what KIPP's learning about getting its kids through college, and the risks and rewards of this kind of transparency.
Rick Hess: So, you all recently issued a report tracking the first cohort of KIPP students. What prompted you all to do the research? After all, most middle schools don't track the college completion rate of their alums.
