Former KIPP Principal Demonstrates Why Honesty Should Be Added to the KIPP Character Trait List
Former KIPP "stallion," Elliot Witney, has somehow earned a spot across from Deborah Meier at theBridging Differences blog (surely thre's no Gates influence in that decision by Ed Week). And the first thing I noticed in reading Witney's dissembling responses to Meier's questions on KIPP is 1) his effort to distance himself from KIPP, and 2) how quickly he would like the change the subject away from KIPP, and 3) his consistent lack of honesty about KIPP.
Here is a clip for Elliot's response that highlights his brazen lack of honesty:
The situation you describe simply does not reflect my experience with KIPP. . . . I've also never witnessed schoolwide discipline the way you describe it. In my experience, a healthy KIPP school does not do these things. As a KIPP principal, I made it my mission to ensure that students felt safe, supported, nurtured, and challenged at school. The KIPP schools I've visited take a similar approach. As recently as late March I visited three KIPP charter schools in Memphis, Tenn., and left blown away by the warm, inviting culture in each of