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Impacts of KIPP High Schools on Student Achievement, Behavior, and Attitudes

Sun, April 10, 2:45 to 4:15pm, Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 209 C

Abstract

The Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), a nationwide charter schools network with 162 schools opened as of fall 2014, has been a key player in the school choice movement and in developing a new educational model at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Previous studies of its middle schools have shown significant and educationally meaningful positive impacts in math, reading, science, and social studies for KIPP students as well as greater parental satisfaction with their child’s school. However, KIPP’s high schools have never previously been rigorously evaluated and yet are an important conduit for growth in the KIPP network and critical for preparing students for college. Therefore, it is unclear what effect KIPP high schools have on students and which types of students benefit, if any. We measured the impact of attending a KIPP high school on student achievement with data from three different sources across three methodological approaches using quasi-experimental designs.

First, by collecting administrative data from states or districts, including test score records and demographic information, we used propensity score matching to compare students who enrolled at KIPP for the first time in 9th grade to students who never attended a KIPP school on 8th grade baseline characteristics, estimating the impact of attending a KIPP high school. Outcomes were end-of-course or end-of-grade exams in math, English/language arts, science, and social studies as well as high school graduation.

Second, we matched KIPP middle schools between those who were in a jurisdiction with a KIPP high school and those where students did not have the option to attend a KIPP high school. We also compared adjacent cohorts of students at the same middle school immediately before and after a KIPP high school opened in that jurisdiction. These matched-school models estimate the marginal impact of attending a KIPP high school for students who had attended a KIPP middle school. Outcomes were study-administered TerraNova assessments in reading, language, and math. In addition, we included a student survey to estimate nonacademic outcomes on student motivation and engagement, education goals and college preparation, course taking patterns, and school experiences and satisfaction.

Given the increasing emphasis on the differential effects of the charter school movement, findings from this study are important to understanding whether the opportunity to attend a KIPP high school improves educational outcomes for students, especially those who are disadvantaged, and if so, how that effect is manifested. The forthcoming results will inform the education policy debate by providing rigorous evidence for or against the effectiveness of KIPP’s educational model and how it relates to high school students.

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