The
District-Charter Collaboration Compact is Supported by the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation
Spring Branch ISD (SBISD) in Houston will advance the district’s ongoing collaboration with two leading public charter school organizations – KIPP Houston Public Schools (KIPP) and YES Prep Public Schools (YES Prep)– with a $2.1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Read Gates Foundation Press Release (pdf) >>
Spring Branch is one of seven Compact Cities which have been awarded funds totaling nearly $25 million to support collaboration efforts between public charter and traditional schools to support college readiness. Other cities awarded at this time include Boston, Denver, Hartford (CT), New York City, Philadelphia and New Orleans.
The district-charter collaboration is known
locally as the SKY Partnership. First-year programs opened in August at SBISD’s
Landrum and Northbrook middle schools. Thefunds from the Gates Foundation will allow SKY partners to meet initial costs for the new programs; build a leadership development pipeline through principal and teacher development and training; expand throughout the partnership schools measurement of student engagement through a system called the TRIPOD survey; and support the scaling of existing work and partnerships to further advance higher education completion.Through the SKY Partnership, SBISD, KIPP and YES Prep are leveraging the collective strengths of each SKY Partner organization to maximize achievement and sharing of best practices across all three systems.
The SKY Partnership is linked in philosophy and practice to SBISD’s ambitious five-year goal, known as T-2-4, which aims to double the number of district students who successfully complete some form of higher education – a technical certificate, two-year degree, or four-year degree. SBISD enrolls roughly 35,000 students who live in Houston’s westside neighborhoods.
Today, KIPP Courage College Prep and YES Prep Northbrook have 245 fifth- and sixth-grade students enrolled and operate in the two SBISD middle schools, sharing many resources with their partner campus. Looking ahead, the two middle school programs of choice, plus a YES Prep high school program of choice based at the nearby Northbrook High School, are expected to serve about 1,200 students.
SKY is led by SBISD Superintendent of Schools Duncan F. Klussmann, Ed.D.; KIPP’s Co-Founder Mike Feinberg and KIPP Houston Superintendent Sehba Ali; and YES Prep President Jason Bernal.
“We appreciate the
affirmation and support of the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation and know this
is just the beginning,” Superintendent Klussmann said. “The foundation’s $2.1
million investment in SKY is an investment in our children’s futures. It is a
validation of our efforts to build a solid foundation for the SKY partnership,
and of the continual drive we see across all three organizations each day to
create high quality educational opportunities for our students. We believe this
partnership will change the trajectory for all students – not just in SBISD,
but across our city, state and nation.”
“Across the nation,” KIPP Houston Public Schools Superintendent Sehba Ali said, “leaders of traditional public schools and charter schools are watching what is happening in Spring Branch. They realize that the sky is truly the limit when three high-performing education organizations like KIPP, YES Prep and Spring Branch commit to a single goal – ensuring that all children have access to their dreams of higher education. We are honored to work alongside YES and Spring Branch to learn from each other and, together, build a better tomorrow for all our students.”
YES Prep President Jason Bernal issued the following statement as the grant award was announced: “The support from the Gates Foundation allows us to form a partnership to serve all students and puts us in a position to become a nationally recognized example of how districts and charter schools can work together to advance student achievement.”
Gates Foundation Funding
Since 2010, the foundation
has invested in a total of 16 communities where district superintendents,
charter school leaders, and other local partners such as mayors, teacher unions,
community-based organizations and school board members have committed to
working together under Compact agreements. The Compacts are designed to
increase the number of students in high-performing schools, regardless of
governance structure, and are commitments made by these cities to ensure
greater equity across sectors.
“The goal is to support these communities in significantly boosting the number of students enrolled in high-performing schools. These cities understand that opening the lines of communication and sharing best practices across schools are an effective way to do that,” said Vicki Phillips, director of education, College Ready, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “They have moved beyond the question of whether charters or district schools are better and are working together to benefit all students in these communities. These cities serve as models for what collaboration can do, and we applaud these local leaders for their commitment to advancing college readiness.”
KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program)
KIPP – the Knowledge Is PowerProgram – is a national network of open-enrollment, college-preparatory public charter schools with a track record of preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. KIPP was founded in Houston in 1994 and has grown to 125 schools serving more than 39,000 students in 20 states and Washington, D.C. In Houston, there are now 21 KIPP schools and more than 9,000 students.
Ninety percent of KIPP
Houston Public Schools students’ qualify for the federal free and reduced-price
meals program. Tracking students from the 8th grade, 90 percent of
these students have matriculated to college.
YES Prep Public
Schools
YES Prep Public Schools exists to increase the number of low-income Houstonians who graduate from a four-year college prepared to compete in the global marketplace and committed to improving disadvantaged communities. Under the direction of President Jason Bernal, YES Prep takes a comprehensive view of student development with an aim to prepare students for college graduation, while at the same time instilling core values of community service and good citizenship.
To read more about YES Prep, please visit: www.yesprep.org
Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD)
Since the 1950s, SBISD has
been nationally recognized as a top performing public school district in Texas
and the nation. Under the direction of Dr. Duncan Klussmann, Superintendent of
Schools, this highly diverse school district serves nearly 35,000 students,
including 57 percent who are impoverished or reside in low-income families. On
the 2010 SAT, students in SBISD outpaced the state and nation in Reading
scores. In the next five years, SBISD is committed to doubling the number of
graduates who enter and complete some form of higher education.
The SpringBranch T-2-4 Plan asserts that every SBISD graduate will complete a technical
certification program, a two-year associate’s degree, or a Bachelor’s degree
from a four-year college or university.
To read more about SBISD, please visit:
www.springbranchisd.com