• Nationally recognized KIPP, or the Knowledge Is Power Program, plans to open in 2004 in the Haughville community of Indianapolis.  Currently, 15 KIPP schools are operating around the country, and Indianapolis will join this successful alliance of schools.
• The KIPP mission is to provide a school in which educationally underserved students develop the knowledge, skills, and character needed to succeed in top quality high schools, colleges and the competitive world beyond.
• KIPP's motto is "there are no shortcuts."  This philosophy is best exemplified by its longer school day (7:30 am – 5 pm) and year (approximately 220 days), 4-hour sessions every Saturday, mandatory summer school (one month), access to teachers during non-school hours, and home visits by school staff.
• The school philosophy is built on five pillars: high expectations, choice and commitment, more time, power to lead, and focus on results.
• Teachers, parents and students all sign commitment to excellence contracts, which outline specific ways each of these groups is directly responsible for each student's success.
• Board member Olgen Williams, an integral part of the Haughville community, made a strong case for the need for the school in this part of Indianapolis.
• Currently, no other public middle school options exist in Haughville.

• KIPP decided to replicate its model after the first two KIPP schools (Houston and the South Bronx) proved remarkably successful.  At KIPP Houston, 98% of students pass all sections of the Texas state exams.  KIPP Bronx ranks as the fifth highest scoring middle school in math out of 313 schools in New York City.  Ninety-nine percent of the students in these schools are from minority groups and 92% are eligible for free lunch under the federal school lunch program.
• KIPP has had considerable success replicating its model.  For example, only 49% of the incoming students of KIPP's North Carolina school were reading at or above grade level when they entered the school (which opened in 2001).  At the end of the first year, approximately 97% of the students were reading at or above grade level.  At KIPP's second Houston school (which also opened in 2001) 99% of the students passed the Texas state exam in math and 88% passed in reading after only attending the school for one year, results very similar to those of the first KIPP Houston school in its first year.
• The longer school day allows for more instructional time, helping students who are not performing at grade level to catch up to peers.  Because KIPP students spend more time in school than students at most other schools, they spend more time in core academic classes while still reserving time for enrichment courses, including the arts and physical education.
• Teachers in the school will use varied approaches and techniques to adapt to students' individual needs.
• Curriculum planning will take place with teachers across grade level and subject area.
• Students will be promoted only if they achieve a final grade of 70 or better in the core skill classes (English, history, science and math).
• This school will utilize a variety of assessment tools to measure and monitor student progress, such as norm-referenced tests, progress reports to parents, student folders and portfolios, student journals, daily subject area monitoring, unit tests, projects, parent surveys and student attendance.
• Students will also take the Education Research Bureau test annually to determine whether they are maintaining a college preparatory pace.  This test will compare KIPP students to other students who have high college matriculation rates.
• KIPP Indianapolis' teachers and administrators will submit an annual evaluation report to the school's governing board.  If students are not achieving at the desired level, adjustments will be made to the curriculum.  Curricular adjustments will also be made for students who fall behind as well as for those who are far ahead.
• The school will open with only a fifth grade, adding a grade per year until it serves students in grades 5-8.  This gradual expansion gives the school the great advantage of building its culture from scratch.

• The founding group contains members with experience and expertise in a wide range of important areas, such as education, management, nonprofit governance, fundraising, community development, marketing and community relations.
• The board includes Olgen Williams, executive director of Christamore House Community Center in Haughville, who will help to ensure the school's strong community presence in this neighborhood.
• Board member Reed Litwack has had a long-standing interest in KIPP and worked to bring KIPP to Indianapolis.  He owns two steel companies in Center Township and plans to support the school financially.  He will also help in additional fundraising efforts as well as identifying a facility.
• KIPP's regional office in Chicago has committed staff to work with the local founding group in various startup tasks (e.g., searching for a facility).
• In addition to training the school leader (see below) the national organization, KIPP Foundation, will provide support in the development of academic standards and practices; access to curriculum and instructional best practices; assistance in the recruitment of outstanding teachers; informational services and technology consulting to support business, academic, and community outreach programs; training and support with alumni development, and high school and college admissions and placement.

• Nationally, KIPP attributes a great deal of its schools' successes to the school leader, and therefore places a significant emphasis on the selection, development and support of this individual.
• KIPP recruits, selects and trains outstanding leaders for each KIPP school through its highly competitive Fisher School Leadership Program.  (On average, only 1 out of every 15 applicants is selected as a Fisher Fellow.)  Successful applicants demonstrate a proven track record of going above and beyond in their schools, are anchors in their school communities, and employ a very strong work ethic. Each fellow completes an intensive year of management and academic training that involves a rigorous Leadership Institute (hosted by the University of California – Berkeley's Haas School of Business) and 3 separate residencies involving hands-on training in key roles at exemplary schools throughout the country.  The fellow must successfully complete the training program in order to become a KIPP school leader.  Throughout the training program, the fellows also spend time at their school sites (e.g., Indianapolis) to develop their school's educational program.
• KIPP plans to do an extensive search for a school leader, focused on Indianapolis, who will go through the Fisher Fellows program before heading KIPP's Indianapolis charter school.
• A strong board with experience in real estate, fundraising, development, philanthropy, community leadership, educational leadership and business, along with a school leader trained by KIPP, will provide vision and continuity of leadership.  The relationship with KIPP Foundation also will strengthen the school's leadership capacity.
• The school eventually will have both a school leader and business manager.  This division of responsibilities will help to create a well-run organization.

• The school's proposed budget is based on reasonable estimates of revenue and expenditures.
• The school has detailed plans for a financial management system, even identifying specific software programs it plans to use.  KIPP Indianapolis has the benefit of using a system that has proven successful in other KIPP schools.
• A budgeting process has been identified, requiring that the school leader, in conjunction with the school's governing body, submit an annual budget to the board during the spring of each year. 
• The school intends to offer competitive salaries along with additional stipends for the Saturday and summer school components.  Funds for all pay, including base salary, Saturday school, and summer school, come from general tuition support.  Additional funds will be raised to cover other expenses as necessary.  On average, the KIPP Foundation helps schools to raise $160,000 for the startup period, and $100,000 each school year as necessary.
• KIPP schools are eligible to receive financial support through a federal grant received by the KIPP Foundation.

• Procedures are in place to ensure the school is open to all students.  The school will initiate a systematic, methodical, and documented recruitment process to ensure access.  It will enroll all students who submit timely applications and will hold a lottery in case of over enrollment.
• KIPP Indianapolis has a recruitment and outreach plan in place that includes canvassing neighborhoods and home visits in order to include families traditionally less informed about options.
• The school has plans in place to serve all students, including identifying and providing services for students with special needs and English language learners. 
• The school also plans to join the Indianapolis Charter Special Services, a special education cooperative designed to help member charter schools provide special education services effectively and efficiently to all students who need them.  The cooperative, only the 3^rd of its kind in the nation, was formed under the joint guidance of the Mayor's office and the Indiana Department of Education.  The cooperative has hired an experienced special needs educator to administer the cooperative as its director of special education and is operating effectively under the experienced leadership of the 21^st Century Charter School.  Currently, all 3 mayor-sponsored charter schools are members of the cooperative.
• A transportation plan will be created once a school site is determined.  The plan will guarantee that transportation is not a barrier for any student who wants to attend the school.  Indeed, KIPP Indianapolis will make it a part of its teachers' responsibilities to make sure all students get to school.  In addition, $30,000 has been budgeted to develop and implement the transportation plan in its first year.

Name and Proposed Position of Applicants

• Mashea Ashton—Authorized Representative, Board Member
• Diana Etindi—Board Member
• Arthur Jordan—Board Member
• Reid Litwack—Board Member
• Michael Feinberg—Board Member
• Marty Dezelan—Board Member
• David Suzuki—Board Members
• Olgen Williams—Board Member

Capacities Represented by Applicants (by topic area)

School Leader Biography

KIPP plans to do an extensive search for a school leader, including in Indianapolis.

KIPP recruits, selects and trains outstanding leaders for each KIPP school through its highly competitive Fisher School Leadership Program.  (On average, only 1 out of every 15 applicants is selected as a Fisher Fellow.)  Successful applicants demonstrate a proven track record of going above and beyond in their schools, are anchors in their school communities, and employ a very strong work ethic. Each fellow completes an intensive year of management and academic training that involves a rigorous Leadership Institute (hosted by the University of California – Berkeley's Haas School of Business) and 3 separate residencies involving hands-on training in key roles at exemplary schools throughout the country.  The fellow must successfully complete the training program in order to become a KIPP school leader.  Throughout the training program, the fellows also spend time at their school sites (e.g., Indianapolis) to develop their school's educational program.

Education

Experience

• Mashea Ashton has provided technical assistance to charter schools in Chicago and is a former special education teacher. She has experience advising educational management teams on effective practices in special education.
• Arthur Jordan is a former high school teacher.  He has extensive experience providing professional development training to teachers.
• Diana Etindi has seven years of experience teaching education majors.
• Michael Feinberg taught elementary school for two years before co-founding and directing the KIPP Academy in Houston, a rigorous college preparatory charter school.
• David Suzuki is a professor of ophthalmology at Indiana University.  In addition to teaching medical and graduate students, he is also involved with a Brain Outreach program that targets elementary and middle school students. When he was in college he directed a summer school program for migrant workers for two years.

Training

• Mashea Ashton has a masters in special education.
• Diana Etindi has a bachelors and masters in education.  She has completed coursework toward her doctorate in the history of education.
• Arthur Jordan has a degree in education.
• Michael Feinberg completed the Teach for America summer institute and has a certificate in bilingual education.
• Dr. David Suzuki has a doctorate in physiology.

Other Youth Work

Experience

• Arthur Jordan is past chairman of the education committee for the Indiana State NAACP.
• Dr. David Suzuki directs a scholarship program for Asian Americans.  He has also been very involved in the Boy Scouts as a troop leader and adult advisor.
• Olgen Williams has spearheaded several initiatives aimed at improving the lives of young people.

Management

Experience

• Reid Litwack owns two steel supply companies.
• Michael Feinberg has started and led a charter school in Houston and is now the CEO of the KIPP Foundation which oversees the Fisher Fellowship for School Leadership and the KIPP schools network.
• Olgen Williams is the Executive Director of Christamore House Community Center.  He formerly owned a small company.

Training

• Reid Litwack has a masters in business administration.

Entrepreneurialism

Experience

• Michael Feinberg co-founded KIPP, the Knowledge is Power Program, which operates schools and leadership academies for school leaders.
• Arthur Jordan started his own training and staff development consulting firm.

Fundraising

Experience

• In her work with KIPP, Mashea Ashton is responsible for some fundraising. She has experience writing grant proposals.
• Martin Dezelan managed fundraising for two political action committees and several school board candidates. 
• Olgen Williams has been instrumental in raising a great deal of redevelopment money for his community.

Training

• Olgen Williams has a certificate in fundraising from the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy.

Marketing / Public Relations

Experience

• In her work with KIPP, Mashea Ashton is responsible for community relations and marketing in the Midwest.
• In his current job with Shiel Sexton Company, Martin Dezelan is responsible for developing and implementing a marketing and public relations plan for increasing the educational facilities construction business.  In his past work with the Chamber of Commerce he directed several marketing and public relations initiatives.
• Through her work at the Hudson Institute, Diana Etindi is regularly involved in community affairs and interacts frequently with other organizations in the area, such as Eastern Star Church, the Race Relations Leadership Network of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, and the Martindale-Brightwood-Forest Manor Community Systemwide Response.

Finance / Accounting

Experience

• Martin Dezelan was part of a budget oversight team at the Chamber of Commerce.

Nonprofit Governance

Experience

• Michael Feinberg directs the KIPP Foundation.
• Martin Dezelan worked for 10 years managing budget and staff as the government affairs director at the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce.  He has also served on the board of the Indianapolis Public Schools Foundation and the White River Greenways Foundation.
• Olgen Williams has had several positions with community development organizations including Westside Concerned Dads, the Indianapolis Weed & Seed Initiative, the Juvenile Justice State Advisory Group, and the Westside Community Ministries.  He has also served on the board of the Indiana Historical Medical Museum, Central Indiana Neighborhood Healthy Centers, Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, Neighborhood Housing Partnership, and the Indiana Youth Institute.
• Diana Etindi is currently on the board of Youth What You've Got Ministery and is a former member of United Way Impact Council on Self-Sufficiency for Adults.  She also directed an employment services staff at Catholic Charities Immigration and Refugee Services.