A Washington University-sponsored charter school in South St. Louis opened its doors over the summer to its first class of 90 fifth-graders.

The Inspire Academy, one of 82 charter schools in the Knowledge Is Power Program, intends to provide under-resourced and underserved children with a college preparatory education.

Washington University has pledged a 10-year sponsorship of the program. Jeremy Esposito, principal of Inspire Academy, said he is highly appreciative of the University’s support.

“It has been tremendous to have Washington University as a sponsor because they have wanted to be more than a sponsor in name only. They have been very generous in time, assistance and results,” Esposito said.

Esposito added that the University’s sponsorship has “lent a tremendous amount of credibility” to the St. Louis academy, and this has been helpful to their student recruitment.

The University has also sent student volunteers to tutor students at the academy.

Members of Each One Teach One, a student community service organization, assist KIPP students with their homework everyday for an hour.

Senior Audrey King just started volunteering at the KIPP school. King spent her first session tutoring math and said that the experience there showed her that the students show a determination to succeed.

“The kids were working hard,” King said of her experience.

She noted the long hours students at KIPP work as evidence of their dedication.

An unconventional approach to teaching

The philosophy of education at KIPP is based on a different method of teaching from the one common in public and private schools today.

The KIPP school day starts at 7 a.m., finishing at 5 p.m., and has class every other Saturday and for three weeks during the summer. Because many KIPP students often enter the program with test scores at substandard grade levels, this extended school time gives them an opportunity to catch up. It is also intended to teach them to focus on academics for sustained periods of time.

To help students keep focused for such a long time, KIPP educators sometimes use unconventional teaching methods, such as chanting in math class.

Another unique feature of KIPP is that each school in the program specifically designs its own curriculum. This is intended to allow each school the freedom to work specifically with the resources and skills available to it.

The program also emphasizes students’ ongoing education at home.

“[KIPP educators] work closely to families in the community,” Esposito said. “They sit in the living rooms talking to the parents about everything they need to do to get the student to college.”

KIPP Controversy

Some school officials and teacher unions have criticized KIPP. They say the program, which requires extra funding because of its protracted school time, pulls money and resources away from other area schools that could be just as successful.

William Tate, chair of the education department, says that the department does not take a formal position on the controversy surrounding KIPP.

Tate wrote in an e-mail to Student Life that the education department focuses instead on teaching different sides of the issue.

“My point is that our goal is to educate our students about all sides of the debate and to give them the tools and related knowledge base to make informed decisions about charter schools as a policy option,” Tate wrote.

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Tags: Charter Schools, education, Inspire Academy, kipp, Knowledge is Power Program, st. louis, tutors

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