The Five Pillars
KIPP schools share a core set of operating principles known as the Five Pillars:

1. High Expectations. KIPP schools have clearly defined and measurable high expectations for academic achievement and conduct that make no excuses based on the students' backgrounds. Students, parents, teachers, and staff create and reinforce a culture of achievement and support through a range of formal and informal rewards and consequences for academic performance and behavior.

2. Choice & Commitment. Students, their parents, and the faculty of each KIPP school choose to participate in the program. No one is assigned or forced to attend a KIPP school. Everyone must make and uphold a commitment to the school and to each other to put in the time and effort required to achieve success.

3. More Time. KIPP schools know that there are no shortcuts when it comes to success in academics and life. With an extended school day, week, and year, students have more time in the classroom to acquire the academic knowledge and skills that will prepare them for competitive high schools and colleges, as well as more opportunities to engage in diverse extracurricular experiences.

4. Power to Lead. The principals of KIPP schools are effective academic and organizational leaders who understand that great schools require great school leaders. They have control over their school budget and personnel. They are free to swiftly move dollars or make staffing changes, allowing them maximum effectiveness in helping students learn.

5. Focus on Results. KIPP schools relentlessly focus on high student performance on standardized tests and other objective measures. Just as there are no shortcuts, there are no excuses. Students are expected to achieve a level of academic performance that will enable them to succeed at the nation's best high schools and colleges.

Services
The KIPP Bay Area Schools regional office captures efficiencies and economies of scale, institutionalizes knowledge, and facilitates the sharing of best practices. The office provides a number of services to the seven schools, including fundraising, marketing, talent recruitment, operations, compliance, finance, accounting, and technology. The goal is to eliminate redundancies at the school level and create a more sustainable school environment, where the focus is on teaching and learning.

Chloe Bellows, Development Manager As the Development Manager for KIPP Bay Area Schools, Chloe works with the Development team to facilitate community involvement and support of the outstanding work and achievements of the KIPP schools in the Bay Area. Chloe is a graduate of Brown University, where she majored in Comparative Literature in English & Spanish. As a facilitator of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) in Providence, RI and Seville, Spain, Chloe cultivated a passion for teaching and an interest in educational issues while developing curricula and teaching ESOL classes to adult learners. Chloe also studied and worked in Mexico tutoring elementary school students, and spent a month living and working on an organic tropical fruit farm in Ecuador. Prior to joining KIPP Bay Area Schools, Chloe worked in marketing and communications for the Providence office of a national law firm.

Loc Chau, Director of Finance Loc oversees finances for KIPP Bay Area. This includes accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, and investment management of the organization's assets. Prior to joining KIPP Bay Area Schools, Loc spent over 10 years in the Bay Area non-profit sector holding various management positions in finance and accounting. Loc received his B.A. and M.B.A. from San Jose State University. He has two children and in his spare time he enjoys an occasional round of golf.

Sarah Lightfoot, Director of Development Sarah brings a dedication to the mission and an enthusiasm for ensuring that KIPP Bay Area schools have the resources they need to be successful. Sarah is responsible for leading and managing a successful development program.

Sarah has been involved in development at the Industrial Areas Foundation, the Northern California High School Mountain Bike League, an internationally focused non-profit called VIDA, and most recently, Breast Cancer Action. Sarah also served as the interim Executive Assistant to the CEO at the Global Fund for Women, where she worked closely with individual donors.

Sarah started her career as an Americorps volunteer, and also served as the campaign manager for a candidate for election to school board in Seattle. She has a bachelor of arts in sociology and women’s studies from Wesleyan University.

Emily Rummo, Chief Operating Officer Emily leads KIPP Bay Area Schools operations, talent recruitment, marketing, and technology departments. She is also responsible for various strategy, human resources, and facilities initiatives. Prior to joining KIPP Bay Area Schools, Emily worked as a Senior Analyst with NewSchools Venture Fund, a nonprofit venture philanthropy firm that invests in social entrepreneurs to improve K-12 public education. At NewSchools, Emily performed due diligence on potential investments, researched new investment areas, and provided strategic and operational guidance to ventures in the NewSchools Portfolio. She project-managed NewSchools' first social impact evaluation and, with small teams, successfully pitched two investments to secure $4M in funding.

Emily began her career at Dean & Company, a boutique strategy consulting firm in Washington, DC. She spent two years at Dean & Company, where she applied quantitative problem solving to support clients ranging from large electric utilities to telecommunications startups. While at Dean, Emily worked as a Saturday School Teacher teaching creative writing at KIPP DC KEY Academy.

Emily holds a MBA and an MA in Education from Stanford University, and a BA in English from Dartmouth College.

Wendy Smith, Director of Marketing and Talent Recruitment Wendy is responsible for the KIPP Bay Area Schools brand and communications strategy, and for the development and maintenance of the talent pipeline that provides the schools with exceptional educators.

Wendy is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and a Teach For America alumna (Bay Area, '99). After four years in the classroom, Wendy decided to move from her home in Texas back to the Bay Area to study graphic design. After one semester at California College of the Arts, Wendy designed KIPP Bayview Academy's 2005 annual report. Since then, she has designed print collateral for several KIPP schools across the country. She is thrilled to combine her passion for design and recruitment with her commitment to supporting the transformative work KIPP teachers and schools do every day.

Beth Sutkus Thompson, Executive Director Beth is the founding executive director of KIPP Bay Area Schools. Previously, she was the West Coast Trailblazer at the KIPP Foundation, where she was responsible for creating and implementing a west coast strategic growth plan for KIPP schools. During Beth’s time at the KIPP Foundation, she secured six charters for new KIPP schools in California, negotiated operating agreements with school districts, raised $2.6 million in public start-up funding, sourced suitable school buildings and partnered with nonprofit, public and private entities to lease them, and developed broad-based community support for KIPP.

Prior to her work at the KIPP Foundation, Beth was on the founding team of NewSchools Venture Fund, a venture philanthropy firm investing in entrepreneurial ventures that are transforming our public education system. At NewSchools, Beth provided strategic consulting and operational support to several nonprofit ventures in the portfolio, managed the due diligence and business plan review process, and spearheaded various events and initiatives to engage NewSchools' network of business, education, and policy leaders. Beth also has experience in social enterprise, international education, and as the volunteer leader of an after-school program.

Beth is currently a participant in The Broad Residency in Urban Education, a management development program for emerging executives working in urban school districts and charter management organizations. She holds a B.A. in political science, an M.A. in Education, and an MBA with a certificate in nonprofit management, all from Stanford University.

Tsegu Wolde-Michael, Accounting Manager Tsegu comes to KIPP Bay Area Schools after a 20 year accounting career in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. He brings a wide range of accounting/finance experience and skills along with a strong enthusiasm to manage the accounting and financial activities of all seven schools. Tsegu joined KIPP Bay Area Schools after a stint in Southern California working with the South Asian Community Network where, as Lead Accountant, he oversaw all finance and human resources functions for the organization. Tsegu graduated with a degree in accounting from the University of St. Thomas, in St.Paul, MN and has been recognized throughout his career for his keen financial process improvement ability. Tsegu is an active volunteer and member of an African Community Center (PEACE). He is the proud father of two wonderful children, Nathaniel and Mikhail.

Lakisha Young, Director of Operations Lakisha manages operations for KIPP Bay Area Schools in the areas of compliance, public funding, data management, and knowledge management. In this role, she is responsible for building a scalable and efficient operational infrastructure, providing exceptional service and support to the schools, and ensuring their continued operational success.

Before joining KIPP Bay Area Schools, Lakisha was the Director of Finance & Operations for KIPP Bridge College Prep and a founding team member of the school. During Lakisha’s four years at KIPP Bridge, she was responsible for creating and implementing the school’s operations and managing their fiscal relationship with their local school district. She also served as the high school placement counselor for KIPP Bridge’s first graduating class, 65% of whom went onto private and Catholic schools. In her final year at the school, Lakisha led KIPP Bridge to their most successful fundraising year since the school’s inception.

Prior to joining the KIPP, Lakisha was a recruitment consultant for The New Teacher Project’s New York City Teaching Fellows Program. She was responsible for broadening the program’s applicant pool to include more African-American and Science professionals. She was successful in meeting and exceeding her target goals and was an integral part of the Teaching Fellows growth during their beginning years. Lakisha was also a Teach for America corps member and taught high school ESL in Compton, CA. Lakisha holds a B.A. in English from Cal State Hayward and an M.A. in Educational Technology from Pepperdine University. She is the proud mother of two wonderful children, Samira and Jalen.

• There are currently five KIPP middle schools in the Bay Area serving students in grades 5 through 8.
• The first KIPP high school in California, KIPP King Collegiate, opened in the fall of 2007.
• The second KIPP high school in California, KIPP San Jose Collegiate, will open in the fall of 2008.
• All KIPP schools are public and at no cost to the students who attend them.
• More than 75% of students at Bay Area KIPP schools qualify for the federal free or reduced-price meals program.
• 94% of students at Bay Area KIPP schools belong to ethnic or minority groups.
• All five KIPP Bay Area middle schools earned a 10 out of 10 API Similar Schools Rank for 2008.

Charter schools are independent public schools open to all students regardless of their prior academic record, conduct, or socioeconomic background. There are no admission tests or tuition fees. Parents and students choose to attend a particular charter school because of its unique focus, curriculum, structure, size, environment, or other features that meet the needs of those families. Charter schools receive public funds based on the number of students they enroll, as do all California public schools. All KIPP schools in the Bay Area are charter schools.

Charter schools allow parents to choose the public schools that best meet their children’s academic needs. This choice creates competition among both public and private schools to help raise the bar and leads to improvement throughout the public educational system. Charter schools exist outside the traditional district system, giving them the flexibility to develop successful new models that work. If student achievement is not improving, charter schools can make quick, effective changes like modifying curriculum or making appropriate staff changes to improve student achievement.

Currently, over 550 charter public schools operate in California, serving over 200,000 students. Over 300 charter schools operate in urban or inner-city areas, where many children have long been denied quality education. In 1992, California was the second state to enact charter legislation after Minnesota in 1991.

KIPP offers a rigorous, college preparatory education. Because of the longer school day, week, and year, KIPP students not only benefit from extra time in core subjects such as math and reading, but more instruction in courses such as social studies and science.

Each KIPP school operates autonomously, and therefore each principal has the freedom to design his or her own curriculum. Along with a focus on core academics, KIPP teachers also have time to include extra-curriculars such as art, music, and physical education.

One of the reasons that KIPP is successful is because of the “joy factor.” At KIPP, teachers often use techniques like singing and moving around the classroom to make lessons engaging. By making learning both relevant and fun, teachers greatly improve their ability to reach students.

KIPP schools not only try to develop better students, but also better citizens as students head off to college and life beyond. School culture is something that begins from the first day at KIPP, and is the “be nice” part or the “Work Hard, Be Nice” philosophy. KIPP measures success not only by increased test scores, but also by how students relate to the world and the kinds of citizens they become.

KIPP schools are tuition-free, open-enrollment public schools. Students are accepted regardless of background or academic record on a firstcome, first-served basis. If more students apply than spaces are available, students are admitted by lottery.

KIPP opens schools in under-served communities across America. Because KIPP schools represent the communities they serve, KIPP students are predominantly African American and Hispanic. Nationally, roughly 63 percent of students are African American and 33 percent are Latino. The particular demographics vary from school to school.

Nationally, 80 percent of KIPP alumni who graduated KIPP in the eighth grade have enrolled in college, as compared to community averages of less than 20 percent.

At KIPP, teachers and leaders believe in transparency and accountability. In April of 2008, the 2007 Report Card was released, which contains school-level information and test results for all KIPP schools in operation as of September 2007 with measurable student achievement results. All KIPP schools administer state accountability tests and voluntary national norm referenced exams for all grades. The 2007 Report Card provides results on these state and national exams as well as individual schools' state rankings and whether or not they made adequate yearly progress (AYP).

KIPP teachers bring a “do whatever it takes” attitude to education. Teachers typically work a nine-hour work day during the week, half days on selected Saturdays, and three weeks in the summer. They also are available via cell phone for homework help in the evening. With the extended day, KIPP teachers have extra time for lesson planning. KIPP teachers are also eligible to attend professional development conferences throughout the year organized by the KIPP Foundation.

KIPP teachers are a diverse group. Last year, there were more than 580 teachers employed at KIPP schools: 53 percent were white and 47 percent were African American, Hispanic, or Asian. The experience of KIPP teachers extends from first-year teachers to 35-year classroom veterans.

(effective July 1,2008)

Rick Intrater, Board Chair; President & CEO, Long-Term Solutions

John Philip Coghlan, former President and CEO, Visa USA

Michael Crowley, President, Oakland Athletics

David Cumming, Senior Vice President, McMorgan & Company

Chuck Daggs, Executive Vice President, Wells Fargo

Lauren Dutton, former Partner, NewSchools Venture Fund

Brewster Ely, Headmaster, Town School for Boys

Bill Falik, CEO, Live Oak Enterprises

Don Fisher, Co-Founder, Gap, Inc.

Doris Fisher, Co-Founder, Gap, Inc.

Lydia Glassie, Founder, KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy

Jacquelyn Hadley, President, Hadley & Co, LLC

Constance Heldman, President, Datanation Services Corp

Carl Kawaja, Senior Vice President, Capital Group Companies

Mimi Kingsley, Community Volunteer

Dr. Joi Lewis, Dean of Students, Mills College

Joan Lonergan, Head of School, Castilleja School

Amy Morgenstern, President, Main Stream Enterprises, Inc.

Satya Patel, Partner, Battery Ventures

David Paulson, Partner, Jones Day

Mary Robinson, Fundraising Consultant

Jason Rodriguez, State & Government Affairs, Hewlett Packard