KIPP+Ascend+Charter+School+Description

Introduction
KIPP Ascend Charter School is located in SD 229 in the city of Chicago and is split between two different schools, the Primary School which holds K-4 grades, and the Middle School which holds grades 5-8. It is a part of the KIPP, which was originally started in Houston, TX by two young men, Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin. Information about the start of the KIPP program can be found in the novel "Work Hard. Be Nice." by Jay Matthews, a source that I used myself when looking at KIPP Ascend in Chicago. There are many aspects of the KIPP program that are unique and affect teachers, students, and their achievement.

Demographics
North Lawndale is an impoverished area of Chicago which is why 91% of KIPP Ascend students are living below the poverty line. This school is fairly new, only starting in 2003 and only takes about 500 kids into the program every year. The student population is made of 93.5% African American students, 5.1% Hispanic students, and 0.5% White students. 

**Program Outline**
The KIPP Ascend program is a standard KIPP Program with extended hours and classes on Saturdays. The students in this program spend on average 60% more time in the classroom when compared to the students in the public school system in North Lawndale. Another area that this school meets with the KIPP program ideals is parent involvement. Parent involvement in this school is at 97.7% which is high compared to the district which has only 91.4% parental involvement. Parental involvement can be defined as a parent having contact with a teacher regarding the student one or more times a year. The last program feature that holds true to the KIPP program fundamentals is relationships with teachers. The schools provide students with cell phones upon enrollment in school so that they are able to contact their teachers in any situation for homework and personal help. 

**Teacher Information**
The standards that teachers have to meet to be able to teach in a program such as KIPP are much higher than those of the district of North Lawndale. There are a total of 32 teachers at both of the Middle and Primary levels of the KIPP Ascend program. They teach in classrooms with a teacher to student ratio of 1 to 26 which is higher than the districts ratio of 1 to 23. These 32 teachers teach a total of 553 students between the Primary and Middle Schools. 

Student Information
There are also a lot of improvements in the student demographics in this school as compared to the district. The chronic absenteeism in the school is low at 0.2% when compared to the districts 7.4%. The mobility rate is also much lower at 14.8%. Attendance rates are higher here at 94.2% when compared to the district with 91.4%. With over 91% of the students in the program living below the poverty level, it is not surprise that 94% of the KIPP students apply for free and reduced rate lunches.  These improvements in attendance rates and chronic absenteeism show what an impact a program like KIPP can have on a community like North Lawndale.

Student Achievement
At KIPP Ascend Charter School although standards are not being met, the school itself is still doing well as compared with the district. The school is only on what they call Academic Early Warning Status which means there are additional standards and services that the school must meet before the status can be lifted off the school. They opted to be listed as a school under Federal and State Improvement Status, but they have only been so for a year. When compared with the district which has been on Improvement status for the last eight years, this shows that the school is reaching out for help from the state and the federal government. The school also did not make AYP standards in both reading and math for the past year. The criteria that they do meet in order to make AYP is the test scores on the ISAT, which is the Illinois Standard Achievement Test, and the attendance rate of the students at the school.

Although the school may not be improving based on the AYP standards, they are still reaching many big goals with their students. There first class ever in 2003, now has over 90% of its students currently enrolled in college. Achievements like this can not be said of the public schools in the area which have a high drop out rate and low graduation rate. This is why programs like KIPP are essential to area such as North Lawndale. 

Conclusion
Although the KIPP Ascend program is not making AYP standards and is under improvement status, it still has made great strides when compared with the district and the other public schools in the North Lawndale community. The attendance rates and test scores on the ISAT are higher, and the teaching staff is more qualified than that of the district which in itself is an improvement.