KIPP Background Info

Background

KIPP Endeavor Academy, the first of its kind in Missouri, is sponsored by MCC-Penn Valley and centrally located at MCC-Pioneer on E 18th Street. KIPP Endeavor Academy is a free public charter middle school open to all students. Over 80% of KIPP students nationally go to college. The program is an excellent educational opportunity for urban youth in Kansas City. The school prepares students for college through innovative teaching, hard work and a structured learning environment.

KIPP Endeavor Academy features an extended school day, week, and year. KIPPsters attend school Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., alternating Saturdays from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., and for a three-week summer session. The school opened with a first class of 90 fifth graders in 2007 and will add one grade each year until it reaches 360 students in grades five through eight in 2010.

KIPP is a national network of 52 free, open enrollment, college preparatory public schools in 16 states and Washington, D.C. that prepares underserved students for success in college and in life.

The success of KIPP has been featured in numerous national news outlets including The Washington Post, Newsweek, People, Reader's Digest and US News & World Report. In April of 2006, Oprah Winfrey called KIPP "a revolutionary new school system." In November of 2006, a New York Times article by Paul Tough stated, "the most influential schools are the ones run by KIPP."