Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

Mike Feinberg is co-founder of KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) charter schools

We're not ones to argue with success, especially when it comes to education. KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) charter schools are demonstrating success with low-income and low-performing students in 19 states and Washington, D.C. In Austin, KIPP Austin College Prep Middle School has earned the state's second-highest ranking — recognized — in just six years. And now students can attend KIPP Austin Collegiate high school, which opened last year.

Kipsters, as KIPP students are called, are going to college at higher rates than their peers. So we were eager to talk to KIPP co-founder Mike Feinberg about why KIPP schools are successful and his plans to expand in Austin. Here are excerpts from a recent conversation with American-Statesman editorial writer Alberta Phillips:

American-Statesman: What is the driving concept behind KIPP?

Feinberg: It's all about doing whatever it takes to keep our promises to our students and help them climb the mountain to and through college. At KIPP, we help our students develop the knowledge, skills and character traits needed for success in college and in life.

Why did you start KIPP?

KIPP grew out of Teach For America, a nonprofit organization that takes recent college grads and places them in underserved classrooms for two years. Dave Levin and I started KIPP as your typical TFA corps members who were frustrated with the limited impact we were making on our students after the year they had in our classrooms. Jay Mathews tells the story in vivid detail in his recent book, "Work Hard. Be Nice."

What makes KIPP different from public schools?

KIPP schools are not different from public schools; they are public schools. They are tuition-free, open-enrollment and funded primarily by tax dollars. As public charter schools, KIPP schools are given greater autonomy in exchange for greater accountability.

What makes KIPP different from other charter schools?

KIPP is different from some public charter schools and similar to others. One difference is that while many public charter schools are "mom and pop" operations, KIPP is a national network of charter schools with a track record of success. Nationally, more than 80 percent of KIPP students have matriculated to college.

KIPP has grown from 50 students in Houston to a national network of 66 schools in 19 states and Washington, D.C., all focused on getting more underserved children to and through college. In Austin alone, KIPP will be growing to 10 schools in the next seven years, serving over 5,000 students.

Jill Kolasinski, also a Teach For America alum and a founding teacher at the first KIPP Academy Houston, founded the first KIPP middle school in Austin in 2002. KIPP Austin students outperform the state of Texas on all TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) tests given in grades six through eight on both passing results and commended performance rates.

KIPP Austin Public Schools added a high school in 2008 and will add a second middle school, with an arts-based focus, in the summer of 2009.

Are KIPP teachers certified in the subjects they teach?

All KIPP teachers are either certified or working towards certification in their subject area. Our teachers also carry cell phones to answer questions from students after school hours.

What are class sizes in Austin KIPP?

KIPP schools in Austin have an average class size of 27 students. When I speak around the country to audiences about education, I often ask the following question: In which type of classroom would you want your child to be educated? A classroom with all the latest technology and a small student-teacher ratio staffed by a mediocre teacher, or a classroom with no technology and a large class size staffed by a master teacher. Everyone picks the classroom with the master teacher.

How long is the school day? Do KIPP Texas teachers earn more or less than the state average?

I firmly believe what one of my mentor teachers, Rafe Esquith, taught me — that there are no shortcuts on any path towards success.

KIPP schools have an extended day, week and year. KIPP students typically attend school from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, on Saturdays twice a month and for a three-week summer school program.

Since we are lean on administrative costs, we typically can afford to pay our teachers 15 to 20 percent higher salaries than the neighboring public school.

How do KIPP-educated kids compare with their peers in public schools?

Many students begin KIPP in the fifth grade at least one grade level — and in many cases two or more — behind their peers in reading and math.

The average KIPP Austin middle school student who stays with KIPP for four years increases from the 38th percentile to the 88th percentile in math, and from the 24th percentile the 70th percentile in reading.

Is KIPP open to all students, including those in special education?

KIPP schools are open-enrollment, which means if a student wants to attend one of our schools, they can, even if they receive special-education services.

In Austin, the percentage of our student body who receive special-education services has averaged around 10 percent over the past seven years, which is similar to the percentage of special-education students attending traditional public schools in Austin. If more students register than spaces are available, the school holds a lottery.

There are still spaces available for KIPP schools in Austin. If you are a rising fifth- or ninth-grader, you can enroll in KIPP schools by calling Celia Sanchez at 512-637-6870. The Web site is www.kippaustin.org.