Dear KIPP Chicago Champions, Educators, and Supporters,

2023 has been a milestone year for KIPP Chicago. As we celebrate two decades of excellence, I am grateful for the opportunity to anchor ourselves in our present successes and look towards the future with optimism for what is yet to come. Our journey so far has been defined by our steadfast commitment to innovating and meeting the moment for our students, teachers, and families. This commitment has led us to be recognized by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) as a “Gap Buster” school and is one that will continue to propel us to new heights in the next decade of our work.

Our innovative spirit has been at the heart of our twenty-year journey and will continue to be our north star as we work to reimagine the classroom experience of the future.

 In this issue, you will learn more about how our students develop their passions outside of the classroom through Model UN and performance art, how we support our families with on-site health services and adult learning options, and how we prioritize emotional intelligence. 

We take immense pride in the strength of our community, and we are even more invigorated to continue this work in the 2023-24 school year. Check out this short video filled with moments of joy across the KIPP network as we usher in this new season of possibilities.

With gratitude,

April

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Our first class of Penn Foster graduates donned caps and gowns to receive their high school diplomas at our inaugural Penn Foster Graduation ceremony this past Spring. This ceremony marked a significant milestone for our adult learners, who demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination throughout their coursework.

The event, held at the University of Illinois-Chicago, was a fitting tribute to the graduates’ incredible journey. Amidst the backdrop of UIC’s commencement ceremony, these graduates, who balanced the roles of parents, employees, and students, were celebrated for their relentless pursuit of education.

Thanks to the Whole Child Initiative and 21st Century funding, these learners were granted scholarships, paving the way to earn their official high school diplomas at no cost. Armed with their education and diplomas, each of our graduates has a bright future; some are leveraging their newfound credentials to secure promotions and salary raises, pivoting to new career fields, and others are pursuing post-secondary education, including applying to UIC!

This inaugural class of graduates stands as a testament to the indomitable spirit of our adult learners and the unwavering support of the KIPP Chicago community to create opportunities across generations. Our partnership with Penn Foster continues to serve as an inspiring reminder of the transformative power of education and the boundless possibilities that lie ahead.

OneSight Clinic at KIPP One

Vision is critical to learning, with nearly 80% of classroom learning being visual. Shockingly, 1 in 4 students have an undiagnosed vision problem, which could significantly impact their academic performance and overall well-being.

We had the pleasure of partnering with OneSight, EssilorLuxottica Foundation, and LensCrafters to host our fourth vision clinic. Over 730 students, staff, and family members were screened, and 82% of patients received free prescription glasses made on-site. This was our longest clinic, spanning five days, with the greatest impact. OneSight demonstrated heart and expertise as they provided vision services to our families. They even taught one student how to make her glasses in the manufacturing lab.

Welcoming KIPP Foundation CEO to the Windy City

Earlier this year, Shavar Jeffries was named the CEO of the KIPP Foundation. A civil rights attorney and a preeminent advocate for educational equity and excellence, Shavar has been a long-time advocate at the KIPP Foundation and KIPP school network. 

We were thrilled to host him last Spring for a visit, where he immersed himself in the student experience to see firsthand what sets KIPP Chicago apart—from coding and building computer games in 4th Grade to stepping into virtual reality for a math lesson and observing our early literacy teachers implement the Science of Reading. One second-grade class was lucky to share a storytime session with Shavar for a reading “Daryl’s Dream,” by Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, a captivating children’s book that centers on essential themes such as mental health, dreaming big, and believing in oneself. During this read-aloud, he was able to bond with our students on a personal level and underscore the importance of nurturing their dreams and aspirations.

KIPP Detroit Kindergarten Promotion

Congratulations are in order for our sister region, KIPP Detroit Imani Academy, as they closed the books on their founding year and celebrated their very first kindergarten promotion. 

The students at KIPP Detroit Imani Academy made remarkable strides, quadrupling their MAP Data scores. Even more impressively, in their first five months at KDIA, they displayed astonishing growth, achieving a remarkable 92% improvement in math skills and an impressive 97% boost in language arts. These achievements surpass the performance of their peers on a national scale, as indicated by NWEA Map Results. These early successes are a testament to the dedication and unwavering efforts of the KDIA educators. Together, they have laid a solid foundation for a lifelong pursuit of knowledge. We take immense pride in being a part of a network that is making a genuine and lasting impact on the lives of these young scholars.

With such impressive results in their first year, we can only imagine the transformative progress they will continue to make. We look forward with great anticipation to the future and the profound and lasting impact KIPP will have in Detroit.

2nd Annual Detroit Wellness Fair

Our sister region, KIPP Detroit Imani Academy, closed out its founding year with our 2nd Annual Community Wellness Fair, ensuring that students and families were set up for a healthy and happy summer break. Intergenerational yoga, mental health consultations, financial wellness consultations, health and wellness screenings, and immunizations were offered. In collaboration with our Detroit-based community partners, we provided food boxes with fresh and pantry-stable items, grooming services for adults and children, and enjoyed ice cream together on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

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KIPP Chicago Public Schools has been recognized as a “Gap Buster” charter network, earning the highest rating in a national study conducted by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO). The empirical evidence provided by CREDO’s study demonstrates that our model is resulting in dramatic improvements in Reading and Math for Chicago’s Black and Brown students, exceeding the state average in overall student achievement. Our students achieved gains equivalent to an additional 96 days of learning within the same school year. The full study can be found here, or you can watch a video from CREDO that provides an overview of the study and its findings. 

KAC Robotics Competition

Middle school students at KIPP Academy Chicago put their computer science and coding skills to the test in an exciting robotics competition. Sponsored by the Amazon Future Engineer program, these 6th-grade students embarked on a mission to design robots capable of responding to environmental cues to address natural hazards such as fires, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Over the course of three weeks, these young innovators delved into coding and hands-on robot building, creating their very own Early Warning System robots. This competition not only showcased the powerful relationship between technology and education but also highlighted how STEM education can empower the next generation to address real-world challenges, preparing them for the realities of the future while nurturing their creativity and problem-solving skills.

Model UN

The Model UN Teams at KIPP Bloom College Prep, KIPP One Academy, and KIPP Academy Chicago teams were hard at work all year preparing for their participation in the International Middle School Model UN Conference in New York City. Thirty-four exceptional students represented the city of Chicago at the conference, engaging in rigorous committee sessions. These remarkable young leaders addressed critical global issues, from systemic racism in the digital age to the implications of animal testing. A group of our students took the lead in their committee focused on the implications of animal testing, presenting their resolution paper at the United Nations in front of 120 people. We are thrilled to share that two students, Aarianna and Jackson, received recognition for having the strongest country statement, a testament to their exceptional research and representation of Germany. Beyond their commendable work in Model UN, our students represented KIPP Chicago with kindness and respect, earning praise from other groups and conference administrators for their courteous demeanor and supportive interactions. 

The trip was not all business, though! Our students explored the vibrant city of New York, attended a Broadway show, enjoyed delicious meals, and formed lasting friendships. Check out a video recap of their trip below.

At the end of the season, our students and their families gathered for a celebration to reflect on the lessons learned, both about the world and themselves, during their Model U.N. journey. Our students shared personal stories of triumph, from conquering fears of public speaking to discovering their best selves through teamwork and pushing past comfort zones. The banquets also honored our graduating 8th graders with engraved gavels, symbols of their outstanding contributions to Model U.N.

None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of our student’s families. We acknowledge the early morning drop-offs, late pick-ups, and all the countless acts of support that have made this journey a reality. We are immensely grateful for our Model UN community. Due to the incredible success and growth of the model UN program, we are excited to share that it will be expanded to all of our schools for the 23-24 school year under the direction of Molly Harris.

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At this year’s ASU+GSV conference in San Diego, our Museum of Art and Social Justice proudly showcased a retrospective of all twelve art exhibits since 2016. The interactive exhibit showcased artifacts from past shows and celebrated the publication of the second edition of our museum book. This new edition includes our positive affirmation coloring book, thoughtfully crafted lesson plans for educators, and a forward from April Montgomery, KIPP Chicago’s Executive Director, and her meeting with the legendary Malala Yousafzai. This remarkable encounter was a profound source of inspiration for several of the museum’s exhibits, illustrating the power of education and advocacy to drive positive change.

CMASJ Duke Summer Internship

This summer, we partnered with Duke University’s “Duke Engage” program to support an intern, Sophie Rees, for the Children’s Museum of Art and Social Justice, who spent eight weeks working on lesson plans to support Whole Child Initiative priorities. One of her projects focused on “Hip Hop and Mental Health” and creating lesson plans to bring this theme to life for our middle school students. Our KIPPsters will learn the elements of a song, explore form and lyrics, and learn how form and content impact mood. To debunk the idea of a “starving artist,” students will dream of creative careers in music, create a future plan, and learn about professionals who bridge art and science, art and sports, and other nontraditional career paths. Finally, students will be able to make their own music through Chrome Music Lab; more on that below. 

During this time, Sophie invited fellow Duke interns to explore the five sub-genres of hip-hop and unpack common myths and narratives about hip-hop. Some of the questions students reflected on were: What are the narratives about your community that are untrue, incorrect, or unfounded? Why are they harmful to the organization or the community? What are some strategies your organization uses to dispel or push back on those narratives? 

We offered our space to the students so they could delve deeper into this theme of (de)centering narratives through a creative activity that asked them to create a mixed media art installation or collage that highlights their knowledge of the narratives and counternarratives of Chicago, their organization, and/or hip-hop.

Chrome Music Lab

Chrome Music Lab is a great FREE classroom resource for teaching basic music education, from song-making to chord mapping to rhythm tracking. It is very user-friendly, and there is an abundance of free lesson plans and resources to teach teachers how to utilize this tool. It is easily accessible on Chrome. This would be best suited for basic-level classes and could be used in conjunction with the first lesson plan. Give it a try!

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Formerly known as the OSEL Summer Institute, the Healing-Centered Conference is the Office of Social & Emotional Learning reimagined summer learning experience for Chicago educators. The conference was attended by teachers, school leaders, social workers, school counselors, and other practitioners in our District. Brittany Jones, Managing Director of Justice Initiatives, had an opportunity to represent KIPP Chicago at this year’s Summer conference. There were several deeply meaningful sessions that ranged from training on creating wellness ecosystems to healing circles to using social-emotional learning to leverage student and adult relationships better.

We look forward to applying our learning and continuing to collaborate with the CPS Office of Social & Emotional Learning to support our regional wellness goals.

How We Feel App

The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence has collaborated with the non-profit How We Feel on an exciting App focused on emotional well-being. The App is called How We Feel and is available for free on iOS and Android. It incorporates principles from Mark Brackett’s book, Permission to Feel, has a Mood Meter, and dozens of research-based strategies to support healthy emotion regulation and emotional-tracking capabilities. KIPP Chicago continues using Yale’s RULER curriculum to support our social-emotional learning goals. You can find mood meters being used daily across the region. Several staff members have already benefited from the How We Feel App, tracking their experiences and emotions throughout the day. 

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KIPP Ascend Primary School students took center stage this spring in a vibrant performance of “The Wiz” musical. This production provided an exceptional platform for our young performing artists to showcase their singing and dancing abilities while bringing the magic of the theater to life. At KIPP Chicago, we firmly believe in nurturing the whole child, and our commitment to incorporating art into our curriculum is a testament to that belief. Through creative outlets like musical performances, our students develop their artistic skills and practice self-expression, confidence, and teamwork. 

During Women’s History Month, KIPP Academy Chicago Primary had the distinct honor of hosting State Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin and Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza. These distinguished elected officials shared their experiences and insights with our students about what it means to be a leader. They engaged in candid discussions and answered student questions. The visit also included a school tour, allowing Rep. Meyers-Martin and Comptroller Mendoza to witness firsthand the transformative impact of education in our community. Their visit served as a powerful reminder to our students that with determination and dedication, they, too, can aspire to become influential leaders who shape the future of our city and state.

KIPP Foundation Equity Summit

On Wednesday, July 20, KIPP Chicago hosted over 30 Equity practitioners from nine KIPP regions at our Children’s Museum of Art and Social Justice (CMASJ) in Pilsen. Participants started the day enjoying local Chicago foods. Participants were also serenaded by KIPP Chicago’s own Windy Indie, who entertained us with some old-school party starters on her violin. Following lunch, participants learned about our Equity journey from several KIPP Chicago staff.

April Montgomery Goble and Rashid Bell opened with the history of our region, including KIPP Chicago being one of the first regions to participate in LRE, Leading for Racial Equity.

Jennifer Hodges shared programs offered through the Whole Child Initiative, while Pete Gooden shared about the leadership journeys and impact projects of The McNair Fellowship. Brittany Jones highlighted our social-emotional learning (SEL) and RULER training used across our region.  

Bankston and April sat down for a “Fireside Chat” to discuss the Vocal Justice course taught by Bankston to our students at KIPP Bloom.  

Finally, participants were given the opportunity to experience the Chicago Museum of Art & Social Justice while also creating their own “Afro-futurism” work of art. We are thrilled to have been able to partner to support this amazing group of equity practitioners. 

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This summer, we had the privilege of hosting an intern from Duke University who dedicated their time and energy to researching food pantries in the Englewood community. The result of their work is a comprehensive guide tailored specifically for KIPP Bloom families, filled with information on accessing local food resources. These ongoing initiatives reflect our dedication to not only providing quality education but also ensuring that our students and their families have access to essential resources, like nutritious food, to thrive both inside and outside the classroom.   

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Our Team and Family gathered in person for Spring Collaboration Day for the first time since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. During this time, we celebrated our accomplishments, shared stories of impact, and renewed our commitment to our mission of empowering students to reach their full potential. It was a day filled with inspiration, unity, and a shared vision for the future, emphasizing that our collective efforts will continue to drive positive change for our students and our community. 

The day was marked with a powerful spoken word performance by staff members on what social justice means to our organization.

Social Justice means collaborating with Rush University to open a food pantry with healthy food options for KIPP Academy Chicago families.

Social Justice looks like offering KIPP Chicago families an opportunity to earn their HS diploma alongside their KIPP student.  

Social Justice looks like offering KIPP students the opportunity to debate current events directly impacting them and participate in the Model UN conference in NYC. 

Social Justice looks like having access to VR headsets and experiencing Algebra through cutting-edge Math curricula. 

Social Justice looks like using a five-year, $600K grant to ensure all KIPP Students can pursue something they are passionate about. 

Social Justice looks like using the Creative Schools Grant to ensure students at KAP receive emotional support through Art Therapy.  

Social Justice looks like collaborating with the KIPP Foundation’s professional learning partnership to get better at coaching and supporting teachers and students with rigorous grade-level learning opportunities. 

Social Justice looks like collaborating with the KIPP Foundation in their professional learning partnership to adopt a Science of Reading-aligned curriculum that ensures teachers and students have the resources and materials they need to be reading to learn by third grade! 

Social Justice looks like implementation of and professional learning about a research-based phonics curriculum – Hillrap –  so that students who are not reading at grade level YET have opportunities to close their reading gaps and excel. 

Social Justice looks like investing in SEL training for our SEL peer leaders to ensure that Social Emotional Learning is always a part of KIPP Chicago’s academic program. 

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