KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy

Description

KIPP stands for the Knowledge Is Power Program . KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy is an innovative fifth through eighth grade public school that prepares its students for the best high schools and colleges in the nation. KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy is open to all students entering fifth grade in San Francisco. We believe that hard work and dedication are the keys to success. San Francisco Bay Academy is the place for any student who wants to be ready for college and would benefit from rigorous academics, character development, and community service! San Francisco Bay Academy is a KIPP charter school. Charter schools are independent public schools, designed and operated by educators, parents, community leaders, and entrepreneurs and supported by tax dollars. Charter schools are public schools of choice open to all students. They are sponsored in California by school districts and County Boards of Education that monitor their academic results and fiscal practices but allow them to operate free from certain provisions of the Education Code. There are over 350 charter schools in California and 2,357 nationwide, serving students from Kindergarten to grade 12. The charter establishing each school is a performance contract detailing the school's programs, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and school performance standards. Charters in California are granted for five years. At the end of the initial term, schools may apply for a five-year renewal by petitioning the original sponsor of the charter. KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) National is a non-profit organization that recruits and trains leaders to be principals and founders of KIPP affiliated schools nationwide. There are currently 15 KIPP schools, and 19 more will open in the summer of 2003. KIPP believes that the best way to reform public education is to train leaders to effectively run their own community-based charter schools.