KIPP STRIVE Academy is part of the Atlanta Public Schools. Informaton: 404-753-1530, kippmetroatlanta.org/kipp-strive-academy.
Christy Harris was in a graduate English program at Georgia State and working with college students when the realization struck: Students need more preparation than they’re getting in the lower grades.
“I saw students who were so far behind by the time they got to freshman year that it was much harder to get them where they needed to be,” she said. “That’s when I knew I wanted to make an impact at an earlier stage, so I ended up in middle school.”
In fact, Harris wound up at a very particular middle school in the same neighborhood of southwest Atlanta where she grew up and attended Mays High. In 2009, when the Knowledge is Power Program opened its Success through Rigorous Instruction, Virtue and Enrichment Academy for the middle grades, Harris was on the faculty. Three years ago, she was named principal. “Destiny brought me back,” she said.
But it was more than destiny that took Harris to Washington, D.C., recently where she accepted the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence designation, a national honor awarded to schools with demonstrated success records. STRIVE became the only Atlanta Public School to earn the designation this year, an honor that noted the school’s ability to narrow the achievement gap for its 334 minority and low-income students.
“Our biggest challenge is that the majority of our kids come in below grade levels, and our mission is to make sure they become competitive with anyone in the city or nation,” said Harris. “We don’t have a lot of resources, and we heavily depend on the help of the community and outside resources to meet the initiatives we put in place.”
Much of the school’s success comes from sticking to the motto its name stands for. Rigorous instruction begins at 7:15 a.m. and lasts until 3:45 p.m. After-school programs and Saturday sessions increase instruction time. The school calendar lasts for 192 days, compared to 180 for many public systems. Extra help is provided by volunteers from Spelman and Morehouse colleges who show up daily to work with students. Parents are expected to review homework every night and to call teachers immediately if they have questions or concerns.
“One key is we’re meeting students where they are,” said Harris. “We have individualized instruction for each child. And they love it; it’s difficult sometimes to get them to go home.”
STRIVE also puts an emphasis on character development, starting with a 2-week boot camp incoming students must attend to learn what’s expected.
“We focus on respect, enthusiasm, achievement, citizenship and hard work from the moment they come in,” said Harris. “We’ve established a culture where it’s cool to work hard and where achievement is something we are proud of and value. By eighth grade, it’s part of who they are.”
Getting the parents’ behind the program is another key success factor. “I think STRIVE is more of an adjustment for them,” she said with a laugh. “We host parent sessions to talk about how they can adjust to our culture - the longer day, the expectations that they look at their kids’ homework every night - and understand that we don’t accept excuses. We’re also very fortunate that a lot of our parents are here volunteering, which adds to the family feel at the school.”
STRIVE’s Blue-Ribbon honor tells KIPP executive director Kinnari Patel-Smyth that the program works. “We do have a demanding model and are focused on results, but we also have about 2,500 on our waiting lists. If we have more schools with high expectations, students regardless of ZIP code can achieve success and continue on that path through college.”
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