KIPP School Jacksonville

This morning, I was cruising through the Florida Times-Union with my morning cup of coffee and opened the opinion page to find a rather interesting article on one of Jacksonville's newest charter schools...the KIPP school on Jacksonville's northside.  If you've lived in Duval County for any length of time, you are aware of the numerous disparities among its citizens.  There are sections of town that are under-served in many areas; education, notwithstanding. 

KIPP stands for "Knowledge is Power Program."  If you "google" KIPP, you will find information regarding the program, its tenets, its structure, its mission, etc.  KIPP is a college preparatory school.  A normal school day for "KIPPers" begins at 7:20 a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m.  Arts instruction is mandatory for every student.  The article states that "these students have about 700 more hours of instruction during the school year than their public school peers.  It's a hothouse of academic expectations."  This is a public school.  Neighborhood kids were recruited to attend this school.

My eye was drawn to the photograph that was included with the article.  It showed a group of students sitting upright in their chairs with music stands in front of them, an open score on each stand and an instrument in every student's hand.  Band is required at this KIPP school.  "Every student is expected to participate.  Principal Robert Hawke said it not only establishes a common theme for the students, but the process of learning a musical instrument produces the character traits of discipline, hard work and a beautiful outcome in the end."  Thank you, Mr. Hawke, for affirming the importance of Arts education in your students' lives.  You are to be commended.

With so much uncertainty swirling around those of us who have dedicated our lives to Arts education, it is  most gratifying to see the value placed on this particular area of study in this particular learning environment.  Kudos to the folks at KIPP!!

If you would like to enjoy the article for yourself, it can be found at www.jacksonville.com/opinion.  The title of the article is "KIPP School Offers Hope in Northwest."  Sunday, June 26, 2011.

Until next time...