A New Type of School

The Economist reports on KIPP Academy, a group of charter schools that were founded with a simple motto: "Work Hard. Be Nice." 90% of KIPP students graduate from college compared with the typical 7% college graduation rate for low income families (which make up the majority of students at KIPP). Not bad:

KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Programme) started in 1994 with a simple philosophy, encapsulated in its main motto, “Work hard. Be nice.” It stresses personal responsibility and hard work (even the youngest students can expect a couple of hours of homework a night, and teachers must be available on their mobile phones to help with it) and tells its pupils that “there are no short cuts.”