Mike Feinberg, one of the co-founders of KIPP, wrote “Let Teachers Teach”, in The Atlantic, April 30, 2012. Feinberg recalls trying to talk Houston ISD to share some resources to found KIPP. Now that KIPP has proven results, the Houston district is having another look:
At KIPP, we are trying not just to build a system of great charter schools but also to demonstrate what is possible in public education overall. The Houston Independent School District — the same district that, 20 years ago, struggled to give KIPP a classroom — is now in the process of infusing flexibility and accountability into their schools. Through the Apollo 20 program, leaders of chronically under-performing district schools are being given the same leeway to innovate and adapt on which charter school leaders rely. It’s a huge change from when Dave and I started as teachers, and it’s proof that districts can shake off the restrictions and limitations of the traditional bureaucracy.
