Expectations make a difference

The KIPP Memphis Collegiate Schools opened Monday, holding half-day sessions until full-day classes start July 26.

A story Tuesday by The Commercial Appeal education writer Jane Roberts detailed how “KIPPsters” are being introduced or reintroduced to the culture of KIPP, the soon-to-resume 10-hour school days, the daily homework and the adherence to rules large and small designed to thrust them to college graduation.

During these half-day sessions, the students are receiving a no-nonsense presentation of what will be expected of them this school year, which is the closest thing the city has to a year-round school. KIPP officials and students’ parents have also agreed on what is expected of the parents.

KIPP students are achieving academically. Children in some of the city’s other charter and public schools also are succeeding academically or making measurable progress toward that goal.

Excellent teachers in classrooms can be tied to that success, but in the world of education reform, we think “expectations” is a key word.

Students are expected to succeed academically in every classroom, whether they attend a public, charter or private school. They will not all be “A” students, but they are expected to achieve competency in the core subjects of reading, language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.

But there is a difference in the way expectations are carried out. Too many parents in low-performing schools, usually those in poorer neighborhoods, expect teachers and school administrators to assume total responsibility for educating their children.

In some cases, the level of expectation is tempered by the home situations children return to at the end of the school day. Poverty, poor health care and turmoil in the home can impact how a child performs in school. However, education reform movements in school districts across the country are adjusting their operations in ways to mitigate these factors, with the expectation those students can achieve as well as those from stable home situations.

KIPP and other charters here are taking kids from a variety of home situations and turning them into good students. They have strict guidelines for parents and students alike. Some of those guidelines may seem a bit nit-picking, such as having homework returned to schools in a particular order or adhering perfectly to dress-code requirements. Many charters require parents to sign off on students’ homework.

These kinds of expectations are not for every student or parent. But research shows schools that employ them have students who are outperforming students in traditional neighborhood schools.