Comments on: KIPP success story http://TeachEffectively.com/2008/06/10/kipp-success-story/ Evidence-based teaching methods for helping students who are at risk for school failure or who have disabilities. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:30:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: John Boubel http://TeachEffectively.com/2008/06/10/kipp-success-story/comment-page-1/#comment-68939 John Boubel Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:20:41 +0000 http://TeachEffectively.com/?p=487#comment-68939 Sometimes you really do have to see and experience to believe! I welcome you to come and do jus that. I'm confident that you will be well pleased with what you see and experience. Sometimes you really do have to see and experience to believe! I welcome you to come and do jus that. I’m confident that you will be well pleased with what you see and experience.

]]> By: JohnL http://TeachEffectively.com/2008/06/10/kipp-success-story/comment-page-1/#comment-68927 JohnL Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:36:12 +0000 http://TeachEffectively.com/?p=487#comment-68927 John, thanks for dropping the comment. Even more so, thanks for alerting me that you've seen names pulled from a box. How did the names get into the box in the first place? Did the names in the box represent all children in a given area (e.g., city, county, local education area) or were they names of applicants? If they were the latter, then that's still a pretty selected sample. As to the "love the teachers and staff have for the students": There are probably a lot of schools where teachers and staff love their students, so that's probably not the active ingredient. I suspect your reference to hard work taps a more potent ingredient. I'd be pleased to visit Aspire (is that the one to which Ms. LaCoste-Caputo’s story refers?), but even if I saw wonderful examples of success there, I'd still want to examine unbiased evidence about effectiveness. After all, like just about everyone whom I've ever met, I have biases and I wouldn't want them to color my lenses rosy. So, absent clear and compelling research data I'll cling to the raft I call the Good Ship Skepticism. John, thanks for dropping the comment. Even more so, thanks for alerting me that you’ve seen names pulled from a box. How did the names get into the box in the first place? Did the names in the box represent all children in a given area (e.g., city, county, local education area) or were they names of applicants? If they were the latter, then that’s still a pretty selected sample.

As to the “love the teachers and staff have for the students”: There are probably a lot of schools where teachers and staff love their students, so that’s probably not the active ingredient. I suspect your reference to hard work taps a more potent ingredient.

I’d be pleased to visit Aspire (is that the one to which Ms. LaCoste-Caputo’s story refers?), but even if I saw wonderful examples of success there, I’d still want to examine unbiased evidence about effectiveness. After all, like just about everyone whom I’ve ever met, I have biases and I wouldn’t want them to color my lenses rosy. So, absent clear and compelling research data I’ll cling to the raft I call the Good Ship Skepticism.

]]> By: John Boubel http://TeachEffectively.com/2008/06/10/kipp-success-story/comment-page-1/#comment-68925 John Boubel Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:59:14 +0000 http://TeachEffectively.com/?p=487#comment-68925 You are in error as to the selection of students. Students are selected at random! I have personally witnessed the pulling of names out of a box. There is not selection of best students from any district, the selection is the luck of the draw. As school counselor, I can tell you that many of our students come from very difficult home situations. The secret to success, I believe, is the love the teachers and staff have for the students, coupled with a lot of hard work and determination! Seeing is believing, why don't you check Aspire out for yourself. You are in error as to the selection of students. Students are selected at random! I have personally witnessed the pulling of names out of a box. There is not selection of best students from any district, the selection is the luck of the draw. As school counselor, I can tell you that many of our students come from very difficult home situations. The secret to success, I believe, is the love the teachers and staff have for the students, coupled with a lot of hard work and determination! Seeing is believing, why don’t you check Aspire out for yourself.

]]> By: JohnL http://TeachEffectively.com/2008/06/10/kipp-success-story/comment-page-1/#comment-68886 JohnL Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:16:40 +0000 http://TeachEffectively.com/?p=487#comment-68886 Kimmy, I've had similar reactions. The founders seem to talk a good game, but I'd really like to see more solid data (see this <a href="http://TeachEffectively.com/2005/05/15/kipp-schools/" rel="nofollow">2005 post</a> for an earlier marker about my reservations). How would KIPP do in comparison to some Edison or Direct Instruction schools with a randomly assigned group of students? Kimmy, I’ve had similar reactions. The founders seem to talk a good game, but I’d really like to see more solid data (see this 2005 post for an earlier marker about my reservations). How would KIPP do in comparison to some Edison or Direct Instruction schools with a randomly assigned group of students?

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