KIPP in New Orleans: Beating the Odds

“We work incredibly hard,” says Pierre-Floyd. “We want our kids to go to and through college, not just to get great jobs but to change the world.” She spends a lot of time talking to parents about college-going rates for students of color, “not just because we want them to be a rich person but to be an advocate of change and to make our world a better place. Our job is not just to make them smart and wealthy; our job is to ideally make them even better than the generations before them.”

Two unique programs.

These are powerful goals, and KIPP Renaissance has two unique programs that Pierre-Floyd says is helping the students to persist toward attaining a college degree.

Every Renaissance senior is required to take Senior College Scholars, an embedded college counseling class. Students apply to a minimum of nine colleges before completing their senior year. Counselors work with the students to determine the best match schools for them, says Pierre-Floyd, “because we know it’s not just about getting students into any school; it’s about what school is going to help them stay and get through, that has a high minority graduation rate and supports so that minority graduation is consistently happening, that it’s planned for.”

Students also take a financial literacy course so they understand what’s required of them as they start thinking about taking out loans. They get SAT prep so they’re armed with the best possible scores that will qualify them for scholarships and grants.

The school also offers KIPP through College, a staff member that keeps in touch with students through on-campus visits and e-mail. The staff member connects students to summer internships; she also helps with grades, tutoring, and navigating financial aid. “She’s an incredible resource to students to make sure that we’re balancing things that sometimes force students to leave,” says Pierre-Floyd.

Last year, the school’s first graduation class of about 90 students reflected an 83% graduation rate. Pierre-Floyd says the school leaders are learning all the time how to get better at what they do. Of course, they want to see a 100% graduation rate; some of last year’s seniors are back in school this year. “We’re still working with them,” she says.

According to the school’s website, in 2013—2014 on state test results KIPP Renaissance surpassed the state in algebra 1 and biology, but trailed it in English 1 and 2, U.S. history, and geometry. The average senior ACT score was 18 out of 36, and 11% of Advanced Placement test takers passed with a score of 3 or better.

The test results aren’t scintillating, but the school is only 5 years old. All the students are eligible to receive free lunch, 97% are African American, and 20% receive special education services.

“We’re working every year to get smarter, to get better,” Pierre-Lloyd says of the school’s leadership, who also practice developing in themselves the character strengths, especially optimism. “The work we’re doing is super intentional and focused on the result–which is helping to develop incredibly smart, incredibly skilled, incredibly character-strong young adults.”