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Charter schools: Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP)

Pre-K to 12 Education
  Literature review updated August 2013.
This program was archived December 2024.

The Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) is a network of public charter schools operating in 20 states and the District of Columbia. The schools predominantly enroll low-income and minority students. The studies included in this analysis are of KIPP middle schools around the country and measure the impact of attending a KIPP school compared to a traditional public school. The evidence suggests that KIPP charter schools improve test scores in both reading and math. We present the findings for reading scores here.
 
ALL
META-ANALYSIS
CITATIONS

Meta-analysis is a statistical method to combine the results from separate studies on a program, policy, or topic to estimate its effect on an outcome. WSIPP systematically evaluates all credible evaluations we can locate on each topic. The outcomes measured are the program impacts measured in the research literature (for example, impacts on crime or educational attainment). Treatment N represents the total number of individuals or units in the treatment group across the included studies.

An effect size (ES) is a standard metric that summarizes the degree to which a program or policy affects a measured outcome. If the effect size is positive, the outcome increases. If the effect size is negative, the outcome decreases. See Estimating Program Effects Using Effect Sizes for additional information on how we estimate effect sizes.

The effect size may be adjusted from the unadjusted effect size estimated in the meta-analysis. Historically, WSIPP adjusted effect sizes to some programs based on the methodological characteristics of the study. For programs reviewed in 2024 or later, we do not make additional adjustments, and we use the unadjusted effect size whenever we run a benefit-cost analysis.

Research shows the magnitude of effects may change over time. For those effect sizes, we estimate outcome-based adjustments, which we apply between the first time ES is estimated and the second time ES is estimated. More details about these adjustments can be found in our Technical Documentation.

Meta-Analysis of Program Effects
Outcomes measured No. of effect sizes Treatment N Effect sizes (ES) and standard errors (SE) Unadjusted effect size (random effects model)
ES SE Age ES p-value
Test scores
Standardized, validated tests of academic achievement.
11 9 16665 0.053 0.011 11 0.053 0.001

Citations Used in the Meta-Analysis

Angrist, J.D., Dynarski, S.M., Kane, T.J., Pathak, P.A., & Walters, C.R. (2012). Who benefits from KIPP? Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/pam.21647.

Ross, S. M., McDonald, A. J., Alberg, M., & McSparrin-Gallagher, B. (2007). Achievement and Climate Outcomes for the Knowledge Is Power Program in an Inner-City Middle School. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 12(2): 137-165.

Tuttle, C.C., Gill, B., Gleason, P., Knechtel, V., Nicholas-Barrer, I., & Resch, A. (2013). KIPP middle schools: Impacts on achievement and other outcomes. Washington DC: Mathematica Policy Research.

Woodworth, K.R., David, J.L., Guha, R., Wang, H., & Lopez-Torkos, A. (2008). San Francisco Bay area KIPP schools: A study of early implementation and achievement (Final Report). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.