DALLAS — The future of quality school options for economically and educationally-underserved students in southern Dallas just got a lot brighter! The Texas Instruments (TI) Foundation recently made a $1 million grant over three years to help expand and improve school quality for the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) region of KIPP Texas Public Schools.
KIPP Texas – Dallas-Fort Worth is a public charter school network that will educate nearly 3,000 kindergarten through ninth-grade students in southern Dallas in the 2018-2019 school year. With support from the TI Foundation, this number is projected to double by 2025.
“KIPP has a proven track record of improving learning outcomes for students in typically under-resourced communities, and shares a common goal with the TI Foundation of ensuring learning and teaching environments for all students to succeed,” said Andy Smith, executive director of the TI Foundation. “The opening of the new KIPP high school in southern Dallas will extend KIPP’s ability to reach local students in demographics that are typically under-represented, especially in STEM fields.”
Next month, KIPP Texas – DFW will open its seventh regional school and first high school, KIPP Oak Cliff Academy (KOCA). KOCA will welcome 115 ninth grade students for its foundational year. KIPP Texas – DFW Regional Superintendent Dr. Michael A. Horne says he is focused on making sure the funds are used effectively to propel the public charter school network into its next phase of growth and expansion.
“We are grateful for the TI Foundation’s investment in KIPP,” said Horne. “Since its inception in 1964, the TI Foundation has been a leader in advancing systemic change and increasing student access to rapidly changing knowledge and skills. KIPP’s partnership with the TI Foundation serves as a catalyst for our continued efforts to prepare more students in southern Dallas for college and to become leaders of innovation.”
The public charter network has shown some bright spots in recent years. In 2017, 99% of KIPP Texas – DFW eighth-grade students passed the spring 2017 STAAR Algebra 1 End of Course Examination – an exam that is usually administered to ninth-grade students. Additionally, KIPP Texas – DFW has guided students and alumni to a historical college matriculation rate of 82%, compared to the national average of 45% for economically and educationally-underserved students.
In addition to the TI Foundation grant, KIPP Texas – DFW is also engaged with Texas Instruments on a pilot high school internship program.
About KIPP Texas Public Schools
KIPP Texas Public Schools is a nonprofit public charter school network, dedicated to preparing students in educationally underserved communities for college success and choice-filled lives comprised. Today, KIPP Texas operates 52 public charter schools educating over 27,700 students across four regions – Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. KIPP Texas is part of the national KIPP network of college-preparatory public charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. KIPP schools are part of the free public school system and enrollment is open to all students. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students and approximately three times higher than the average of students from low-income families. www.kipptexas.org
About the Texas Instruments Foundation
The Texas Instruments Foundation, founded in 1964, is a non-profit organization solely funded by Texas Instruments providing philanthropic support for educational and charitable purposes primarily in the communities where TI operates. Committed to supporting educational excellence, the foundation works to create measurable, replicable programs and initiatives. The focus is on providing knowledge, skills and programs to improve STEM education and increase the percentage of high school graduates who are math and science capable. More information can be found at www.ti.com/giving.
Media Contact:
Ieesha Collins, 832-581-7298, ieesha.collins@kipptexas.org (Texas media contact)
