Executive Summary

Here's the Executive Summary:

 

We are often asked what distinguishes KIPP's four-year college graduates from the KIPP students who do not enroll in college, or who start but do not finish. Rigorous research and our own early experience have helped us understand the factors instrumental to KIPP students' college success. These include:

·         Academic readiness for the intellectual challenge of college

·         A powerful set of character strengths, including grit, self-control, social intelligence (including self-advocacy), zest, optimism and gratitude, that enable students to stick with college even in the face of considerable obstacles

·         The right match between a student and his or her college

·         Social and academic integration through study groups, campus clubs, alumni contacts, and activities that enhance a student's college experience and help him or her resist negative pressure to leave school

·         College affordability and financial understanding to help navigate the challenge of paying for college