2010-11

KIPP NYC
SPIRALED REVIEW
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW.............................................................................................................................................3
Introduction.............................................................................................................................................3
KIPP NYC Mission.....................................................................................................................................3
KIPP NYC Beliefs.......................................................................................................................................3
The History...............................................................................................................................................4
Fast Facts.................................................................................................................................................4
KIPP NYC Results......................................................................................................................................5
Frequently Asked Questions....................................................................................................................6
WORKING AT KIPP NYC..........................................................................................................................8
Character Strengths.................................................................................................................................8
Q14........................................................................................................................................................10
Healthy School/Healthy Teacher Survey................................................................................................11
Sharing...................................................................................................................................................11
Influencer...............................................................................................................................................11
Genuine Conversations..........................................................................................................................12
The Stockdale Paradox...........................................................................................................................14
Additional KIPPisms….............................................................................................................................14
TEACHING AT KIPP NYC........................................................................................................................15
The Ratio................................................................................................................................................15
Vegas, Baby!!!........................................................................................................................................16
Positive Descriptive Praise.....................................................................................................................18
Love and Logic........................................................................................................................................20
Constructive/Responding.......................................................................................................................22
Questioning............................................................................................................................................23
Right is Right..........................................................................................................................................23
Stretch-It................................................................................................................................................23
Elaborative Interrogation.......................................................................................................................23
Close the Circuit.....................................................................................................................................24
Dual Purpose Instruction.......................................................................................................................24
Instruction Mapping...............................................................................................................................25
Video......................................................................................................................................................25
APPENDIX 1: Read, Baby Read: A Very Non-Comprehesive Sampling of KIPP NYC Reading..................26
APPENDIX 2: KIPP NYC Teacher Development Framework – A Working Draft (July 2010)....................29
APPENDIX 3: KIPP NYC Self-Checking Guide to Teaching Excellence.....................................................30
APPENDIX 4: NYC Elementary Sample Lesson Plan Format...................................................................31
APPENDIX 5: KIPP NYC Elementary Sample 5 E Lesson Plan Format.....................................................32
APPENDIX 6: KIPP NYC Middle/HS Sample Lesson Plan Format............................................................33
APPENDIX 7: KIPP NYC Middle/HS Annotated Lesson Plan...................................................................34

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 OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
What follows on the subsequent pages is an overview of KIPP NYC and spiraled review of many
of the concepts that we’ve worked on over the last several years. In no way is this meant to be
an exhaustive or comprehensive list (we’re working on that too ), but rather a chance to
introduce or re-introduce ourselves to some of the language and thinking that makes KIPP NYC
such a special team.

KIPP NYC MISSION

KIPP NYC’s mission is to teach our students to develop the character and academic skills
necessary to succeed in high school and college, to be self-sufficient, successful, and happy in
the competitive world, and to build a better tomorrow for themselves and us all.

KIPP NYC BELIEFS

Our Kids
 All kids deserve a top-quality education that prepares them for college and for a happy,
responsible, self-sufficient, and successful life.
 Character is as important as academic skills for success in school and life.
 What our kids experience at KIPP should both value them and their families and reflect
what we want for all kids, including our own.
Our Families
 Our team and family includes our students, alumni, families, staff, and the communities we
serve.
 We actively seek to engage and include the families of our students.
Our Way of Working
 Because people make the difference, we must recruit, develop, retain, and reward a diverse
team of outstanding people.
 We do what we say, in alignment with our beliefs, mission, and priorities.
 What we expect of our kids, we must ourselves embody and be committed to developing.
Our Impact
 By maximizing the quality of our direct impact with our students and families, we will
maximize our positive indirect impact on others.
 We will actively share and learn from others both inside and outside KIPP NYC.

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THE HISTORY
In 1994, two teachers, Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin, launched a fifth-grade public school program in
Houston, Texas after completing their commitment to Teach For America. Their goal: do “whatever it
takes” to help their students develop the character and academic skills for college and life. They
believed that high expectations coupled with creativity, rigor and sustained student, parent and teacher
commitment could generate transformational results for kids and prove what is possible in public
schools. Mike and Dave named their program KIPP – the Knowledge is Power Program. In 1995, they
decided to expand. Mike remained in Houston to lead KIPP Academy Middle School; Dave and his
colleague Frank Corcoran returned to New York City to establish KIPP Academy in the South Bronx.
Fifteen years later, we have grown into
a national network of free, open-
enrollment, college-preparatory public
schools with a track record of preparing
students for success in college and in
life. There are currently 99 KIPP schools
in 20 states and the District of Columbia
serving approximately 25,000 students.
Eighty percent of our students come
from low-income families, and 90
percent are African American or Latino.

FAST FACTS
KIPP KIPP KIPP KIPP KIPP KIPP KIPP KIPP NYC KIPP
NYC Infinity Academy Academy STAR AMP Infinity College through
(Totals) Elem. Elem. Middle Middle Middle Middle Prep HS College
Grade K 184 92 92
Grade 1 92 92
Grade 5 322 72 80 85 85
Grade 6 289 65 72 75 77
Grade 7 273 62 72 68 71
Grade 8 213 57 43 54 59
Grade 9 190 190
Grade 10 143 143
High School 375
Students Served
College Age 351
Students Served
Total Students 1,706 92 184 256 267 282 292 333
Demographics
% African American 59% 62% 44% 72% 96% 29% 49%
% Hispanic 40% 37% 53% 27% 4% 70% 49%
% Free and Reduced 80% 92% 82% 71% 73% 85% 81%
Student Attendance 97% 94% 98% 98% 96% 97% 96%
Annual Student 5% NA 4% 7% 7% 4% NA
Mobility

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KIPP NYC RESULTS
We are very proud of the accomplishments of our KIPPsters. Among the many highlights:

To and Through College

 Over the last seven years, 93% of KIPP NYC alumni graduated from high school. By
comparison, 46% of African American and Hispanic students across New York City
graduated from high school during 2005-08.
 86% of KIPP NYC alumni have matriculated to college. By comparison, 21% of African
American and Hispanic male high school graduates attend college in New York State;
36% of all low income New Yorkers ages 18-24 matriculated to college during 2003-08.
 To date, 32% of KIPP NYC alumni have earned bachelors' degrees within six years of high
school graduation. Our objective is to have 75% of our students graduate from college
and 100% of our kids prepared for self-sufficient careers. We’re currently on track to hit
a 50% 6-year graduation rate in the next two years; nationally, the college completion
rate in low income communities is 10%. By comparison, the nationwide six-year college
graduation rate for low-income kids is 9.8% and the percent of the entire US population
aged 25-34 with a college degree is 32%. In other words, our cumulative college
graduation rate is 3.3 times the national average for low-income kids and equal to the
national average for all kids. The 6-year graduation rate for the Class of 2004/08 is 40%.

Student Achievement
 In 2009-10, 92% of our elementary class of 2026 reached our kindergarten reading goal
by reading on or beyond Fountas and Pinnell level D -- one level above the standard
Kindergarten end of the year reading level.  20% of the class reached Level I or beyond,
our end of first grade reading goal.  
 At KIPP NYC College Prep High School, in its first year, 92% of students scored above our
goal of 75 on the Geometry Regents Exam. 87% of students scored above our goal of 75
on the Integrated Algebra Regents Exam.67% of students scored above our goal of 75 on
the Living Environment Exam.
 In 2008-09, 95% of KIPP NYC middle students scored at or above grade level in state
math testing; 83% tested at or above grade level in English language arts.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the KIPP Model?
KIPP NYC schools are part of a national network of KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) schools,
which share a set of core operating principles known as the Five Pillars:

High Expectations: KIPP NYC has clearly defined and measurable high expectations for character
and academic achievement and that make no excuses based on students' backgrounds.
Students, parents, teachers, and staff create and reinforce a culture of achievement and
support through a range of formal and informal rewards and consequences for academic
performance and behavior.

Choice & Commitment: Students, their parents, and the faculty choose to participate in the
program. No one is assigned or required to attend the school. Everyone must make and uphold
a commitment to the school and to each other and put in the time and effort required to
achieve success.

More Time: We know that there are no shortcuts when it comes to success in academics and
life. With an extended school day, week, and year, students have more time in the classroom
both to acquire the academic knowledge and skills that will prepare them for competitive high
schools and colleges and to engage in diverse extracurricular experiences.

Power to Lead: At KIPP NYC, we believe that our schools need the freedom and flexibility to
build high performing school teams, to allocate budgets to best meet school needs, and to
shape curriculum, instruction and school culture to maximize outcomes for our students.

Focus on Results: KIPP has a relentless focus on high student performance on all assessments:
teacher generated test, standardized tests, and other objective measures. Just as there are no
shortcuts, there are no excuses. Students are expected to achieve a level of academic

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performance that will enable them to succeed at the nation's best colleges. In addition to
school-based assessments, KIPP NYC administers all NY State exams and the MAP assessment.

How much does it cost to run a KIPP NYC school?

KIPP NYC schools offer students an extended-day, extended-week, and extended-year program
with a wide range of enrichment experiences. When our schools are fully grown, the per-pupil
cost of these programs is lower than that of a traditional New York City public school. For
example, in 2009-10, KIPP NYC middle schools spent an average of $15,057 per student, $3,001
less than the NYC DOE middle school average.

How are KIPP NYC schools funded?

In 2009-10, approximately 70% of KIPP NYC's overall operating budgets came from government
sources. We rely on the generosity of our donors to cover the balance of our operating
expenses.

How do students enroll at a KIPP NYC school?

Enrollment in a KIPP NYC school is open to all students who reside in New York State, with
preferences given to students eligible for free or reduced lunch, those residing in the school's
home district and the siblings of current KIPP NYC students. Each year, KIPP NYC schools
establish a list of students who are interested in attending for the following school year. Each
school then conducts an admissions lottery in the spring. Students are admitted without
consideration to prior academic or behavioral record, home language, or Special Education
status. At KIPP NYC, approximately 80 percent of our students are eligible for the federal free
and reduced price meals program, more than 99 percent are African American or Latino, and
12% have Individual Educational Plans (IEPs)

What does the KIPP Foundation do and how does it relate to KIPP NYC?
The KIPP Foundation focuses its efforts on recruiting, training, and supporting outstanding
leaders to open new, locally-run KIPP schools in high-need communities. In addition, the KIPP
Foundation helps develop leaders to step into leadership roles in existing KIPP schools. Beyond
recruiting and training new school leaders, the KIPP Foundation provides a variety of supports
and services to KIPP schools and regions in areas such as legal services, real estate, technology,
finance, corporate governance, operations, communications, marketing, and development. The
KIPP Foundation does not manage KIPP schools. Each KIPP school is run independently by a
KIPP-trained school leader and governed by a local board of directors. Each spring, the KIPP
Foundation releases our annual Report Card, which contains school-level information and test
results for all KIPP schools with measurable student achievement results.

What is Teacher U?
UKA Teacher U is a collaboration between KIPP NYC, Uncommon Schools, Achievement First,
and Hunter College. It is a subsidized masters program that our teachers take part in to become
certified. The program focuses on combining the best of research with the best of practice to
help teachers develop the skills they need to drive outstanding results with their students.. To
be in the Teacher U program you must be a full-time teacher. Part of how teachers earn their
Master’s Degree in Teacher U is based on the growth and achievement of their students.

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Several KIPP NYC teachers are enrolled in the program and many other teachers and leaders
serve as Teacher U instructors.

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 WORKING AT KIPP NYC
CHARACTER STRENGTHS
“The children are always ours, every single one of them…. Children have never been very good at listening to their
elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”
—James Baldwin

“Pick up the mirror before you pick up the magnifying glass.”

—Susan Winston

“Character education depends on our relationship with our children and that character traits cannot be transmitted
by words but must be conveyed by actions.”
-- Haim Ginott

“The hardest thing about teaching is recognizing the fact that your classroom is a reflection of you. Its successes
largely reflect your strengths and its failures largely reflect your weaknesses.”
-- Dr. Carter G. Woodson

As we all know well, and have probably said countless times, actions speak louder than words.
That being said, there do seem to be three critically important factors to consider when
thinking about words: a) Speaking is a type of action b) Words have a tremendous power c) It is
so much easier to talk the talk than walk the walk. As Anthony Anderson’s character says in
Hustle and Flow:

There are two types of people: those that talk the talk and those that walk the walk. People who walk
the walk sometimes talk the talk but most times they don't talk at all, 'cause they walkin'.

Now, people who talk the talk, when it comes time for them to walk the walk, you know what they do?
They talk people like me into walkin' for them.

All of this begs the Gandhian question, how are we (and all of the adults in our buildings) truly
going to be the change we want to see in the world?

In their landmark work, Character Strengths and Virtues, Martin Seligman and Christopher
Peterson provided the research behind the six virtues and twenty-four character traits that led
to happy, engaged, and meaningful lives for people across gender, race, geography, time, and
culture. In general they used ten Criteria to generate this list:

Criteria 1 – Contributes to making a good life for oneself and others.

Criteria 2 – Morally valuable in its own right, even in the absence of obvious
(external) beneficial outcomes
Criteria 3 – The display of a strength by one person does not diminish other people
Criteria 4 – The “opposite” of the strength is generally negative

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 Criteria 5 – Should show up in a variety of ways in the individual’s behavior
Criteria 6 – Distinctiveness from other positive traits
Criteria 7 – There are cultural role models, both real and fictional, that
demonstrate the character strength (paragons)
Criteria 8 – Young people who achieve greatness demonstrate the character
strength (prodigies)
Criteria 9 -- There are “role” models, both real and fictional, that demonstrate the
problems that result from the absence of the character trait
Criteria 10 – Society has developed institutions and rituals for cultivating
character strengths

The research that went into this work, along with Seligman’s work on Learned Optimism and
Authentic Happiness became the pillars of what has become known as positive psychology, or
the study or what is pleasing, engaged, and meaningful.

In A Primer in Positive Psychology Peterson argues that a positive life is created by the
intersection of positive subjective experiences, positive individual traits, and positive
institutions. At its most basic, “Positive institutions facilitate the development and display of
positive traits, which in turn facilitate positive subjective experiences.”

In other words, if we can ensure that our schools become and remain positive institutions we
can have an extremely profound impact on the lives of our kids.

The positive virtues and strengths that Seligman and Peterson identified are as follows:
Virtue: Wisdom and knowledge
Creativity Virtue: Justice
Curiosity Citizenship
Open-mindedness Fairness
Love of learning Leadership
Perspective

Virtue: Courage Virtue: Temperance

Bravery Forgiveness and mercy
Grit (persistence + resiliency)* Humility/modesty
Integrity Prudence/discretion
Zest (Energy + Enthusiasm)* Self-control*

Virtue: Transcendence
Appreciation of beauty and excellence
Virtue: Humanity Gratitude*
Love* Hope(optimism)*
Kindness Humor*
Social Intelligence* Spirituality
* Represent 8 of the strengths that are key to maximizing the full potential of our own individual signature
strengths. The basic idea is that people need to be aware of their individual signature strengths and then to use
these 8 strengths to maximize their potential.

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Over the last four years we’ve developed several guiding principles around building character:

1. General understanding that character matters – and matters a lot

2. The importance of using a shared common language around character
a. In Character Strengths and Virtues there is a detailed explanation
of how the language was chosen. For example, empathy which is
obviously so important in life is not one of the 24 because it is
actually a sub-component of kindness, love, open-mindedness,
social intelligence, fairness, citizenship, and several others.
3. Understand and feel how developing and using character strengths is
beneficial
4. See peer and adult examples and make the connection to how their
character strengths are helping them (the key here is to understand how
every individual uses their unique strengths and uses the “8” to maximize
their signature strengths)
5.  Maximize the number and depth of dual purpose experiences
6. Deliberate and descriptive “growth mindset” praise when being, knowing,
and doing ‘character strengths’ (using the character strength and growth
mindset language in a genuine and authentic way)

Character Report Card

This past spring, we piloted a “character report card” that will allow us to engage in even richer
conversations with our kids and their families around character growth and development, as
well as give us a powerful way to measure character growth. The current version of the report
card has 27 questions designed to measure self-control, grit, gratitude, zest, optimism, social
intelligence and curiosity.

Q14
The Q14 is a survey given to all KIPP NYC staff quarterly based on a Gallup survey of over one
million employees and 80,000 managers. Discussed in the book “First, Break All the Rules: What
the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently” by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Cuffman, the
survey feature the following 12 statements that were identified as the core elements needed to
attract, focus, and keep the most talented employees:

1) I know what is expected of me at work

2) I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right
3) At KIPP, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day
4) In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work
5) My manager, or someone else at work, seems to care about me as a person
6) Someone at work encourages my development
7) My opinions seem to count
8) The mission of KIPP makes me feel my job is important
9) My co-workers are committed to doing quality work

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10) I have a best friend at work
11) In the last six months, someone has talked to me about my progress
12) This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow
And then we added two :
13) I would recommend my KIPP school/program to a friend as a place of employment.
14) I have a bright, long-term future at KIPP.

HEALTHY SCHOOL/HEALTHY TEACHER SURVEY

Over the past two years, we have launched Healthy School and Healthy Teacher surveys that
allow us to get timely feedback from all of the KIPP NYC team and family. The Healthy Schools
Surveys are given to all KIPP staff, parents, and students every January at all KIPP schools
nationwide. The Healthy Teacher Surveys were piloted this spring with a small group of KIPP
NYC teachers and allow our kids to give feedback directly to us as individual teachers. In 2010-
11, all KIPP NYC middle school and high school teachers will be able to receive student feedback
via our Healthy Teacher Surveys.

SHARING

“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”
--Sir Isaac Newton

Each year, the key to our ability to improve on what we’ve done previously is driven by our willingness
to share with and to learn from others, both across KIPP NYC, across the entire KIPP Network, and
beyond. To help facilitate this, we created KIPP Share, our online resource that houses all of our
documents from curriculum to HR documents to data. It is also where teachers house their instruction
maps (see p. 27). Yet no technology will ever replace the value of reaching out directly to others doing
similar work as you – this is the spirit of sharing we hope to breathe life into in KIPP NYC.

INFLUENCER
Ever wonder about how to change someone’s behavior, including perhaps your own? In search
of this answer many of us have read the book Influencer: The Power to Change Anything by
Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, et. al. The book uses the chart below as the framework for
influencing people’s behavior:
MOTIVATION ABILITY

PERSONAL Make the Undesirable, Surpass Your Limits

Desirable

SOCIAL Harness Peer Pressure Find Strength in Numbers

STRUCTURAL Design Rewards and Change the Environment

Demand Accountability

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Try walking through this table next time you find yourself confronted with a situation or
problem that requires you or others to change their behavior.

GENUINE CONVERSATIONS
“Seek first to understand, then be understood.”
- Stephen Covey in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

“Every organization wants to think of itself as a ‘learning organization.’ But organizations where people avoid
engaging with tough communication issues can’t learn… Remember, when it comes to the way we’re coming across, we
all live on the wrong side of our eyeballs.”
– Douglas Stone, co-author of Difficult Conversations

“Be impeccable with your word.”

- Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements

There is probably no skill more essential to our success than our ability to genuinely talk with
each other both when things are going well and when conflict and disagreements arise. While
there is no one “right” way to engage in these ‘genuine conversations,’ there is one way that is
definitely “wrong,” avoidance. The key is for each of us to find a way that empowers us to feel
safe sharing our thoughts and feelings and allows others the safety to hear and respond.

One book that has helped many of us feel more comfortable approaching these conversations
is the book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Patterson, Grenny,
McMillan, and Switzer., . The book outlines strategies people can use to find a safe and shared
way to talk about difficult issues as opposed to the two main approaches people use to avoid
such conversations -- silence or violence (verbal agression). Some key teasers from the book
are the following:

1) The basics – Start with the Heart (p.42-43 Crucial Conversations):

a) Work on Me First: the only person you can directly control is yourself.

b) Focus on What You Really Want:

 When you find yourself moving toward silence or violence, stop and pay attention to your
motives.
o Ask yourself: “What does my behavior tell me about what my motives are?”
o Then, clarify what you really want. Ask yourself: “What do I want for myself? For
others? For the relationship?’
o And finally, ask: “How would I behave if this were what I really wanted?”

c) Refuse the Sucker’s Choice

 Watch to see if you’re telling yourself that you must choose between peace and
honesty, between winning and losing, and so on.
 Break free of these Sucker’s Choices by searching for the and.
 Clarify what you don’t want, add it to what you do want, and ask your brain to start
searching for healthy options to bring you to dialogue.

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2) For sharing tough messages (p.140 – Crucial Conversations):

STATE your path:

Share your facts: Start with the least controversial, most persuasive elements from your
Path to Action

Tell your story: Explain what you’re beginning to conclude

Ask for others’ paths: Encourage others to share both their facts and their stories

Talk tentatively: State your story as a story – don’t disguise it as a fact.

Encourage testing: Make it safe for others to express differing or even opposing views.

3) Avoid Three “Clever” Stories (p. 106-108):

Victim Stories: “It’s Not My Fault.”
Villain Stories: “It’s All Your Fault.”
Helpless Stories: “There’s Nothing Else I Can Do.”

4) Overall Crucial Conversation Model:

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THE STOCKDALE PARADOX
The greatest injury that can be inflicted on a person is administered by her/himself when s/he destroys the good
wo/man within…
-- Jim Stockdale

The Stockdale Paradox, named after Vice Admiral Jim Stockdale, argues that success in any
endeavor, particularly extremely challenging ones, results from the ability to confront
simultaneously the brutal facts of the current situation AND maintain absolute faith that you
will succeed.

ADDITIONAL KIPPISMS….
“Be nice. Work Hard.” – The basics for all KIPPsters.

SSLANT – acronym standing for (Smile, Sit/Stand Up Straight, Listen, Ask and Answer Questions,
Nod Your Head, and Track the Speaker (turn your body and make eye contact with whoever is
speaking).

“Assign Yourself” – An idea Marian Wright Edelman talks about in Measure of Our Success: A
Letter to My Children and Yours. The basic idea is that one should not wait to be told what the
right thing to do is before we do it – we should figure out the right thing to do and assign
ourselves to doing it.

Laws of Success – 15 ideas from a book by Napoleon Hill. The Laws of Success include: A
Definite Chief Aim; Self-confidence; Habit of Saving; Initiative and Leadership; Imagination;
Enthusiasm; Self-control; The Habit of Doing More Than Paid For; Pleasing Personality; Accurate
Thinking; Concentration; Co-operation; Profiting by Failure; Tolerance; and The Golden Rule.

J-Factor – The J in J-Factor refers to JOY, i.e. the palpable sense that a person loves what he or
she is doing and the people she or he is with.

“KIPPsters leave a place cleaner than we found it” – ‘nuff said.

“Smartcut” – While there are no shortcuts on the road to success, there are occasions when we
do come up with “smartcuts” – smart ways of making things simpler. The term is most often
used to refer to strategies a student uses in their academic work.

PETSY’s – Acronym for manners (Please, Excuse me, Thank You, Sorry, You’re welcome).

Beyond Z: In the classic Dr. Seuss book On Beyond Zebra, the main character says: “In the
places I go there are things that I see that I never could spell if I stopped with the Z. I’m telling

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you this, ‘cuz you’re one of my friends, my alphabet starts where your alphabet ends.” It has
come to represent effort that is truly above and beyond.

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 TEACHING AT KIPP NYC
THE RATIO

Motivational Quote #1: “Countless unseen details often separate the mediocre from the magnificent.”
-- Anonymous

Motivational Quote #2: “Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things I am
tempted to think there are no little things.”
-- Bruce Barton quoted in Stephen Covey’s
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Motivational Quote #3: “It works if you work it – so work it – it’s worth it.”
-- Motto of Alcoholics Anonymous

Motivational Quote #4: “If it’s worth it, let me work it!”
-- Missy Elliott

The central idea behind the ratio is to ensure that our students are doing as much of the heavy
cognitive lifting as possible and having the most engaging experience as possible in our classes.
There isn’t one “right” ratio. Ratios vary by age of student as well as our individual strengths as
teachers. That being said, the goal of maximizing the effectiveness of every moment we spend with
our kiddoes remains constant across our K-16 and beyond continuum. Some key aspects of the ratio
include:

 Ratio of our positive interactions to our negative ones

o Research on constructive responding has concluded that the quality of human
relationships can be determined by whether or not there is at least a 3 to 1 ratio of
positive interactions (which includes non‐verbal communication, tone, as well as
what is actually said) between individuals to negative interactions. BTW, this ratio
climbs to 5 to 1 for intimate personal relationships.

 Ratio of time we spend talking/thinking to the students talking/thinking

 Ratio of work we do as teachers in a class period to the work done by students

 Ratio of guided practice to independent practice

o Are we having enough sustained, structured, and rigorous independent practice so
that our students have sufficient “at-bats” to develop and demonstrate mastery of
what they are learning? Toward that end, independent practice allows us to have
time in class to really work with individual/small groups of students on their level –
those who are struggling, those on level, and those ahead.

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  Ratio of work completed that receives structured, deliberate, and rigorous feedback to work
completed with no feedback given?

 Ratio of higher level questioning to lower level questioning?

 Ratio of varied questioning techniques (playing basketball or soccer) to static questioning
(playing catch)?

o Think of static questioning as a game of catch between the teacher and one student
at a time and varied questioning as techniques that have students talking in a variety
of different formats (to the teacher, to each other, whole-group oral response, raise
your hand if…, in writing to each other, etc…) Some varied questioning techniques
include:

a) call and response

b) pre-call
c) cold call
d) half-statements
e) fill in the blank
f) what’s next/what comes before
g) unbundling
h) elaborating or building on
i) why/how
j) testing the logic
k) playing dumb
l) steering cues
m) asking students whether they agree or disagree with another student’s
answer

 Ratio of independence to guided? (Note: this is separate from the lesson plan – this is in
regards to decision making, ownership, movement, supervision, etc… It should also be
noted that independence does not equate to “absolute freedom” or lack of supervision)

VEGAS, BABY!!!
“Every action reveals us.” -- Michel de Montaigne

“Good is the enemy of great.” - Jim Collins in Good to Great

The idea is that when you visit a Las Vegas Casino, from the moment you step through the
front door, everything you see is designed to one simple end: to get people to spend their hard-
earned money. In other words, Casino operators have become incredibly effective at creating a
“culture” that achieves their goals. The Hard Rock manager put it this way, “We’re constantly
asking ourselves this question – from the minute a guest pulls up to ‘the Rock’ is everything
about our hotel helping our guests have the best possible experience?”

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How at KIPP NYC are we doing the same in everything we do to help the KIPPsters develop the
character and academic skills they are going to need in their lives? This applies to every detail of
what we do – the way we interact with each other and the kids to the way our physical space
looks.

In regards to our physical space, have we thought through the following questions:
 Are we maximizing the ways in which our physical space (classrooms, bulletin boards,
hallways, etc…) is helping us teach academics and character?
 Do our walls reinforce what we’re teaching in terms of content as well as character?
 Are our walls ever-evolving and neat?
 Is every part of classroom really neat and organized (student desks, our desk, the
bookcases, the floor, the areas around the garbage, etc…)?
 Are our bulletin boards neat, organized, colorful and fun?
 Are we using our bulletin boards to appreciate the beauty and excellence of student
achievement, effort, and growth?
 Is the work up-to-date? i.e., within the last two weeks?
o If you’re not sure about why it’s worth keeping up with the bulletin boards, just
ask the kids if they like seeing their work on the bulletin boards when they do
well. Plus, for those kids who try to act too cool when you ask, watch their faces
light up when they see their work on the bulletin board. Furthermore, our
physical space sends a powerful non-verbal message to kids and their parents.
What is it saying right now? Could it say more? Could it say it differently? Better?
o Don’t be shy – reward great work with big, bright colorful grades written in
markers that can be easily seen. It’s a little 1/12 that makes a huge positive
difference in the way kids and their parents view bulletin boards and posted
work. It makes it more fun. The elementary schools have it right with their
emphasis on some of this stuff.
o Bulletin boards can also be great places to highlight student writing as it evolves
through various stages of the writing process. The possibilities are endless.
o BTW, kids love to help put up the work. Once we show a crew of kids how to put
the work up neatly, they’re set. It’s an easy place for students to feel ownership
and investment. (BTW, if you feel that you don’t have work to put up on the
board – this would be a good warning sign to think about the assignments and
assessments that we are giving.)

Our physical space sends a powerful non-verbal message to kids and their parents. What is it
saying right now? Could it say more? Could it say it differently? Better? It is the relentlessness
and single-minded focus -- a series of one-twelfths that make tremendous positive differences
in the quality of the experience and the results.

A couple of other reflections from my meeting with the manager of the Hard Rock Hotel and
Casino – these were questions he fired at me:

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  Did you notice how they changed their table covers for Halloween?
 Did you notice how the high roller tables were covered with gold felt instead of
the black or royal blue felt used everywhere else (which is different than the
green felt used at almost every casino – although the others are now changing to
try to keep up with the Hard Rock)?
 Did you notice how clean the carpet, halls, and rooms are? (They clean their
casino twice as often as the rest. He kept telling me, I’d eat our sushi (they have
Nobu in the hotel and room service) off these floors )
 Did you notice that everywhere you looked, you knew you were at the Hard Rock
(guitars and music memorabilia were everywhere – the casino cashier wasn’t
labeled cashier like the rest of the casinos but rather the Bank of Hard Rock, In
Rock we Trust)
 Did you notice we’re always playing awesome music (most casinos don’t) and
vary the loudness of the music (he explained that changes in volume get noticed
more than a constant tone – interestingly enough a point also made in Stumbling
on Happiness )?
 Did you notice how our dealers smiled when you played?
 Did you notice the way in which everyone was greeted? (“Welcome to the Hard
Rock, please let me know if there is anything we can do to help you have the
best stay you’ve ever had?”) That’s the difference he said, we want every stay to
be better than the last – even for our repeat customers let alone our newbies.
 Did you notice the huge sign that reads “Take the time to be kind.”

Our goal is to have this spirit of “Vegas” permeate our day to day lives at KIPP NYC. Plus, it
should be a lot of fun.

POSITIVE DESCRIPTIVE PRAISE

Never underestimate the power of a few, well-chosen kind words.
-- Unknown

What does positive descriptive praise (PDP) sound like, look like, and feel like in our
classrooms, in our hallways, in our programs, in our offices, etc? KIPP is hard. Our expectations
are high and are often very different from what the kids are used to and experiencing
elsewhere in their lives. One of our longest standing mottos is “Good things happen when you
do the right thing and bad things happen when you do the wrong thing.” What does this mean
to our kids? Good things should not merely be the absence of bad. For example, if you ask a kid,
“What happens when you do the right thing in class or in school?” and they respond “I don’t get
in trouble,” that’s not really a positive incentive.

One of the mainstays of the research on positive psychology is that specific positive descriptive
praise helps all of us develop the tools to decide right and wrong for ourselves and become
intrinsically motivated. Carol Dweck’s research focuses on the power of a what she calls a
“growth mindset” which views effort and grit as bigger drivers of success than inate talent.

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Dweck argues that “growth mindset praise” is one of the keys to helping people of all ages
develop true self-confidence in their own abilities (For more on Dweck’s research please see
her great book Mindset.
The single most important part of PDP and ‘Growth Mindset Praise’ is that focus on kids’
efforts and accomplishments not on their personalities.

Some specifics –

a) Are we enthusiastically and genuinely highlighting when kids are doing the
right thing in regards to both their behavior as well as their academics? This
doesn’t have to be something big – just a simple “That was a great question,”
“Thanks for answering her question,” “Leah just explained that perfectly,”
“Wow, that was a really interesting comment.” No one (including us in our
interactions with each other), ever outgrows the value of positive descriptive
praise genuinely delivered.

Please pay particular attention to how we are enthusiastically and genuinely

doing this in terms of academics as well as character. We’re all pretty good at
saying “Good job lining up,” it’s the academic praise (at all levels on the
‘rigor’ continuum) as well as the more nuanced, substantive and important
character praise that we should be pushing ourselves on as kids demonstrate
effort and accomplishment in these areas.

b) We also need to be thinking through what are the other positive incentives
that are helping the KIPPsters grow specifically in our classes. A historic KIPP
problems is that we often rely too heavily (and sometimes exclusively) on
school-wide incentives and dis-incentives to push the growth of the KIPPsters
in our classes. Do we have regular classroom routines and celebrations that
recognize effort and accomplishment?

c) How does outstanding student work and growth get recognized and
highlighted?

a. Too often we view the posting of graded student work as a chore or a

compliance issue, rather than what it is – a powerful opportunity to
provide positive descriptive praise of what achievement and growth
looks like. When graded student work is posted it celebrates both the
achievement of those individuals and also sends a powerful message
to other kids, to parents, to the Big KIPPsters of what greatness looks
like and what it takes to achieve. This is why, particularly with writing,
it is so important to recognize the process as well. This is also why it is
so important to be constantly updating the graded work that gets
posted. It allows multiple opportunities for kids to experience this and

21
 also sends the message that success and achievement is an on-going
dynamic process.
b. This is another reason we also have to carve out enough time to
provide structured and rigorous feedback to ALL of our students on
their work. We need to let them know specifically what they’re doing
well and equally specifically (always with love) let them know how
they can improve. And since this changes constantly, we need to be
providing on-going updated positive and negative academic feedback
as frequently as we can.

LOVE AND LOGIC

Love and Logic skills are designed to help teachers and students get results and create an
environment where teaching and learning are collaborative; the distinction of student or
teacher is secondary to the awareness of shared humanity.

SKILL #1) Neutralize Student Arguing: Go into brain-dead mode to prevent student arguing with
one of these one-liners:
 I like (respect) you too much to  I know.
argue.  I hadn’t really thought of that.
 I listen to students who speak  Probably so.
assertively.  Nice try.
 I listen when your voice is calm.  You may be right.

SKILL #2) Delayed Consequences: We’ve learned that NONE of our consequences need to be
handed out in the moment of student resistance because our goal is to keep them in the
thinking head as much as possible. Deliver the consequence when it is CLEAR the student is
back in the “thinking-head” when it makes sense and has maximum impact.

SKILL #3) Empathy: The most successful teachers and parents deliver a strong dose of empathy,
or sadness for the child before they described the consequence. By delivering a strong dose of
caring, parents and teachers help kids feel safe. When kids feel safe, the flight-or-fight response
is avoided, and they are actually able to think and learn from the consequences of their
mistakes.

SKILL #4) Recovery: Allowing an upset/resistant child to cool-down and recover in the classroom
both builds up the authority of the teacher while simultaneously strengthens the trust between
teacher and student.

SKILL #5) Developing positive teacher/student relationships: There are a few very specific ways
to build relationships with students who are suspicious of adults in authority.
1) Use “I NOTICE…”Statements: For this to be effective, it needs to be short, sweet, and
real.

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 2) ENCOURAGEMENT: Be very specific and descriptive and describe the student’s
effort.
3) Possible prompts when debriefing a student about their defiant behavior: Have
these meetings when it is convenient for you, but inconvenient for the students.
Without giving the student any time to answer, wonder out loud about why he or
she did not comply when you asked. This “wondering” must come across as caring
and sincere…NOT SARCASTIC. For example: “I’m trying to understand why you didn’t
stop when I asked you nicely?”

SKILL #6) Setting limits with ENFORCEABLE STATEMENTS: Love & Logic teachers never tell tough
kids what to do. Instead, they describe what they (the teacher) will do or allow. Every time we
tell a tough kid what to do, we risk losing power.

SKILL #7) Using choices to prevent power struggles: To prevent student resistance (especially
around completing class work) teachers can offer choices to help students regain a sense of
control.
1. Choices should not be threats in disguise.
2. Only give choices that won’t make a problem for you.
3. Give options that will make you happy, regardless of what your students decide.
4. Give your students small choices. Save the big ones for yourself.
5. If your students don’t make a choice within 10 seconds, choose for them.
6. Offer choices before your students become resistant…not after.

SKILL #8) Quick and Easy PREVENTATIVE interventions: In addition to relationship building skills,
here are additional interventions:
1. Increase number of adult eyes and adult smiles.
2. Greet students with smiles, eye contact, hand-shake, high-five, etc.
3. Ask student to stop a behavior, “…just for me?” thereby building the relationship. 
4. Give the “evil eye” (or a smile and wink from across the room.)
5. Walk toward the student while teaching.
6. Stand close to the student and continue to teach. Nonverbal attention moves!
7. Establish eye contact and slightly shake your head, indicating “No.”
8. While teaching, gently place your hand on the student’s shoulder.
9. Stop briefly and whisper something like, “Can you save that for later?”
10. Change the student’s location within the classroom.
11. Whisper something like, “That behavior is fine for after school.” (if, of course, it is fine)
12. Use an I-message (e.g. “I find it hard to teach when you do that. Thanks for stopping.”
13. Use an enforceable statement (e.g. “I allow students to go to lunch when the line is
ready.”)
14. Provide choices.
15. Ask the student for a brief ‘recovery’ or ‘time-out.’

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 16. Give the student an appointment to talk to you about the problem.
17. Restrict the student from the area until you feel another try is in order.

SKILL #9) Guiding students to solve their own problems: When we do this, we are telling the
student: You are strong. You can think for yourself. You can solve the problems you
encounter. When we give the gift of problem solving, we also give the gift of pride.

CONSTRUCTIVE/RESPONDING
Shelly Gable, professor of psychology at UCLA, noticed that couples with strong relationships
had a particular way of responding to each other when good things happen; in fact the way in
which good events were discussed was found to be more predictive of strong relations than
how you fight. Gable called this productive and positive response an “active and constructive”
response. An active and constructive response is part of the magic ratio that has a positive
impact on our relationships with our children and ultimately their success in our classrooms.
Active Passive
 Passive Nodding  Maintains eye contact
 Mild smile  Displays of positive emotions
 Little to no active emotional expression (i.e. genuine smiling, touching, eye twinkling, laughing,
positive gestures such points, high fives, clapping, active
nodding, etc…)

 Simple/Short Acknowledgement
o “Good job”
o “Thanks”  Enthusiastic tone with clear positive acknowledgement and
Constructive

extension/engagement of answer/thought by you/others/that

 What if a kid gives an incorrect answer?
Simple/Short acknowledgement of effort and
then correcting of answer
 What if you don’t agree with someone’s idea
– simple short acknowledgement of
effort/respect and statement of disagreement
person
 What if kid gives an incorrect answer? -- Enthusiastic tone
with clear positive acknowledgement of effort and then
extension/engagement of others, that particular kid, and
teacher to get correct answer and finally returning to
original student to ensure understanding

 What if you don’t agree with someone’s idea --

Enthusiastic tone with clear positive acknowledgement of
effort and then engagement with that person and others
around that idea.

 Neutral to no acknowledgement 
Destructive

Displays of negative emotions, such as furrowed brow,

 Neutral body language frowning
 little to no eye contact, turning away, leaving  Back turned
the room  Rolling Eyes

 Silence
 Little to no acknowledgement of effort,
 Sarcasm
accuracy or inaccuracy, etc
 Negativity
 moving to another kid/topic without
 “No, it’s wrong”
acknowledgment, correction (if needed), 24
 “You’ve got to be kidding me”
etc…
QUESTIONING
As we adjust our questioning strategies to move kids BACK and FORTH along the continuum of
academic rigor, it is critical that we at every step we spiral and scaffold the learning of our kids. We
must remember that does not happen without day-in-day-out deliberate practice. How are we
ensuring that this happens in each of our classrooms? As Jon Saphier in Skillful Teacher challenges us,
how are we letting kids get smart?

Some key questioning ideas include:

RIGHT IS RIGHT
Right is Right is about the difference between partially right and all the way right,
between pretty good and 100% (Be encouraging but hold out for 100%*).

Positive transitions include:

o “I like what you’ve done. Can you get us the rest of the way?”
o “I like what XX has started…”
o “Good…but don’t stop there…”
o “We’re almost there. Can you find the last piece?”
o “Keep going with that…”

4 Keys to Right-is-Right include:

a) Hold out for all the way c) Right answer, right time
b) Answer the question d) Use technical vocabulary
asked

STRETCH-IT
Reminds us not to stop with simple, correct answers but rather to push students to
answer follow-up questions that extend knowledge or test for reliability/correctness
(both of their own answers and those of their classmates).

Some Stretch-It strategies include:

a) Ask How or Why e) Ask Students to Integrate a
b) Ask for Another Way to Related Skill
Answer f) Ask Students to Apply the
c) Ask for a Better Word Same Skill in a New Setting
d) Ask for Evidence

ELABORATIVE INTERROGATION
Elaborative interrogation forces students to “prove,” “justify,” or “defend” their answers
and those of their classmates in a positive manner.

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 1. “What are some typical characteristics you would expect of
_________________”
2. “What would you expect to happen if__________________________”
3. “Why would that be true?”
4. “Tell me why you think that is so?”
5. “It seems to me that you are saying _______________

CLOSE THE CIRCUIT

This idea asks us to ensure that we loop back (i.e. close the circuit) with a child who
doesn’t know the answer to one of our questions, refuses to answer a question, or
answers a question either partially or fully incorrectly. This is closely related to Doug
Lemov’s “No Opt Out” technique (See below for additional details on this strategy).

Some No Opt Out formats include:

Format 1: You provide the answer; your student repeats the answer.
Format 2: Another student provides the answer; the initial student repeats
answer.
Format 3: You provide a cue; your student uses it to find the answer.
Format 4: Another student provides a cue; the initial student uses it to find the
answer.

DUAL PURPOSE INSTRUCTION

Our mission is to teach our students to develop the character and academic skills needed to
enter and succeed in top-quality high schools and colleges, to be self-sufficient in the
competitive world beyond, and to build a better tomorrow for themselves and us all. We like to
think of character and academics as yin and yang. Character without academics is hollow-
students will have the motivation but not the ability to use it. Academics without character is
useless- students will have the skills but lack the motivation to use them. Together, however,
they have the power to transform lives.

Weaving life lessons and character into our instruction helps our KIPPsters develop their hearts
and brains. Some key ways to accomplishing this include:

 Being ULTRA-clear about our the dual purposes we are trying to accomplish at any
particular moment. These could include:
Academics + Academics
Academics + Character
Academics + Routines
Character + Routines
Academics + Character + Routines
 Ensuring that character infuses every aspect of our school and classroom?
 Explaining the character “why” as often as possible during routines and lessons.

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INSTRUCTION MAPPING
As the name implies, instruction maps are designed to help us develop a day-by-day road map
of where we are going with our students and to make adjustments along the way both, for the
current year as well as those to come. I-maps as they are commonly known can help with the
following:

 Allows you to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN (and makes future year planning that much easier)
 Allows you to see what you focus on more or less
 Provides an e-forum for sharing within content, across content, across grades and across
schools as well as broaden your idea of what you can do differently
 Allows us to assess the quality of our instruction throughout the year
o Is it paced correctly? In sequence?
o In hindsight what would you have changed?

VIDEO
As teachers, one of the best tools we have for putting ourselves in the shoes of our students is
the use of video. Video is also a fantastic way to look at ourselves in the mirror as well as
powerful tool to share with and learn from others. As a result, we ask all KIPP NYC staff to
committed to using video as often as possible as a means of improving what we do.

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 APPENDIX 1: READ, BABY READ: A VERY NON-COMPREHESIVE
SAMPLING OF KIPP NYC READING
You’ve got to read, baby read.
You’ve got to read, baby read.
The more you read, the more you know.
Knowledge is power
Power is freedom
And I want it.
You’ve got to read, baby read.
You’ve got to read, baby read.
by: Harriett Ball

Some of the Essentials:

Learned Optimism, Martin Seligman
Between Parent and Child, Haim Ginott
The Mis-Education of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson
A Primer on Positive Psychology, Chris Peterson
Faces at the Bottom of the Well, Derrick Bell
Crucial Conversations, Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler
The Skillful Teacher, Jon Saphier
Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan, Switzler
The Alchemist, Paulo Cohello
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey
If Life is a Game, These are the Rules, Cherie Carter-Scott
Good to Great, James C. Collins
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
Crucial Confrontations, Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler
The Art of Happiness, Dalai Lama
Presentation Zen, Garr Reynolds
Understanding By Design, Grant Wiggens and Jay McTighe
Teach Like a Champion, Doug Lemov
Driven By Data, Paul Bambrick-Santoyo
Made to Stick, Dan and Chip Heath

Educational History/Theory
Left Back, Diane Ravitch
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Pablo Freire
The Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer
Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. DuBois
Up From Slavery¸ Booker T. Washington
Young, Gifted and Black , Perry, Steele, Hilliard III
Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys, Jawanza Kunjufu
History of American Education, Lawrence Cremin (All three volumes)
Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, Stephen Brookfield
Asking the Right Questions, M. Neil Browne
Understanding By Design (Expanded 2nd Ed.) Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
Integrating Differentiated Instruction +Understanding by Design Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe
Little Big Minds, Marietta McCarty
Other People’s Children, Lisa Delpit

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Organizational Theory/Philosophy
The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker
Difficult Conversations, Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen
The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of a Learning Organization, Peter Senge
Built to Last, James C. Collins and Jerry Porras
Hiring Smart, Dr. Pierre Morrell
Tony Soprano on Management, Anthony Schneider
The One Minute Manager, Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
1001 Ways to Reward Your Employees
About Teaching Math, Marilyn Burns (Any of her Books)
Public School Law: Teachers’ and Students’ Rights (3rd Edition) by McCarthy, Cambron-McCabe
Three Signs of a Miserable Job, Patrick Lencioni
Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi,Tahl Raz
Leadership Pipeline, Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter
First, Break All The Rules, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
The Carrot Principle, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton
Who, Geoff Smart and Randy Street

General
The Spook Who Sat by the Door, Sam Greenlee
Progress Traps, Ronald Wright
“My Bondage and My Freedom -- What to the Slave is the 4 th of July?” Frederick Douglass
Cesar’s Way, Cesar Milan
The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
The Blind Side, Michael Lewis
Marley and Me, John Grogan
The Complete Maus, Art Spiegelman
Authentic Happiness, Martin Seligman
Character Strengths and Virtues, Martin Seligman and Chris Peterson
Who Moved My Cheese, Spencer Johnson
Freakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Forty Million Dollar Slaves, William Rhoden
Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel Gilbert
Conscious Business, Fred Kofman
Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
Respect, Sara Lawrence Lightfoot
Headmaster, John McPhee
48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene
More Than You Know: Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places, Michael J. Mauboussin
A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn
Yardsticks, Chip Wood
Night, Elie Wiesel
Abraham and Under the Big Top, Bruce Feiler
Native Son, Richard Wright
Evidence of Things Not Seen, James Baldwin
Tao Teh Ching, Lao Tzu
The Art of War, Sun Tzu
The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell
Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun, Geoffrey Canada
“Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman,” Richard Feynman
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
Finding Fish, Antwone Quenton Fisher
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The Book of Job, The Bible
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Dale Carnegie
The Story of Sisyphus, Greek Myth
Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot, Admiral Stockdale
The Kamasutra (Classically Illustrated Version)
Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Mari a Rilke
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, Dr. Richard Carlson
Malcolm X Speaks, Malcolm X, edited by George Breitman
A Right to Be Hostile, Boondocks, Aaron McGruder
Absolute American, David Lipsky
The Dancing Wu Li Master, Gary Zukav
Black Like Me, John Howard Griffin
Collected Poems, Nikki Giovanni
A Hope in the Unseen, Ron Suskind
Sneetches, Horton Hears a Who, The Zax, Dr. Seuss
Life is Hell, Matt Groenig
Instead of Three Wishes, Megan Whaler (“The Nightmare”)
Collected Poems, Robert Service
Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with his Daughter, Barry Lopez
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide…., Ntozake Shange
Rock This, Chris Rock
Soul on Ice, Eldridge Cleaver
Tar Baby, Jazz and Beloved, Toni Morrison
Collected Poems of Langston Hughes
The Way, Michael Berg
Down These Mean Streets, Peri Thomas
Illusions, Richard Bach
Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky
25 Lessons for Life…, Marian Wright Edelman
Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison
Collected Works, Maya Angelou
Creative Visualization, Shakti Gawain
Chicken Soup for the Soul #1, Jack Canfield/Mark Hansen
The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin
The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas
The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Moshin Hamid

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 APPENDIX 2: KIPP NYC TEACHER DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK – A WORKING DRAFT (JULY 2010)
Self and Other People The Teaching Cycle
Definition of Self and Other People Area of Focus Definition of Teaching Cycle Area of Focus
100% of other people feel: Overview of how self/other people 100% of lessons are: Overview of the teaching cycle
a) respected/valued plays out in classroom a) planned Standards Based Unit Plan (scope and sequence)
b) included Personal Relationship Building with b) within a Objective Driven Basic Lesson Plan
c) connected to the others Students, Parents, and Colleagues scope/sequence
Objectives
around them (mapped to
d) constantly motivated to assessed standards) Pacing/Timing
improve c) rigorous Questioning
You feel:              James Baldwin (Modeling) and d) engaging Rigor
a) true to yourself Character e) assessed for Ratio
b) connected to the other mastery Checking for Understanding (during lessons, exit tickets,
people around you  Constructive Responding f) use data as driver etc)
c) ownership for the success of Tone (Genuine, Warm and Daily/Weekly/bi-weekly teacher generated assessments
all KIPPsters Demanding) and creating quality homework assignments
d) constantly motivated to
Tracking and Using Data to drive teaching (spiraling,
improve
remediation,
enrichment)
Classroom Culture Knowledge & Content
Definition of Classroom Culture Area of Focus Definition of Content Area of Focus
100% of students are: Overview of Classroom Culture 100% of content is: Overview of Content
a) on-task (SSLANT) Management vs. Discipline a) rigorous Scope/Sequence
b) engaged in learning 100% b) differentiated
c) joyful Assessments:
Directions: Clear, Narrate, Correct c) mapped to state ·        Teacher Generated
d) rigorously prepared for standards (both
(include what makes directions ·        State Assessments
college and life stated and assessed
“clear”- SOCS) ·        MAP
  standards) 
  Closing the Circuit Tracking and Using Data to drive teaching (spiraling,
  Attention Moves + SSLANT remediation, enrichment)
  Opening Routine Differentiation
Routines/Systems Anticipating/planning for student misconceptions
Incentives/Disincentives Child Development

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 APPENDIX 3: KIPP NYC SELF-CHECKING GUIDE TO TEACHING EXCELLENCE

Self
J Modeling of character (by both students and teachers)

J The 8 (Zest, Grit, Self-control, Hope, Social Intelligence, Love, Gratitude, Humor)

J 4 R’s (ratio, rigor, responsiveness, and relationships)

J J-Factor

J Students on-task, SSLANTing, and a wide range/variety of students participating

J Tone

J Eye contact between teacher and students and students and each other

J Deliberate descriptive praise around both academics and character

J Deliberate, descriptive, and measured criticism (remember the 3 P’s of explanatory

style – personalization, permanence, and pervasiveness)
J Use of routines

J Students feel safe, respected and valued

J Organization, readiness, and neatness of materials

Lesson
J Board Configuration
Ö agenda, aim, do now, neatness, size, etc…
J EUALP

J Pacing, Timing, and Transitions between activities/closure

J Factual correctness

J Variety of activities/differentiation

J Quality of student classwork, homework, posted work, notebooks

J Range and variety of questioning – eliciting answers from students – closing the
circuit and ensuring student mastery
J Spiraling

J Importance and relevance of skill being taught

Ö aligned with standards, curriculum, scope/sequence, aim, teacher generated tests, standardized tests
Structure
J Neatness of room, desks, walls, bulletin boards, etc…

J Appropriate student seating arrangement

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 APPENDIX 4: NYC ELEMENTARY SAMPLE LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Teacher: Date: Subject/Block/Unit:
Aims: What is my standards-based, bite-sized aim for this lesson? Make sure Assessment of Mastery of the Aim:
this aim fits in a logical sequence with other aims from this unit.

Vocabulary: What words do students need to know to be successful with this material? What other vocab words (Tier 2)
could be tied in?
Quick Questions/Do now: Generally focused on cumulative review (based on Agenda:
IA data, yesterday’s lesson, prerequisite skills or preview for today)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Review: What essential content from previous lessons do students need to practice to maintain fluency? Quick fire.

Hook/Motivation: How will you convey the importance of today’s objective and/or make it interesting?

Mini-Lesson / Modeling (the “I” or “I/We”): How will I first model this for student? What example(s) will I use? What steps
or thought process do I need to make sure to “think aloud”? (Note: This can be heavily guided practice instead of direct
modeling)
Guided Practice (the “We”): Key questions to ask during Guided Practice: What
Qs should I ask my students to get them to that goal?

Key questions/strategy to check for understanding before Independent Practice: How ill I know if students are ready to
move into independent practice?

Independent Practice (the “You”): What will be the product? What will students do? Students need lots of AT BATS, and
they need to be able to do these successfully and independently.

Final Check for Understanding:

Homework: Am I totally confidently that all students can do the homework independently and successfully?

Post-Lesson Reflection: What do you want to change about this lesson for next year?

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 APPENDIX 5: KIPP NYC ELEMENTARY SAMPLE 5 E LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Engagement Hook:
Time:
Questions posed by me: Questions posed by the students to
explore:

Connections to the real world:

Materials needed for exploration:

Exploration Activity to seek understanding and connections: (hands on and Questions that I do not want to
Time: driven by the standard being addressed) forget to ask groups:
How will this be implemented (step by step)? Grouping? Passing
out of materials? Clean up? ROUTINES!
How will it reach the end goal?

Explanation What do I expect students to be able to say at the end of the exploration? What do I want to add and
Time: give feedback on if they do not say it? What might they believe after this activity that I need to redirect?

Extension/ Extension activity to allow further/deepening of understanding. Grouping? Small group with me? How
Elaborate do we take it to the next level?
Time:

Evaluation What output do I want my students to have: After the lesson, based on this output: next steps
Time: (reflection for next lesson and next year):

 Engage - students encounter the material, define their questions, lay the groundwork for their tasks,
make connections from new to known, identify relevance
 Explore - students directly involved with material, inquiry drives the process, teamwork is used to share
and build knowledge base
 Explain - learner explains the discoveries, processes, and concepts, that have been learned through
written, verbal or creative projects. Instructor supplies resources, feedback, vocabulary, and clarifies
misconceptions
 Elaborate - learners expand on their knowledge, connect it to similar concepts, apply it to other situations
- can lead to new inquiry
 Evaluate - on-going process by both instructor and learner to check for understanding. Rubrics, checklists,
teacher interviews, portfolios, problem-based learning outputs, and embedded assessments. Results are
used to evaluate and modify further instructional needs.

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 APPENDIX 6: KIPP NYC MIDDLE/HS SAMPLE LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Aim:

Do Now (as part of Opening Routine) (?):

Motivation/Purpose/Hook/Catalyst:

Guided Practice: Key Vocabulary

Activity 1:

QTIDWTFTA

Rules/Facts/Key Ideas:

Checking for understanding

Activity 2(?):

QTIDWTFTA

Checking for understanding

Sustained, Structured, and Rigorous Independent Practice:

Activity 1:

Activity 2(?):

Structured, Deliberate and Rigorous Feedback:

Who is receiving feedback, why, when and exactly on what?

Evaluation/Final Checking for Understanding (How do we know that 90% or more of the
KIPPsters learned what we just taught)

CLOSURE:

Homework:

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 APPENDIX 7: KIPP NYC MIDDLE/HS ANNOTATED LESSON PLAN
The KIPP NYC Annotated Lesson Plan is a guide that KIPP NYC has developed over the years. It is intended
to provide guidance and structure, while providing teachers with ample room for the intuitiveness,
creativity, and freedom necessary to maximize student learning.

Aim:
 Are we beginning with the end (aim) in mind? Are we being extremely clear what we want our students to
know/be able to do by the end of the lesson and then designing activities and selecting materials to help
us accomplish this goal?

Potential pitfall to avoid is starting with the activities and materials and then just attaching an aim to it.

 Are our aims specific and doable in the allocated time? Is it bite-sized enough to ensure student success?
Have I broken up complex skills into bit-sized, do-able aims?

 Along the lines of the above, are our lessons focused on the essential content items/facts/ideas and skills
that are essential to accomplishing the aim? Are we avoiding unproductive ‘tangents’? Are we overloading
the students with ‘unessential’ information in which the critical ideas are being lost (the ‘less-is-more’
line)?

 Are we checking (throughout the lesson as well as at the end) to see if the kids are learning what we want
them to be learning (accomplishing the aim)? What are the ways that we are going to check for
understanding? What products will our students have at the end of class to demonstrate that they are
mastering the aim? How will our students show us that they are mastering the aim?

 Are we using student data from tests, homework and independent practice to guide the development of
our aims?

 Are our aims aligned with the state standards, scopes/sequences, state exams, teacher generated tests?

 Are we utilizing a variety of HOTS verbs in our aims as a way of pushing ourselves to push the KIPPsters to
higher levels of thought, questioning and understanding? Potential Pitfall: a) starting at too high of a level
b) never reaching a high enough level

 Are we picking the most effective and efficient way to teach the standard?

 Do we have just 1 aim per lesson? This would mean that we would have 2-3 aims in a 90 minute block and
perhaps even 2 aims in a 45 minute class?

 Are we at least occasionally formatting our aims differently, including the use of a question as an aim?

 Do we have our aims written clearly on the board? Do we spend time during class going over the aim with
students? Do we cycle back to the aim during closure/summary to ensure that all students have mastered
the aim?

 How do we measure the students’ mastery of the aim everyday? In other words, how do we determine
who needs review and who is ready to move on?

Agenda:
 Do we have a consistent and engaging agenda?

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  Do the KIPPsters know how to transition from each part of the agenda?

 Do we write the agenda on the board before class starts?

 Can the KIPPsters explain what each part of the agenda means, why the class is doing that agenda item,
and what the expectations for that agenda item are?

 Do we spend time going over the agenda with our classes? Do we do that in a way that builds
enthusiasm/excitement for the class?

Opening Routine (Everything before the actual lesson begins) = Entrance + Do Now + HW check + ???
 Is our “Do Now” motivational, short (less than 5 minutes), related to the aim or spiraled to previous aims,
self-explanatory, organized/neat/consistent?

Potential pitfall here is having an opening routine (including checking homework) that takes too long. A
best guess on this is an opening routine (Completing the do now, checking the do now, reviewing
homework, etc… of around 5-8 minutes in a 45 minute class and 14-18 minutes in a 90 minute class.

Potential pitfall II – Kids not knowing what to expect when they walk into class. The opening routine
should have a large measure of consistency and must set the tone for the entire period and must
immediately move the kids into their academics.

 Does our "Do Now" provide strategic, cumulative review? Are we using student data to ensure that all
students can be successful on the "Do Now"?

 Does our "Do Now" require all students to have the necessary materials for class? Does it start the class in
a way that sets a positive, rigorous feel to the class?

 Do we have a mechanism for quickly grading/checking our "Do Now" activities?

Cumulative Review (which should be integrated daily into the various elements of the lesson)–
 Does our cumulative review systematically cover all the skills/standards that we have previously taught?

 Are we using student data to pick the right standards for cumulative review?

 Are our students consistently successful on cumulative review activities?

 Are we using a different mode for review than we have for our lesson?

 Are we varying the ways in which we do cumulative review from lesson to lesson?

 Do we use cumulative review both in stand alone sections as well as spiraled throughout our lessons?
This includes reviewing material from earlier in the lesson as well as previous lessons.

 Have we prepared our vocabulary, algorithms, questions, homework, to review in advance?

 Are we able to fire them off in a rapid pace, developing quick recall and memorization?

 Have we created a technique for ensuring that every student is participating? (such as earn your seat,
ticket rewards, mandatory answering etc.)

Motivation/Purpose/Hook/Catalyst:
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  If we consider each lesson as its own universe then this is the primordial force that gets everything going.
If we consider each lesson as a firecracker then this is lighting the fuse. If we consider each lesson a giant
snowball rolling down a hill then this is the initial push. 

 This should be the hook that contextualizes what the kids are about to learn and focuses the students’
attention either by linking the aim to the ‘real-world,’ the kids’ lives, a prior lesson, some made-up
mnemonic anchor, etc….

 Is our motivation directly connected to the aim, interactive, interesting, and varied in style/tone/etc from
lesson-to-lesson and day-to-day?

 Is my motivation/purpose/hook/catalyst in a different modality than my Do Now, Cumulative Review, and

Guided/Independent Practice?

 Is my motivation SHORT and QUICK

GUIDED and INDEPENDENT practice

Madeline Hunter basically described Guided Practice and Independent Practice as a four-step instructional process.
1) Watch how I do it (modeling/guided practice)
2) Doing it together (guided practice)
3) I’ll watch you do it and praise and correct immediately (guided practice)
4) You’ll do it alone (independent practice)

Guided Practice (I-We and We):

 Are we overtly modeling our thinking for the KIPPsters in a step-by-step manner?
 Do students have the opportunity to watch us do(model)/think through the skill/problem/activity/
concept/examples enough times so that they have enough confidence to do some together (we) and then
by themselves (you)?

 Do we have a mechanism for knowing when to go from Guided(I-We) to Guided(We)?

 Are we providing opportunities for clear, directed, and organized student note taking. This is a critical part
of each lesson. Students need effective notes so that they can review and study the material on their own.
The KIPPsters should be able to flip through their notebooks and have an accurate and thorough guide to
everything that we have taught.

 Do our students’ note-pages reflect the spiral, sequence, and variety of what is happening in our classes?

 Are we effectively using the black board to model, organize, demonstrate concepts as well as reach our
visual learners?

 Are we planning/scripting activities/questions that differentiate by level of difficulty, depth, spiraling, and
learning style?

 Are we deliberately planning key questions that move students across the various levels of critical thinking
during GP? Are we scripting these questions as needed? Are we actually asking these questions?

 Are we aware of our ‘Ratio’ during all parts of Guided Practice, Mini-Lessons, etc..?

Guided Practice (We):

 Are our Guided(we) problems/activities at the same level of difficulty as our Guided (I-we) activities?

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  Do we have enough Guided(We) problems/activities so that the KIPPsters can confidently tackle
problems/activities on their own?

 Does our Guided(I-We and We) do the following:

-- Use all of the learning styles (Having the students write notes and complete written activities
are one of the best/only ways to ensure that we are reaching our visual and tactile learners.)
-- Consistently asking students how they are getting their answers and why their answers are
correct
-- Consistently asking other why and higher order thinking questions. Potential Pitfall: Losing
focus on the aim and falling into the so-called interesting tangent phenomenon.
-- Spiral to prior learning
-- Introduce concepts in a step-by-step and easiest-to-hardest fashion

Are we constantly checking for student understanding and correcting any misconceptions?
Some possible ways of checking for understanding include:
-- Individual oral response
-- Whole class oral response
-- Visual answers, i.e. “raise you hands if…”
-- Written work
-- Completing a task/experiment/etc…
-- Conferencing (Individual or Small Group)
-- Group sampling (a portion of the class/cooperative group/etc..)

 Is our guided practice helping the students achieve understanding as well as mastery of the aim?

 Do we know when to move from GP to IP?

Potential Pitfall -- Holding the entire class up when a really small number of kids are confused and will be
better helped in a smaller group during IP. Similarly, moving ahead when the vast majority of the class is
still confused.

 Are we planning/scripting activities/questions that differentiate by level of difficulty, depth, spiraling, and
learning style?

 Are we deliberately planning key questions that move students across the various levels of critical thinking
during GP? Are we scripting these questions as needed? Are we actually asking these questions?

 Are we aware of our ‘Ratio’?

Sustained, Structured, and Rigorous Independent Practice (You):

 Does our independent practice logically follow and build upon the guided practice? (Spiraled) Are our students
asked to do problems/tasks/etc at the same level as in the GP?

 Are there very few hands in the air during Independent Practice? Is almost every student in the class able
to do the work by him/herself?

 Does our independent practice help the students achieve understanding/mastery of the aim?

 Are students given enough “at-bats” to ensure mastery?

 Are we deliberately planning key questions that move students across the various levels of critical thinking
during IP? Are we actually asking these questions?

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  Are we ‘quiet’ during this time and not talking to the entire class but working on an as needed basis with
individual students or a small group?

 Are we circulating among the KIPPsters during this time to check for understanding and so that we can
help any students who are struggling with the independent work?

 Are we planning/scripting activities/questions that differentiate by level of difficulty, depth, spiraling, and
learning style?

 Are we using this time effectively to differentiate instruction? (ie – working with a small group or an
individual)

 Are we deliberately planning key questions that move students across the various levels of critical thinking
during IP? Are we actually asking these questions?

 Are we providing sufficient sustained, structured, and rigorous time (at least 12-15 min. in a 45 minute
class and at least 25+ minutes in an 75+ minute class) for independent work so that students are able to
complete more than just 1 or 2 questions/examples/etc…

 Are we actively measuring student mastery during IP?

Structured, Deliberate and Rigorous Feedback

 How are we ensuring that we are providing each student structured, deliberate and rigorous feedback on
their academic progress on a regular basis (both during class time and equally importantly during non-
class time)?

 Are we planning exactly who is receiving (and why they are receiving) feedback during the course of every
lesson, every week, and every unit?

 Are we providing structured, deliberate and rigorous feedback in a variety of differentiated ways
throughout every part of the lesson, every part of the week and throughout the course of a unit?
-- Whole group
-- Small group (Heterogeneous and Homogeneous)
-- Individual
-- peer to peer (are we teaching the kids how to give feedback to each other?)
-- orally
-- written

 Are we keeping track of the type of structured, deliberate, and rigorous feedback we provide?

 What data are we using to ensure that the feedback we are providing is helping the kids?

Evaluation/Final Checking for Understanding/CLOSURE/summary (How do we know that 90% or more of our
students learned what we just taught):
 Are we directly referencing the aim and asking students to show (one more time) that they have mastered
the aim?

 Are we completing this portion of the lesson as an intentional whole class activity?

 Do we make sure to do a summary DAILY before my closing routine?

 Are we re-enforcing the major points learned, reviewing the thought patterns we just created, and
reviewing cues for remembering the information? (This can take the form of accountable talk)

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  Do we need to create a subsequent re-teaching activity?

 Do we need to create a subsequent enrichment activity?

 Are we varying our evaluation technique from lesson to lesson?

Note: A technical definition of closure reads as follows: “Closure is the act of reviewing and clarifying the key
points of a lesson, tying them together into a coherent whole, and ensuring their utility in application by securing
them in the student’s conceptual network.” Just in case you were interested 

Homework:
 Are we totally confident that all students can do the homework INDEPENDENTLY and SUCCESSFULLY?

 Are we providing additional independent work to help our students master the aim?

 Is our homework tied to the lesson or a springboard for future lessons

 Is it clear, self-explanatory, and doable in time?

 Are we using student data to strategically assign homework that systematically reviews all the skills
students have mastered to this point in the year?

 Did we write the homework on the board? Did we give students the chance to write the homework down
and/or put it away properly?

 Have we created an efficient system for checking, collecting, monitoring, holding students accountable for
HW?

Note: Homework should never be used as a punishment or a reward.

Differentiation: Questions to Consider While Planning

 Do we know our own preferred learning styles? Do we know our own preferred teaching strategies, styles
and activities? Are we regularly and effectively varying our teaching strategies, styles and activities?

 Do we know the learning styles of all of our students? Do we know the academic strengths and
weaknesses of all of our students?

 Are we assessing during and after each lesson, and in such a way, that we know the level of each of our
students? How do we know each student’s level of mastery of the day’s aim?

 Are we using student data from tests, homework and independent practice to guide the development of
our subsequent aims, activities, and assessments?

 Are we providing enough time for our independent practice so that we can effectively use this time to
work with a group of students (low, middle, high, mixed, etc…)?

 Are we effectively using peer tutors/groups to maximize the time we can spend with a group of students
during class?

 Are we planning activities/assignments (in class and hw) that sufficiently spiral and differentiate by level of
difficulty, depth, and learning style?

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  Are we planning and structuring our class/week/unit time to allow us to sufficiently spiral and
differentiate by level of difficulty, depth, and learning style to ensure that all students master the
necessary material?

 Are we planning/scripting questions that differentiate by level of difficulty, depth,

 spiraling, and learning style?

 Are we creating weekly/unit assessments that are appropriately spiraled, scaffolded, and differentiated?

 How are we using our time during our weekly/unit assessments? Are we appropriately re-teaching our
lowest-skilled students?

 Are we effectively structuring/changing our student seating and grouping so that all of our students have
the opportunity of being helped/challenged by their peers?

 Are our students aware of their academic strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles? Are our students
able to monitoring their own progress? Are our students learning how to learn effectively both in their
preferred learning style and in other learning styles?

 Are our students getting enough feedback and in multiple ways? Are we providing enough structured,
sustained and rigorous independent practice?

 Are we scheduling time for pre-teaching skills to our lowest-skilled students as often as possible?

 Are we effectively using peer tutors/groups to maximize the effectiveness of our out-of class remediation
and enrichment?

 Are we providing our lowest skilled students with the time they need both in class and out of class
(morning, lunch, electives, after 5:00 p.m., Saturdays, etc) to be successful? Are we finding help from
other teachers, students, outside tutors, parents, etc…to provide this help whenever
possible/appropriate?

 Are we making at least some time on a daily basis to ‘push-in’ to other classrooms and assist lower-skilled
students, challenge the higher-skilled students, etc…?

 Are we explicitly rewarding/displaying examples of student growth?

 Are we effectively differentiating for behavior? What are we doing for the kids who are not responding to
what is working for the majority of the kids?

 On a basic level, Tammi Sutton asked the following summary question when it comes to differentiation,
“Would you be excited to be a student in your class?” Tammi then challenged us to add the following to
this question… “Would I be excited to be a student in this class…if I could not read…if I was the highest
skilled student in the school….if I had ADHD?...”

 Tammi raised an interesting second challenge as well – are we effectively differentiating for academics
and behavior without lowering our expectations? In other words, are we acting in the spirit of the
Stockdale Paradox – this kid may be struggling with X and Y but with the right support from people A, B, C,
etc… they will be successful? Of course, part of our jobs then becomes enlisting/organizing the help of
peoples A-Z (and beyond )?

Final Thoughts
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 Are we teaching and living with the James Baldwin Quote in mind? “The children are always ours, every
single one of them…..Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never
failed to imitate them.”
 How effective are our transitions between the individual parts of each lesson and from lesson to lesson?
Are our routines from transitions and opening routines working?
 Are we combining our enthusiasm with a Persistent, Insistent, and Consistent emphasis on SSLANTing
(Smile, Sit-up, Listen, Ask/Answer Questions, Nod, Track the Speaker), quality of
work/effort/behavior/being nice that will lead to future success in and after school?
 Are we varying questioning techniques and questions throughout each lesson as well as lesson to lesson?
 How aware are we of our own pacing and timing? Are we ‘reading’ our students for signs of confusion,
frustration, and boredom and adjusting accordingly both in-class and in our future planning? Are we
isolating whether these reactions are a result of planning, delivery, level, or organization issues on our
parts or behavior issues on the part of the individual student/s?
 Are we combining our enthusiasm with a Persistent, Insistent, and Consistent emphasis on quality of
work/effort/behavior/being nice that will lead to future success in and after school?
 How’s our balance of addressing student behavior issues individually-on-the-side vs. stopping lessons to
discuss issues as a whole class? Are we doing BOTH effectively? Are we using a variety of approaches and
techniques?
 Are we explaining and having students explain ‘why’ both the academic and character standards matter?

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