A crack in the KIPP facade?

Study Finds High Dropout Rates for Black Males in KIPP Schools. A new study out of Western Michigan University takes KIPP to task. Beyond high drop out rates, the report concludes that KIPP schools enjoy a significant funding advantage over other schools thanks to private donations. The full 39-page report is here.

Now, before anyone starts pulling down the walls of KIPP schools across the country, it is worth reading KIPP's response. Link. It is actually very open and honest. It's defensive, of course, but not the type of blanket denial of culpability we're used to in official responses to criticism. The Western Michigan study has some problems, most notably, the incomplete data with which they started.