KIPP Endeavor Academy (Kansas City, MO)

SPONSOR TO TAKE CLOSE LOOK AT KIPP CHARTER SCHOOL; April 29, 2011; Kansas City Star (MO) 

One of the nation’s fastest-growing charter-school models may be stumbling in Kansas City.

Concerns over the local management of the KIPP Endeavor Academy have prompted its sponsoring college to put the public school through the same kind of comprehensive site review the state conducts for struggling school districts.

According to state documents, the middle school did not establish programs to use certain federal money that will have to be returned. The school also has had too few classroom teachers meeting the state’s criteria for “highly qualified.”…

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PARENTS UPSET WITH LEADERSHIP AT KIPP ACADEMY; April 29, 2011; KCTV-5 News (Kansas City, MO) 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Parents at one local school are holding a town hall meeting Saturday because they said they want the principal fired.

The parents said the mistakes the principal has made this year have hurt students.

Students at KIPP Endeavor Academy went home Friday like any other regular day, but behind the scenes a group of parents said the charter school has failed to live up to its own motto.

“Their motto is no excuses, no short cuts," said parent Cherise Ellison. "And we expect the same from them.”

Ellison is just one of the parents that met Friday afternoon to organize the town hall meeting on Saturday to address several problems.

She said she is upset the principal decided to disband the parent association with little explanation…

The biggest concern for the parents is the fact that the charter school applied for federal Title 1 money. They were granted $256,000, but the school never came up with a plan on how to use that money. And parents said at a time when most school districts are struggling financially, it makes no sense to have all this money just sitting there…

The principal told KCTV5, "We did discontinue the KIPP parent association as I felt it needed to be reorganized. There were disagreements between parents about the proper direction and leadership of the committee. We are currently planning for a new parent organization, which will pick up in the fall…