Questions Raised About Charter School Chain’s Performance

A new study of the nonprofit charter-school chain KIPP, which has won support from some of the country’s leading philanthropists, contends the organization’s strong academic results are based in part on selective admissions and low retention of poorly performing students, Bloomberg and The New York Times report.

The Western Michigan University report says KIPP academies also benefit from greater government support than traditional public schools or other charters, and from significant philanthropic support. Foundations run by Bill and Melinda Gates, Eli Broad, and the Walton family have donated to the organization.

KIPP, which stands for Knowledge Is Power Program, operates 99 schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. The organization says on its Web site that 85 percent of its mostly low-income graduates go on to college.

According to the study, KIPP institutions take fewer students with disabilities or limited English skills and have much higher dropout rates than typical schools, numbers that researchers say undercut the organization’s contention that it outperforms traditional schools.

A KIPP spokesman said the study was based on inaccurate data and flawed methodology.