How did a new charter school, opening its doors with one 5th grade class of 80 students, foster outstanding student achievement and a commitment from every parent and child to attend college upon graduation?

Answer - by placing teachers like those found in the RISE Network at the head of its classrooms of college bound students.

"Tracking" and the Culture of Learning and KIPP Heartwood

Upon entering any of the classrooms at KIPP Heartwood Academy, the first thing you notice is the intensity with which every student listens to anyone speaking - fellow students or the remarkable educators leading these 5th graders through the rigors of ratios, salmon life cycles or parts of speech. It's called tracking - eyes and ears on the one person who has the floor - and it's unbroken until a natural break in the lesson plan.

Then, without prompting, one boy and one girl will leave their seats and quietly approach you, offering a hand shake and a shy smile. "Hello. Welcome to KIPP Heartwood. Can I answer any questions about our school?" Sound planned? It is. These children know when it is their week to welcome visitors, and clearly know that their program at KIPP Heartwood is unique. Sehba Zhumkhawala and her three middle school teachers lead a highly motivated group of students and parents 6 days a week in San Jose, California.

What did RISE have to offer?

RISE puts all of its member teachers through a rigorous application process to make sure that they have demonstrated an ability to help their students close the achievement gap. Believing that teachers have the greatest impact on students, RISE member teachers are committed to the achievement of low-income students who might not realize their potential without the commitment and devotion of an effective teacher.

KIPP Heartwood found its current social studies and science teacher through RISE. It was August, and KIPP Heartwood had a significant vacancy to fill, with just two weeks remaining before the Professional Development portion of the KIPP model began. "I was getting nervous. Do we have to start without our third teacher?" Zhumkhawala says.

Michael Mann was first interviewed by Zhumkhawala in Fresno, CA. One week after the initial meeting, Mann moved north from LA where he had taught in Watts. According to Zhumkhawala, "We have all learned a great deal from Mr. Mann - me, students, the rest of the staff. He has contributed significantly to the collaborative culture of our faculty and the achievement of our students. The kids would do anything for him."

To continue its strong academic culture as it adds grades and students, each year KIPP Heartwood will need to find more great teachers to add to a staff that already includes 3 RISE Teachers. According to Zhumkhawala, "RISE will do a great deal of the preliminary leg work for me, enabling me to focus on the needs of my teachers and my students. Hiring is the most important thing I do, and RISE helps me to find highly qualified, effective teachers who are committed to the students in the demographic that KIPP Heartwood serves."

Excerpts from an interview with Zhumkhawala

Q: What characteristics would you use to describe an 'effective teacher'?

A: Incredibly high expectations for every kid - no short cuts, and no excuses. An effective teacher believes in every single child. At KIPP Heartwood, we have kids on a first grade level, but they will still get to college. That's the result we are all committed to! Test scores are important, but classroom culture is just as important. Kids need to feel safe, so they want to participate. Effective teachers must collaborate to ensure that this is the culture of the school. It takes compassion, tough love, and a genuine desire to devote your professional life to the development of kids.

Q: Briefly discuss the most pressing challenges facing educators and school systems in low-income communities.

A: The biggest challenge, really, is the number of little things that converge to make a big problem — creating professional environments that retain teachers. It is as much about environment as money. Large schools that lack consistency foster disrespect and insurmountable challenges. Kids and teachers need to know they can expect the same thing in every classroom, and that is often not the case.

Ultimately, the kids are the best litmus test. If they are behaving consistently across the board, we are set to achieve our more lofty goals of college and improved achievement.

Q: What professional resources from RISE, other than placement, do you plan to use?

A: We are a pilot school for the RISE Rewards Program. (The RISE Rewards Program is a new retention and recognition program that provides financial compensation for out of pocket expenses that are typical for public school teachers.)

We use test scores as the benchmarks for achievement because we focus on results — College, College, College! Our fantastic teachers deserve to be rewarded and recognized. They make sure that their students are asking questions, that they are participating. They care about grades, so the parents and students care about grades. This commitment level deserves recognition, and RISE is helping us do that.