KIPP NC is making smart, strategic changes to our operating model in Eastern NC to ensure we continue to deliver on the promises we made to our families for the next 25 years. These shifts are in an effort to ensure that our story--and the impacts we have on lives daily--will continue well into this century.
Shifting population demographics in Northampton and Halifax Counties, tightening local and national markets for educators and teachers post-COVID, and evolving legislative priorities for public education in our great state demand that we make investments in our operations.
We must organize ourselves across our geography in ENC in a smart way so that we guarantee the KIPP story will continue long into the future.
KIPP in Eastern NC was founded on the basic belief that education could nurture in students the skills, character, and knowledge necessary to succeed at the colleges of their choice, strengthen their communities, and fight for social justice.
For the past 25 years, KIPP has been synonymous with love, care, and exceptional student outcomes. Since 2001, we have nurtured a lot of brilliance and created countless moments of homeplace, be they in classrooms, on athletic fields, or at college commencement ceremonies.
KIPP has been an important institution in the life of eastern North Carolina for the past quarter century, and we aspire to stay that way for a quarter century more.
For the past decade, we have operated as two separate campuses in Halifax and Gaston separated by 12 short miles of interstate. This has led our two campuses to compete for precious resources with each other.
While our student enrollment numbers and staffing models are solid, keeping them that way will get harder and harder to do if we continue to go it alone as two separate K-8 campuses. We would be smart to organize ourselves to act as one band, one sound to start facing down challenges and taking advantage of the many opportunities going together can bring.
Instead of operating as two separate, distinct entities, we will unify under one name across 2 sites: Our unified K-8 operations will be on one campus (Gaston), and our high school operations will be on the other (Halifax).
Picturing the Pride
In 2016, nearby Duke University and its Center for Documentary Studies spent hours at KIPP Durham Middle documenting the lives of our middle school students in a project they called Picturing the Pride. We encourage you to learn more about the many stories of our now alumni, the history of KIPP on the east side of Durham, and our abiding commitment to the dynamic Bull City.
Our re-founding educators will blow the following four crucial competencies out of the water (We are indebted to North Carolina-based Public Impact for this language and framework):
Driving for Results
Our educators will have a strong desire to achieve outstanding student learning results and the task-oriented actions required for success. Our educators will set high goals for themselves and their students, making well-planned efforts to achieve these goals despite resistance; holding others accountable for doing their part to achieve results; and putting in all the extra effort necessary to ensure success.
Influencing for Results
Our educators will motivate others and influence their thinking and behavior to obtain outstanding student learning results. Our educators will understand that they cannot accomplish change alone, but instead must influence the work of others. They will use a variety of influencing moves as the situation requires.
Problem-Solving
Our educators will be LASER FOCUSED on planning, organizing, and delivering high quality Tier 1 instruction, AND they will continually analyze data to determine student learning needs and next steps for intervention blocks during the day, on select weekend academies, and during select weeks over summers.
Personal Effectiveness
Our educators will exhibit flexibility and optimism when faced with stressful, uncomfortable, and unfamiliar situations; maintain confidence in themselves and a willingness to keep improving despite the many challenges of their role; actively embrace the constant changes needed to ensure student learning in high-challenge situations; and maintain a strong belief in the human potential for learning and improvement, despite significant societal pressures to settle for less.
All interested educators should carefully read the job descriptions linked above and reach out with their interest and questions.
All applications for the re-founding of KIPP Durham Middle are now open.
Selection will begin in April 2024.