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Mission:
KIPP: McDonogh 15 Primary School for the Creative Arts empowers and invests ALL scholars EVERYDAY to excel academically, creatively, and socially in preparation for their work in the country’s top high schools, colleges, and communities beyond.
Vision:
All KIPP: McDonogh 15 Primary School for the Creative Arts scholars will be responsible, thoughtful, and empowered citizens who are enthusiastic about learning, excellent at working with others, and determined to make the world an amazing place.
Values:
At KIPP: McDonogh 15 Primary School for the Creative Arts we use our positive energy everyday to make our school, our community, the country, and the world an amazing place.
Background:
KIPP McDonogh 15 School for the Creative Arts is an open-enrollment, public charter school operated by KIPP New Orleans as part of the Louisiana Department of Education’s Recovery School District (RSD). Located in the heart of the French Quarter, KIPP McDonogh 15 serves 470 pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students, combining a tradition of creative-arts education with KIPP’s high expectations and academic excellence.
KIPP McDonogh 15 was created to provide students returning to a rebuilding New Orleans with an excellent educational opportunity and has been fully enrolled and operational since August 2006. The school’s current leadership team and almost half of the teachers founded New Orleans West (NOW) College Prep, a charter school in Houston, Texas opened in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina to serve approximately 400 evacuated New Orleans students.
KIPP McDonogh 15 divided students by grade into three smaller groups using the traditional colors of Mardi Gras as an outward symbol. The Green School (Faith) is pre-kindergarten through first grade; the Gold School (Power) is second through fourth grades; and the Purple School (Royalty) is fifth though eighth grades.
Despite starting the year several grade levels behind, at the end one year at KIPP McDonogh 15, over ninety percent of KIPP McDonogh 15 students passed the LEAP (Louisiana’s high-stakes test).
 Click here to see how KIPP McDonogh 15 compares to the Recovery School District and the state of Louisiana. “ Test Results “
The Arts:
As a creative arts school, all KIPP McDonogh 15 students participate in creative arts and enrichment instruction each day. Pre-k and kindergarten students receive 90 minutes of visual art, music, and physical education per week. Students in grades one through four rotate through all arts offerings on a semester basis. Students in grades five through eight select two areas of creative arts and enrichment for intensive study and skill development based on interest level and assessment data.
Currently, KIPP McDonogh 15 offers visual arts in multiple media, instrumental music, vocal music and movement, challenge and adventure physical education, and New Orleans/French culture. Partial-year course offerings will include dance and drama instruction. Partnerships with New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and KidSmart have been established to extend additional creative arts class offerings to interested students.
KIPP & McDonogh 15:
KIPP McDonogh 15 is part of the national Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) network of public schools, with a track record of success working with educationally underserved students. As a KIPP school, McDonogh 15 is organized around five pillars that guide all KIPP schools. These pillars are:
More Time
Students at KIPP McDonogh 15 spend approximately 50 percent more time in school than their public school peers. This means more time for reading, math, science, and history, as well as time in the daily schedule for art, music, and physical education. Students behind in reading or math have time during the school day to catch up academically; all students take part in arts and enrichment activities.
Focus on Results
KIPP McDonogh 15 teachers use assessments in their classrooms to monitor the performance of their students and to check their teaching methods against students’ understanding of the material. Our teachers work to ensure that each student masters the content of each lesson and are not pressured to move on to the next topic even if students do not understand the material. Frequent and comprehensive assessments help us make sure all of our students are learning.
Power to Lead
KIPP McDonogh 15’s school leader has control over decision making, including budgetary decisions, hiring choices, and day to day operations of the school. This allows us to fully meet the unique needs of our students.
High Expectations
KIPP McDonogh 15 has the highest expectations of our all of our students and teachers. Our school is based on the deep conviction that all of our students can and will achieve at the high academic levels necessary for college readiness.
Choice and Commitment
KIPP McDonogh 15 is an open enrollment, public charter school. All students choose to attend the school, and all teachers, students, and parents sign the Commitment to Excellence, an agreement between home, student, and school to do whatever it takes to help the child succeed.
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