KIPP charter network fires co-founder over alleged sexual misconduct

KIPP, one of the nation's largest and best-known charter school networks, announced late Thursday that its leaders had fired co-founder Mike Feinberg after an investigation found credible evidence for allegations of sexual misconduct.

A letter issued by KIPP said that Feinberg denied misconduct but that an independent probe found that an allegation of sexual abuse by a student two decades ago had "credibility." It also cited an allegation of sexual harassment against Feinberg that involved a financial settlement as well as another "credible" but uncorroborated allegation of sexual harassment. The letter said:

"At KIPP, leadership integrity must be without compromise. Each of us is expected to put the safety, care and well-being of our students, alumni and staff above all else. In light of the nature of the allegations and the passage of time, critical facts about these events may never be conclusively determined. What is clear, however, is that, at a minimum, Mr. Feinberg put himself into situations where his conduct could be seriously misconstrued. We believe that Mr. Feinberg's actions were incompatible with the leadership qualities that are central to our mission."

The news was likely to rock the charter school world, in which Feinberg was a giant. The KIPP network he co-founded in 1994 with Dave Levin has grown from a single charter school in Houston to a network of 209 schools and 90,000 students from preschool to high school in 31 regions across the country.

In Philadelphia, KIPP operates two elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school, serving about 1,625 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. By next year, KIPP plans to have six schools serving a total of 4,400 students. In Camden, it operates four schools, including KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy.

The firing comes at a time when women are coming forward with charges of sexual harassment and abuse by men in numerous fields, which has become known as the #MeToo movement. Feinberg's firing marks the first major #MeToo moment in education.

KIPP pioneered the "no excuses" brand of charter school education, referring to a theory of operation that there are no excuses for poor academic performance by low-income minority students and that the achievement gap can be closed with extremely strict behavioral codes, high expectations and long school days. KIPP's motto: "No shortcuts. No excuses."

Feinberg has been a well-known voice in the national debate about school choice and the spread of charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately operated. School reformers such as Feinberg argued that some public schools were failing children, especially low-income minority students, and that options should be available to them. Most of KIPP's students are minority and from low-income families.

Critics of charter schools say they are not as accountable to the public as traditional schools, and that they siphon resources from traditional public school districts that educate all children. Some critics also argue the "no excuses" philosophy does not allow students to learn to challenge authority and be independent thinkers.

Jay Mathews, a Washington Post education writer who wrote a book a decade ago about Feinberg and Levin, titled Work Hard. Be Nice.: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America, wrote in a recent Washington Post column that KIPP was the most successful charter network in the country.