On this year’s Top 10 list of “Our Biggest Problems That Need To Be Fixed ASAP,” public school reform should fall somewhere near the top. To me, the word education is synonymous with change, possibility, and hope. So any time (and every time!) I hear about public schools that work, my ears perk up, I stop what I’m doing, and I pay attention.

My latest interest (read: obsession) is with KIPP,the Knowledge is Power Program. Originally founded in 1994 by Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin with the opening of a middle school in Houston, KIPP has become a network of 66 public schools that serve over 16,000 students across 19 states and in the District of Columbia. KIPP schools are free, enrollment is based on a lottery system, and students typically come from under-served communities with 80% qualifying for free or reduced lunch. What’s most remarkable about KIPP is its proven track record of success: More than 80% of KIPP alumni have gone to college!

So how on earth did they do that?!

I have come to find out that you can’t achieve revolutionary results without being revolutionary. To start, KIPP students spend a lot more time in school. Their school days are 9 and a half hours long, they have classes every second Saturday, and they attend a 3-week-long summer school program in July. They also do 2 hours of homework each night. Parental involvement is mandatory, teachers visit students in their homes, and are also available after school hours for students to call them at home with questions. There is a week-long field trip planned at the end of each year, plenty of extracurricular activities, and most importantly, a culture of high expectations for student achievement and behavior that permeates every aspect of life in each of the schools.

In short, it’s hard to read about KIPP and not get excited. Plus did I mention their motto? It’s: “Work Hard. Be Nice.” Doesn’t get much better than that.

takepart and learn more about KIPP.

Find out how to support the KIPP Foundation.

Listen to Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews’ discussion of his new book Work Hard. Be Nice.: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America hosted by Education Sector on January 28, 2009.

Watch an interview of Dave Levin on the Colbert Report: