By Houston Cofield - The Daily News -

The KIPP Diamond Academy, 230 Henry St., is one of a handful of charter schools that have succeeded in the Memphis area in the last 10 years, and the school is now expanding by adding a ninth-grade class starting July 11.

“As we expand into the city, we anticipate that we will have a diverse population from an economic standpoint and a diverse population from a racial standpoint,” said Jamal McCall, executive director of KIPP Diamond Academy in Memphis (KIPP Memphis).

KIPP Academy (Knowledge is Power Program) began in Houston, Texas, in 1994 and has grown to 99 charter schools nationwide.

KIPP Academy embraces the values of hard work and personal responsibility. Parents, students and teachers are required to sign a “Commitment to Excellence” contract that ensures each person will do whatever it takes to help each student learn and succeed. More than 80 percent of students who attend KIPP schools are from low-income neighborhoods. Using phrases such as “Work hard. Be nice.” and “There are no excuses,” KIPP promotes an academic environment that does not allow demographics to define a student’s destiny.

“We try to instill in our kids that academic time is sacred, and we try as a unit not to jeopardize that time,” McCall said.

KIPP Memphis supports an academic atmosphere that differs in some ways from traditional schools. KIPP encourages its teachers to incorporate things such as dance, music, technology and essays into the classroom, said Richard Bailey, the KIPP Memphis high school leader.

“We really want to empower our teachers to be creative, but make sure what they are doing is purposeful and helping students get prepared for college and life after college,” Bailey said.

He said it is important for him as the instructional leader to spend a lot of time in the classroom, helping teachers plan dynamic class lessons that will cater to their students.

Each student is provided with a laptop they use in class to allow teachers to plan diverse class lessons.

Many of the teachers KIPP recruits are teachers ending their two-year commitment with Teach for America. McCall said they try to convince those teachers to stay in Memphis, but they also have teachers who apply online.

“What excites me about working at KIPP is the idea that everybody is on the same page about making sure we get our students not just to college, but having them be successful in college,” Bailey said.

One of the biggest things that attracted Bailey to KIPP is the high expectation the school puts on its teachers and students.

“The work stands out to me. The teachers really want you to justify all of your answers,” said Saidrika Suggs, an upcoming ninth-grader at KIPP Memphis. “At KIPP, they really want you to go to the next level.”

Suggs said KIPP is much different from her previous school, where her teachers did not challenge her or care about her work.

KIPP teaches students there are no shortcuts when it comes to academics, which is one of the reasons the school offers an extended school day lasting from 7:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. The school believes that by adding hours for an enrichment period at the end of the day, students can engage with their teachers and enjoy extracurricular activities such as art, band and dance.

KIPP Memphis has students who have completed grades five through eight and gone on to schools such as Hutchison School, St. Mary’s Episcopal School, Memphis University School and other competitive preparatory high schools in Memphis.

McCall knows that to produce the type of students they want, KIPP needs to have an elementary school, middle school and high school. KIPP Memphis is planning to have 10 schools open by 2015 by adding a school one year at a time.

“We get kids in the fifth grade, and they were coming two and three grade levels behind,” McCall said. “So we need more time to get them up to where they need to be, and try to push them beyond their grade level.”

With the school opening date approaching fast, KIPP is setting up classrooms and training teachers. McCall said they are looking for volunteers to join the movement, and KIPP will host a volunteer day July 9 to help prepare for the school’s opening.