By Ashley Moss
Staff Writer
KIPP Oak Cliff Academy will be returning to the campus of Paul Quinn College (PQC) for the 2021-2022 school year in a new partnership with the renowned Historically Black College & University.
KIPP Oak Cliff Academy is currently located approximately five miles from PQC, and supporters say this new opportunity will introduce students from neighborhoods across Oak Cliff to the Paul Quinn College campus and college experience while continuing to focus on academic excellence.
“Paul Quinn College is a great partner with deep ties to the local community. Strong community partnerships are key to building successful programs that can play an integral role in closing educational achievement gaps and developing our students into successful contributors to the community,” said Dr. Anthony Smith, Regional Superintendent of KIPP Texas—Dallas-Fort Worth. “Together with our families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.”
KIPP Texas-DFW and PQC are committed to working together to engage, educate, and prepare students for the future, while addressing the needs of the community.
Since school buildings closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, KIPP Texas-DFW has provided more than 14,000 meals to Dallas children, regardless of whether they attend a KIPP Texas school. To ensure all KIPP Texas-DFW students could attend classes online, more than 700 laptops and 400 M-Fi hotspots were distributed to ensure all students are prepared to start school. Moreover, Paul Quinn College set up a free COVID-19 testing site this summer and administered approximately 6,100 tests, and provided more than 3,500 boxes of food, 300 gallons of milk, and more than 7,000 masks to the community.
“KIPP is one of America’s leading charter school brands. We have personally had great success with their graduates. We were excited when they reached out to us about the prospect of them returning to our campus,” said Dr. Michael J. Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College. “This is going to be a great relationship for everyone involved.”
