KIPP Houston High School, recently ranked #16 by U.S. News and World Report, is dedicated to preparing students for college, and for life, and strongly believes financial literacy is critical to the success of their students. Although the Texas Education Agency requires essential knowledge and skills in personal financial literacy be incorporated into various courses and grade levels, KIPP felt financial literacy is such a critical component of college and life readiness for seniors (soon to be college freshmen) that it should have its own curriculum and align with personal values and guide financial decision making.

The “Red & Black Financial Literacy Program”, which is part of the KIPP Houston High School College Connections course, is a real‐world approach to personal finances and prioritizing your life and is based on the recently self‐published book ‘What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired!’ by Red & Black.

The book, as well as the program, teaches specific financial topics such as assets and liabilities, credit cards, budgets, long‐term financial planning and insurance, as well as more fundamental concepts such as values, priorities, and time and stress management. In addition, the program covers the college selection process – especially the financial implications – as well as transitional life lessons.

The book was launched by Neiman Marcus in August 2009 and less than five months later it was introduced to the KIPP Houston Class of 2010, which consists of approximately 90 students. Mike Feinberg, KIPP Co‐Founder, says “The KIPPsters’ initial reactions to the program have been very enthusiastic. Not only have they told us they feel more confident about financial matters, but more importantly they understand how their values align with their financial decisions. We look forward to continuing to work with Red & Black to develop ways to incorporate this program into other areas of our schools.”

KIPP measures success not only by test scores but also by the positive change students bring to the world and the kinds of citizens they become, believing that their overall personal development is the key to their success. Although there is no question of the importance of offering a financial literacy course to high school seniors, what makes the Red & Black program unique, and potentially offers students long‐term benefits, is its underlying focus on “teaching” kids how ones values and priorities should be intertwined with your financial decisions. “When Red and I were asked to develop and teach a course in financial literacy, we knew it had to be more than just teaching kids how to balance a checkbook. After all, that’s just math. It had to be about teaching them how to question what they are spending their money on, and then make sure it is a smart, conscious decision,” says Mandy Williams, aka Black.

The credentials of Red (Tina Pennington) and Black are not what you would expect of developers of a financial literacy program. Neither are experts, but as the disclaimer on their book states “We are real people. We are not claiming to be experts in any given field, but rather are becoming experts of our own lives.” Each admits to making financial mistakes, but consistent with the signs displayed at KIPP: Mistakes are ok, as long as we learn from them. After reviewing an informal survey of the students, Feinberg said, “Our students apparently are learning from Red & Black’s mistakes, too. We realize it’s critical that our students not only understand the mechanics of financial literacy, but more importantly how to make intelligent financial decisions that are consistent with their values, priorities, and long‐term goals. If we can instill that element of financial literacy in our students, then we are working towards lasting, positive change.”

KIPP, or Knowledge Is Power Program, was co‐founded by Teach For America alumni Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin in Houston in 1994. KIPP has grown to a national network of 82 public schools in 19 states and the District of Columbia, serving 21,000 students. KIPP schools are recognized for narrowing the achievement gap in public education and putting underserved students on the path to college.

KIPP Houston currently operates 15 schools and serves 4,900 students in the city’s high‐need communities.  Ninety eight percent of KIPP Houston students are African‐American or Latino/Hispanic, and 90 percent qualify for the free or reduced price meals program. Since the first KIPP school opened in Houston in 1995, 90 percent of KIPP students, tracked from the 8th grade, have matriculated to college. To learn more, visit www.kipphouston.org or contact Chris Gonzalez, cgonzalez@kipphouston.org or 713.303.6417.

For more information on Red & Black go to www.redandblackbooks.com and enter through “For The Media” as the section was developed specifically for media professionals, or contact Tina Pennington, aka Red, at media@redandblackbooks.com.