05:43 PM CDT on Wednesday, April 12, 2006

By JEFF BRADY / WFAA-TV

File / DMN

College is the focus of the KIPP Truth Academy.

Hallie King's music may make her sing but her school makes her see the possibility of college.

Before she came here, she had not considered college.

"Now... it's the first thing I think about when I walk in the school in the morning," said the sixth grader.

That's because King and her classmates are reminded of it every where they look.

College is the single focus of the KIPP Truth Academy in Dallas to get these fifth, sixth and seventh graders on track for undergraduate study.

"I hear college about three times a day," says fifth grader Antwan Reyes.

At KIPP, multiplication is fun. The classes are smaller and longer - from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m, Monday through Saturday, and three weeks in the summer.

"We're saying 'yes you can.' No matter what your obstacles are, no matter where you live, no matter what your economic situation, you can and you will succeed," said Leeta Robertson, a teacher.

It's a tiny charter school which begun three years ago in a strip center targeting kids from South Dallas and Oak Cliff.

For recess, co-ed teams play jump-ball outside. At lunch, everyone lines up quietly, reading a book. There is no admission criteria, tuition or waiting list but there is tremendous passion.

"You would say to them, have you ever thought about going to college? They would say yeah, and we would say... 'let's get it done,'" said Steve Colmus, the principal.

As for success, the average KIPP student was two years behind in reading and math upon arrival. Now, the scores are shooting up.

"So, gains of four grade levels in reading, and seven grade levels in math, in less than two years... this can be done," said Colmus.