Harriett Ball

Harriett Jane Hill Ball (July 1, 1946 – February 2, 2011) was an American educator who inspired the KIPP program.

Life Harriett Ball was born Harriett Jane Hill in 1946 in Rosenberg, Texas. Her mother worked tirelessly to provide for them all.

Career & Innovation Ball taught in Houston, Texas as a public school elementary school teacher. After fifteen years of teaching, she discovered that her students were struggling to read, and she developed a song to help them read. She called her technique "Rap, Rhythm, & Rhyme." Her style was not always appreciated as it deviated from the norms of teaching, but her measures were quickly shown to be effective.

In 1992, her colleague David Levin worked for Teach For America and was struggling in the same public school Ball worked in, Bastian Elementary, located in Houston. He asked her for mentorship. She also mentored Mike Feinberg, who was also working for Teach For America. Ball's chant of "Knowledge is power, power is money, and I want it," became the namesake of KIPP.

Honors Galveston, Texas named September 14 Harriett Ball Day, after she helped in their school district.