Which are in worse shape, high schools or middle schools? Jay Mathews writes that one thing he has learned from talking to parents for the past 20 years is that "there are no good middle schools," even in the wealthiest neighborhoods. But a small group of schools being launched under the KIPP banner may be changing that. Like the original KIPP schools in Houston and the Bronx, these new affiliates look different from other middle schools that you may have seen. At the KEY Academy in the District of Columbia's Anacostia section, for example, classes run from 8 am until 5 pm and lessons move at a fast pace to keep kids focused. Discipline is swift and parents are called in if a student does not produce his homework. Somehow all of the carefully planned details of the school add up to a place where regular kids are motivated to meet very high standards. For more see "New School Paves Road to Success," by Jay Mathews, WashingtonPost.com, April 2, 2002.