A little at a time
The mission statement of Chicago’s Urban Prep:
The mission of Urban Prep is to provide a comprehensive, high-quality college preparatory education to young men that results in graduates succeeding in college.
This mission is a direct response to the urgent need to reverse abysmal graduation and college completion rates among young men in urban centers, particularly African-American males. Urban Prep’s tailored curriculum is based on the developmental stages and learning styles of boys as well as the unique challenges facing urban youth. The Urban Prep motto is “We Believe.” We believe that our students will shatter negative stereotypes and defy low expectations. We believe that our students can be prepared for and will succeed in college. We believe in the long-lasting impact community support and positive role models can have on our students’ lives. In short, we believe in our students’ futures. At Urban Prep, we believe.
Note: “boys.” Not girls. At the moment, female presence is considered a distraction.
Urban Prep’s first graduating class: 107. Number accepted by a four-year college: 107.
This is not a hyper-selective school, either: students are chosen by lottery from the pool of applicants.
So what’s the trick? No excuses accepted for anything:
Each new freshman starting school gets his own wristwatch to keep track of time.
“Kids would be late and say they didn’t know what time it was,” [founder Tim] King said. “Part of our creed reads [that] we make no excuses, so we wanted to remove that excuse.”
Nor do you get to leave early. Classes run 8:30 am to 4:30 pm — just like a real work day. And students dress like it’s a real work day, too:
The young men at the academy wear suit jackets and ties as signs of respect.
“It distinguishes us. We stand out in the crowd,” said student Jerry Hinds. “Freshman year, maybe, people had problems with it at first. But after a while, you see the bigger picture. … These uniforms show that, oh, he’s wearing a tie; oh, he wants to do something with himself.”
More like this, please. And soon.
Lisa Paul »
14 March 2010 · 11:00 am
And the curriculum: a double period of English each and every day, four years of math, four years of science, four years of social studies, three years of foreign languages.
I was in a private school that was oriented towards college prep, and I don’t think I remember a curriculum this rigorous.
It’s great to hear a good education story these days.
paulsmos »
14 March 2010 · 2:46 pm
What!!! No bullsh*t education in diversity/political correctness /race baiting/tolerance of anything, but Christianity……no glorification of dead non-white non-European history? What the hell is wrong with this institution? Don’t they know that if you school the “utes” in this fashion, the numbers of folks on the public dole will dwindle. This certainly won’t do in a progressive society.
sya »
14 March 2010 · 10:01 pm
Wow really, private schools weren’t that rigorous? I went to a public high school and took a similar curriculum. Except the only time I did double periods of English was during senior year (which, I must admit, probably helped me to ace the AP English exam).
CGHill »
14 March 2010 · 10:18 pm
The high school I went to currently requires this for graduation:
Which is a tad stiffer than what I went through, though I had six years of foreign language(s), and if they’d had computer applications back then, they would presumably have involved IBM punch cards. (I have, incidentally, operated a Model 29 card punch.)
miriam »
16 March 2010 · 1:03 pm
I’m glad to learn that somebody somewhere is teaching kids something.