Education models that work
08/30/2011--
Tim King and the model that he has created and continues to develop will serve as a successful example of implementing an education model that can compete on a global level. Furthermore, Mr. King implemented his program in the face of strong opposition. I will be posting additional details from an upcoming interview with Tim King. Below you will find a description of Urban Prep and an overview of some of Mr. King's current and future initiatives.
Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men -- Englewood Campus opened its doors in 2006, as the nation's first all-boys public charter high school. In June of 2006, they achieved a momentous goal: 100 percent of their first graduating class was admitted to a four-year college or university.
For Tim King, Founder and CEO of Urban Prep Academies, the journey started years before the school opened. After running a Catholic all-boys school, Hales Franciscan, Mr. King believed that Chicago needed a public school that would focus on the educational needs of economically disadvantaged boys and provide a clear path to college and future success.
When Mr. King, a long-time partner of the Speh Family Foundation, approached us with this idea, our board of directors and staff agreed with Urban Prep's motto -- "We Believe." In 2004, The Foundation provided Mr. King with a three-year, $150,000 planning grant that supported curriculum development, staff development and location scouting as the organization went through the charter school application process. As an ardent supporter of Mr. King's model, I continue to personally advocate for Urban Prep, which includes my recent support of a 2-year, $40,000, grant toward continued advances at Englewood, the first campus in the Urban Prep network of schools. In 2009, Urban Prep's East Garfield Park Campus opened its doors and in this past fall the South Shore Campus began operations.
In 2010, Tim King was among People Magazine's heroes of the year. As a result, Urban Prep was awarded a $10,000 grant and has hence skyrocketed toward international notoriety. From personal interactions that I have had with Mr. King, I am always left with the impression that he wants to be doing more, which is undoubtedly the case.
King recently started the Urban Prep Fellows program. The Program hires recent college graduates to mentor the school's students. Mentors receive $800 a month plus rent and health insurance. They work alongside teachers and spend their time providing one-on-one attention with students both inside the classroom and out. Mentors are charged with tutoring students on weeknights in addition to spending weekends together and focusing on the development of life skills. They are on call 24-7, they serve as confidants to the students, counselors, and parental figures to many of the boys that come from broken homes in gang-stricken neighborhoods (Banchero, WSJ).
The Fellows program is part of Urban Prep's larger mission and Mr. King's personal goal of changing the life paths of inner-city African-American boys. Recent studies have shown that as of 2008, black males made up only 5 percent of college enrollment, but 36 percent of the nation's prison population. Clearly Mr. King is laying the foundation for local as well as national education reform.
King has successfully created a model for success that would have once been deemed impossible, which is exactly how the city of Chicago viewed this bold initiative when they rejected funding requests on two separate occasions. The school is tough. Eight hour days with double periods of English in addition to math, social studies and foreign languages. Every morning students are required to recite a creed, which includes the phrase, "I am college bound", which is precisely the case as they continue to send 100 percent of their graduates to colleges and universities all across the nation.
While King still continues to face an uphill battle with college drop out rates for black males approaching 60 percent, it is clear as U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan pointed out, "Urban Prep proves that poverty is not destiny". Ironically, Duncan served under the Daley administration as executive officer of Chicago Public Schools; the same administration that failed to respond to early grant requests from Urban Prep
Sadly, the opportunity to attend a school that is focused on current educational trends and geared toward getting students into college is not the case for many young Americans. Public education in this country is grossly underfunded to say the least. It is a system of exclusion where the vast majority of public schools fail to provide students with the necessary skills for a future, or even the prospect of attending college. This trend has become systemic, but individual outliers like Tim King are providing valuable models that have the potential to reverse these trends. Widespread implementation of core elements relating to Urban Prep's academic and social initiatives would have a profound impact on our nation's educational system. King has created a local platform for global innovation. His model proves that there is another way. Educators, community leaders, parents, and policymakers across the country should take note of such models and begin the necessary steps toward implementing similar systems within their own cities and neighborhoods. Ultimately, interest, participation, and reform begin at the ground level and must be pushed into the national spotlight.
The success of Urban Prep truly shows what one person can do if they have a belief and a strong set of core principals to guide them. We must organize and advocate within our own communities and move beyond policymakers if necessary. As an advocate and board member of a local nonprofit, I can say with complete confidence that local and national NGOs / nonprofits have the ability to fund projects such as these, particularly when there is proof of success and specific performance metrics in place. It is simply a matter of highlighting the need for these types of programs.
Lastly, I would like to note that The Speh Family Foundation was truly honored to receive the Urban Prep Academies Founder's Award at the organization's first Commencement Exercises on June 12, 2010. The Foundation congratulates the young men, dedicated staff and board of Urban Prep and will continue to say "We Believe."
Contributors: Jonathan Speh & Alanna Golden
Speh Foundation Blog
A New Reality: Consumption and Inequality