Urban Prep Academies
Urban Prep Academies is a nonprofit organization that operated three free open-enrollment public all-male college-preparatory high schools in Chicago. Founded in 2002, and receiving its first charter approval from Chicago Public Schools in 2005, it operates the first all-male public charter high school in the United States. The network opened a second campus in 2009 and a third in August 2010. From 2010 to 2019, 100% of the seniors in the school's graduating classes were admitted to four-year colleges or universities. In 2023 its charter was revoked over misconduct allegations and Chicago Public Schools moved to take over its campuses. The decision is controversial and is being contested in court.
History
In 2002, a group of African-American civic, business, and education leaders, organized by former Hales Franciscan High School President Tim King, determined to establish a new high school in Chicago focused on providing a strong, college-preparatory high school option for boys in under-served African-American communities. African-American males had been, and continue to be, the lowest-performing demographic in Chicago Public Schools. A University of Chicago study published in 2006 reported that only one in 40 African-American boys in Chicago Public Schools will eventually graduate from a 4-year university. The Chicago Board of Education approved Urban Prep Academies' charter application in 2005, and Urban Prep opened its first school, Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men — Englewood Campus, the subsequent September. It is the first charter high school for boys in the country and currently enrolls 460 students in grades 9–12.Urban Prep's second school opened in the East Garfield Park community in 2009, and moved to the near west side of the city in 2011. Urban Prep's third campus, serving the historic Bronzeville community, opened in 2010. Based on its success thus far, Urban Prep plans to open more schools in the Chicago area and in other low-performing urban centers. Approximately 85% of Urban Prep students are low-income and nearly all are African-American.
Admissions
Admission to Urban Prep is determined through a lottery system. Enrollment is open to all matriculating 9th grade boys living in Chicago. Information on the lottery admission process is available on Urban Prep's admissions webpage.Support and funding
Urban Prep Academies is a 501 tax-deductible non-profit organization, and relies substantially on private donors to support its operations. The organization's largest source of funding is the Illinois State Board of Education, which funds all charter schools in the state on a per-pupil basis.In 2008, Urban Prep received an anonymous donation of $1,000,000. In 2009, the Oprah Winfrey Foundation donated $250,000.
Media
Urban Prep has been the subject of national and international news features. Virtually all local television news outlets in Chicago have profiled the schools, as have CNN and The 700 Club on their national broadcasts. Print media on the school has included pieces in the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Chicago Tribune, Ebony magazine and The Guardian. During the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, Urban Prep students who had traveled to Washington D.C. were interviewed on CNN with newscaster Don Lemon. During the interview, Lemon referred to the students as the "Little Obamas." CNN has used the phrase to refer to Urban Prep students in subsequent newscasts, and Oprah Winfrey repeated the phrase when discussing the school in a segment of The Oprah Winfrey Show regarding education in the US.The schools again became the focus of national media attention in March 2010, upon the announcement that 100% of the first graduating class had been accepted to a four-year college or university. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley visited the Englewood Campus to speak with students, and various national media outlets featured the school. The Chicago Tribune covered the story on its front page, MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News all ran short segments on the senior class, and ABC World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer profiled the school as its "Person of the Week." Daley again visited the Englewood Campus at the announcement that the Class of 2011 had followed their schoolmates in having all graduating class members accepted to a four-year college or university. Urban Prep became the focus on national attention again in 2012 when they announced a "three-peat", with all graduating members of the Class of 2012 having been accepted to college. The announcement ceremony was attended by Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn. The announcement coincided with a Chicago Tribune editorial endorsing the school's success.
School programs
- Arcs: Urban Prep structures its educational approach through four curricular and extracurricular "arcs":
- *The Academic Arc: a rigorous college prep curriculum with added focus on reading, writing, and public speaking skills.
- *The Service Arc: a focus on deepening the students' sense of responsibility and identification of community needs by completing volunteer programs throughout the area.
- *The Activity Arc: a focus on increasing students' confidence, interpersonal skills, and leadership qualities by participating in at least two school-sponsored activities per year.
- *The Professional Arc: a focus on providing students with valuable experience in a professional setting by requiring them to spend one day a week within such a setting. This serves to reinforce character and leadership development in students, as well as providing for them a means of work experience.
- School Culture: A positive school culture is maintained by continued emphasis on the "Four R's":
- *Respect: Students and staff members address each other by surnames only.
- *Responsibility: Students are held accountable to a strict code of conduct.
- *Ritual: Daily, weekly and yearly rituals such as Community and Tropaia reinforce feelings of community and self-worth.
- *Relationship: Each Urban Prep staff member is issued a cell phone whose number is distributed to all students, allowing for continuous contact.
- Pride System: Each grade level at Urban Prep is divided into six groups of twenty students, known as "Prides". The "Pride" name is derived from the school's mascot, the Lion. Prides function as smaller units within the school to provide each student with an individualized mentor, as well as a peer-support network. Prides compete with one another for points awarded for good attendance, high average GPA, and through intramural athletic competitions. Alternatively, Prides may lose points for dress infractions, attendance violations, or other disciplinary infractions. The Pride with the highest overall point total is awarded the Pride Cup at the annual year-end ceremony, known as Tropaia.
- Uniforms and Discipline: Urban Prep students are required to wear uniforms and adhere to a clearly communicated discipline program based on community and mutual respect. The Urban Prep school uniform consists of khaki pants, a white buttoned down and collared dress shirt, solid-red school necktie, and black two-button blazer with an embroidered school crest.
- Summer Programs: During the summers, the students participate in academic, professional, and service programs throughout Chicago and around the world. Recently, students have attended summer programs at the UK's Oxford and Cambridge universities, as well as elite stateside institutions including Northwestern University and Georgetown University. All incoming freshmen must attend the summer program that begins in August and ends just before the beginning of the school year.
- Athletics: Urban Prep campuses operate independent athletic programs that participate separately, and occasionally compete against one another, in the Chicago Public League. The Lions currently compete in the following sports:
- *Baseball
- *Basketball
- *Bowling
- *Cross country
- *Football
- *Golf
- *Track and field
- *Wrestling
Urban Prep Fellows Program