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The school started with kids whose futures had been left for dead by their public schools: Only four percent of the school's incoming freshmen were reading at grade level when they arrived on campus. But by sending all of their graduating seniors to college, they've not only gotten these kids up to speed, they've allowed them to zip past every other public school in the entire United States.
"No other public [school] in the country has done this," said Tim King, the founder of Urban Prep.
The students at the school are required to wear a jacket and tie every single day. They also go to school for two hours longer than other kids. They take English twice a day and are given a mentor with a cell number that kids can call 24 hours a day. They've clearly hit the mark when it comes to understanding that getting our children to the land of educational success requires both academic and sociological strategies.
When I first wrote about Urban Prep Academy last year, I was incredibly proud. Like Stephen Stafford, the 13-year old kid who now attends Morehouse College, the men of Urban Prep Academy are firm reminders of what black men are meant to be. We are not hard wired to be thugs, athletes or entertainers. We are meant to be just as brilliant, capable and successful as everyone else in America. Tim King is teaching his boys something that I learned while teaching college over the last 17 years: There is no such thing as "college material." Every child can be college material if they choose to be. I was personally told that I wasn't smart enough to go to college, but it takes more intelligence to make it in prison than it does to make it on a college campus. It all comes down to hard work, and black people know how to work hard.
Urban Prep also reminds me of the controversy surrounding the "Tiger Mom," Amy Chua, who believes in positioning your children for excellence. I am a huge fan of the Tiger Mom, and I believe we need a whole bunch of "Tiger Mamas" in the black community to push our children to reach their potential (our mothers are our first teachers, giving them the most important job in the world). Even those who have access to the best of American public education are falling far behind the rest of the world when it comes to their ability to compete in the 21st century. In that regard, Tim King's boys at Urban Prep are actually ahead of the curve, not just catching up.
What I also love about Urban Prep is that they are translating the excellence that black men show in athletics and transferring that to academic achievement. It takes far less effort and natural ability to become a heart surgeon than it does to become an NBA basketball player. By diversifying our paths toward professional and economic success, we are helping thousands of black men avoid the standard trappings of the typical inner city hoop dream. As I rally for educational equality and Kelley Williams-Bolar today with Rev. Al Sharpton, I think about how this city would have treated Kelley's kids differently if one of their names had been LeBron James. It's shameful that black kids are rewarded for being athletic, but punished for being intelligent.
We must all cheer for Urban Prep like they just won the Super Bowl. They should be given millions more dollars to pursue their objectives. Their educational model should be replicated in every city across America. They are showing us that black men are not destined for failure, fundamentally flawed or built for mediocrity. We truly embody excellence.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and author of the book, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about College." To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. To follow Dr. Boyce on Facebook, please click here. 
Comments: (34)
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By: girlking on 2/17/2011 1:41PM
This is excellence at the highest level. Congrats to all of the young men and Tim King.
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By: Miss Jae on 2/17/2011 2:05PM
This is absolutely awesome! Congrats fellas!
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By: Jewel on 2/17/2011 2:20PM
This should be headline news.
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By: Jennifer Batiste on 2/17/2011 3:22PM
WAY TO GO!!!!! I am a single mother raising a young teen (13) and yes it is difficult but each day I point out the differences of having a education and not having one can do for you and each day I am rewarded with his love, respect and the joy of succeeding! I read this when it was first posted. A copy was made and it sits right next to his computer. Everyday he's reminded how much he is loved and how great he is destined to be! This kind of reporting does my heart good!!!! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!
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By: steve stinson on 2/17/2011 8:36PM
Congratulations-this is fantastic, a great achievement. Of course this is what should be expected from all our young people-this should be the norm,not the exception.
The idea of wearing of jacket and tie. You want to be a success ,dress for success. You want to be rapper, gangster-wear your pants below your butt, hold your crotch, wear you r hat sideways-want to be a crimnial dress like one. This is what public teachers have to deal with everyday-and we blame the teachers.
These are kids from motivated families, I know they will do well. it has never been about ability, but about the will to do what it takes to be great.
This school has done a fantatistic job-is it a private charter preparatory school or is it paid for by taxes?
If the title to this article was "100% white male college attendance" would that be racist?
Isnt one of the most important parts of school, is to learn how to socialize, follow rules in a racially and gender intergrated society- not a single race fraternal organization. Do we have to seprerate these students by race and gender for them to be successful?
This is not the model that should be replicated, its a start. This model, like many preparatory school models prepare students to pass a college exam-but that is not the end goal for an education.
Lets improve on this model and make it racially and gender intergrated show that we can compete with all all groups head to head-asian,white, purple.
The model to replicate are the homes these students come from-thats where the real acheivement has come from ,where all the acolades need to be thrown.
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By: Kam on 2/18/2011 12:58PM
I am just addressing some of your points. You wrote
"These are kids from motivated families, I know they will do well. it has never been about ability, but about the will to do what it takes to be great."
Motivated in the sense that they wanted a better education for the children that they signed up for the admissions lottery, but the majority of freshmen entering Urban Prep read below grade level. To get them to this point requires a lot of work on the part of faculty and staff. These people help keep the students going. I do not believe the school would be this successful without them.
You wrote,
"If the title to this article was "100% white male college attendance" would that be racist?"
No it would not, and I'm not sure why anyone would think it would be. It'd be a bit odd, since white males are not currently having any problem with college attendance, but not racist.
"Isnt one of the most important parts of school, is to learn how to socialize, follow rules in a racially and gender intergrated society- not a single race fraternal organization. Do we have to seprerate these students by race and gender for them to be successful? "
Yes, it seems. For some unknown reason (which psychology may have the answer to), when students are given support in areas they think are deficits (such as their race or gender)they tend to do well and have no problems integrating. I myself attended a all-female, Catholic institution and it had no affect on me relating to men in college or non-Catholics.
At it's core, this is not surprising. White children are immersed in their culture (Euro-American/Judeo-Christian) in almost every facet of American life. What a school like Urban Prep is doing is only a drop in the bucket really, since Blacks already have to learn how to integrate and navigate White-American culture from birth.
Also remember that this school is a neighborhood school. It does not accept students based on race, but on where they live, so there is nothing stopping whites from moving to the neighborhood and applying for admission, though it'd be a big gamble.
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By: Nikesha Leeper on 2/17/2011 11:04PM
“Why is Urban Prep the exception and not the rule? Why is it we get so excited when an urban school who’s majority minority students achieve the same successes of majority students at a majority school?”
Intellectual inferiority only exists if we let it.
With Urban Prep leading the way hopefully every educator in the country will see there is a way for every student, in every class, in every school, in every city, in every state to find their way to a college be they Black or White, Latino or Asian. With such an achievement maybe soon we will set an expectation for such a laudable accomplishment instead of sitting stupefied by some unexplained irrational outlier never meant to be marveled at.
http://changecomesslow.com/2011/02/17/443/
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By: Tika on 2/18/2011 8:40AM
This is great. However I think the school is taking over the role of the parents, and on a larger scale this would be difficult.
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By: peachcobblerNY on 2/18/2011 11:44AM
Continued success to all of the youngmen that are going forth to further their education......
but I'll be glad when a "100%" graduation rate among our black males in highschool become the "norm."
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By: Charlie on 2/18/2011 2:02PM
Kam- Maybe you misread the article-this is a school based on a lottery-where students come from "the worst parts of Chicago"-this is not a neighborhood school ,if you read their material its an all black male preparatory school whose objective to see all students go to college". A great goal.
I think Steve is right why do we always have to define ourselves by color?
Great work Urban Prep- now if we can take the concepts that work here and translate them into the public schools would be a great achievement.
But our already overworked ,underfunded, unsupported public teachers will need some help to get motivated students, from motivated families, in a discipline educatiional enviorment to meet these goals.
(and what do we do for the non college bound student-who does his best and will never be enable to go to college-maybe a sound discipline ,motivated vocational system to help them achieve their goals similar to Urban Prep-
lets have it all)
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