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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. 
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By: Rogerthat on 2/23/2011 11:24PM
@Truth go jump into the landfill and do us all a favor. @Charlie why are you trying to discredit someone else s achievement .That community is in an obviously difficult inner city environment and the academy have decided to provide a SOLUTION. It is very admirable. I rather hear that they are going to college no matter where it is than they all dropped out and they shot the school up!
The scores quoted are average which means a lot of the students were well above that average. I'm black and I scored a 29 on the ACT(top 3%) so that makes me superior to most whites and Asians according to their logic. Great job academy. Keep up the good work! As for DR B . I respect him and think that he is an accomplished professional. But that odd statement of "it takes more intelligence to make it in prison than college?" and "its harder to make it as a NBA than a heart surgeon " Is mind boggling putting it very mildly. I think I have to agree with an earlier post . If you believe that call Iverson or Lebron when you get sick and see what happens. DR. B not two of your better quotes.
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By: Kim on 2/24/2011 1:15PM
Every time you engage this person that calls himself 'truth' you just encourage him even more. Could be an angry, ignorant, frightened white man -plenty of them out there, or it could be a 15 year old with the day off from school looking for a few laughs. Bottom line is ignore him; he doesn't add anything to the conversation and you're just encouraging him. Anyway - congratulations to all the young men from Urban Prep and continued success. Kudos to Tim King.
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By: michinyuja on 2/28/2011 7:56PM
Dr. Boyce, you don't have enough information to applaud the Tiger Mom, and I seriously ask you to seek out that information before you go encouraging black mothers to IMITATE Asian immigrant mothers.
Higher education is not a magical chute that magically turns disadvantaged, deprived kids into wealthy, respectable, upstanding citizens.
Asian immigrant mothers are children of war. Much like African-American women today, they are women who have had to fend for themselves because enemies took away and killed their men. The children they create are products of their own TRAUMA, DEPRIVATION, and ABUSE. The oppressive standards and practices that Asian mothers use to raise their children directly conflict with the American standards and practices that are taught in schools.
Asian-Americans are held up as a model minority by whites. Why? Because they are the model slaves. It is too, too ironic that you would encourage black mothers to imitate Asians, who currently hold the title for best slaves in America.
Please go research the high rates of suicide among highly educated Asian-American women. Please go look at marriage and family stats in the highly educated Asian-American community. Please look at mental health among the children.
I personally work with children who have tried to kill their Tiger Mothers. You might want to think about that before you go clapping for Tiger Mom.
Just because higher education worked out for you, that doesn't mean it will work out for EVERYONE else.
Let's not forget that there have always been charity students in colleges and universities. Today, working your tail off to become a charity student (read: receive an academic scholarship) is no different than working your tail off to become a college athlete. Dr. Boyce hates the exploitation of black athletes in the college system, but doesn't seem to mind encouraging people to be exploited for their mental labor.
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By: michinyuja on 2/28/2011 7:58PM
P.S. - Getting into college is not excellence of the highest level.
Graduating from college, getting a job that pays enough to cover your bills, being able to have a family when you want to, and being able to provide for, protect, and love your family...
that's excellence of the highest level.
Let's not throw birthday parties for our chickens before they hatch.
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