Who Says Black Males Don't Have a Shot at College?

The future couldn't look brighter for all 107 seniors at Urban Prep. Every one of them has been accepted to college, a combined total of 72 four-year colleges and universities around the country -- not bad for the first graduating class of this innovative charter school. The Chicago Tribune has been touting the achievements of these young black men and the Academy all week.

The Urban Prep Academy for Young Men is the first, and Illinois' only, all male, all African-American public charter school. With three schools -- Englewood, East Garfield Park and South Shore -- the Academy serves high school students from some of the most destitute neighborhoods in the city. As a matter of fact, 82 percent of students come from low-income families. Inner-city kids are often exposed to high levels of violence, poverty, and crime -- statistics that are magnified among minorities. Despite the challenges of surviving in such an environment, these teenagers are thriving in the classroom.

There is so much hype surrounding statistics that supposedly represent the complex African-American community. The media (and especially racists) like to bend data to suit their purposes, and even government info can be misleading. It's refreshing and inspiring to see young black men rising above the stereotypes they confront every day. The Urban Prep Academy is a promising venture. The faculty and staff are obviously more than capable of meeting the challenge of educating a subgroup with a high risk of falling victim to the streets. According to its 2009 Annual Report, Urban Prep ranked third (of 98) in Chicago public schools, while the neighborhood school was ranked at 81. I had to read the report twice to make sure I wasn't misinterpreting information -- no hype here, this charter school really is incredible.

Urban Prep's success seems directly correlated to the students' willingness to meet high expectations -- much higher than other public schools. Their school day is about 400 minutes long, almost 100 more than that of the average school, and much of this time is dedicated to improving English and reading skills (something our nation's students struggle with). Despite the fact that these kids sometimes have to go out of their way just to get to school, they show up ready to learn.

The Academy's doctrine of respect and hard work is paying off and it has the potential to leave lasting, positive effects on individual students, the community and society as a whole. These young men are clearly motivated by the opportunity they find in this school, and also by the support Urban Prep offers. High expectations are far better than none at all.

When an idea takes off -- especially in the education field -- other institutions tend to follow suit. I think we will be seeing more charter schools modeled after the Urban Prep Academy within the next few years. I believe people across the country will see these young men and their school as more than a success story and become truly inspired by what they have accomplished.

Photo Credit: Jaci Berkopec