100 Percent Of Graduating Class Headed To College

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Having 100 % of your graduating class headed to college is an amazing feat for any school.  What's even more amazing is that this is Urban Prep High School's first graduating class and all 107 of its graduates are headed to college.

Urban Prep High School in Chicago is a charter school success story.  This all boys school has strict rules and an even stricter dress code.  You won't find sneakers or bling here.  The boys wear uniforms with jackets and ties. The school hours are long. There are Saturday classes, double the dose of English lessons, and mandatory reading.  Summer school is also available.

The majority of the graduating class come from gang infested neighborhoods, grew up with single mothers, and live in poverty . Clearly the odds are stacked against them.

What's really unique about this school is not just that the students are held accountable, but the Teachers are as well.  Every staff member has a school assigned cell phone so that students and parents can reach them at anytime. The teacher's and staff's responsibility over these kids does not end when they exit the schools doors.

Every student has at least one mentor -- maybe a coach or a teacher among a predominantly young faculty. About 60 percent of teachers at the Englewood campus (Urban Prep has another school and plans to open a third this fall) are black men. They serve as confidantes and role models to students, many of whom have no fathers in their lives.

Sharon Cohen of the Associated Press has more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_THE_100_PERCENTERS_ABRIDGED?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-06-28-00-01-06

This is proof that sometimes it is best to think outside the box when it comes to education.