You’ve heard it before, college isn’t for everyone. It’s true, and also true that many have succeeded without it. But having the option, graduating high school with the reading, writing, and math skills needed to compete, is everyone’s due. We’ve highlighted six African-American schools that not only believe this, but have the distinction of getting 100 percent of their graduating seniors accepted to college. Their approaches vary widely, with one grounding their instruction in African traditions, while another focuses on western principles of law. However, in all instances they are affirming daily that schools can create a culture of success that can work for all students.
Mastery Charter
2009 was the turning point for Mastery Charter Schools. After eight years of revamping failing schools with the motto, “Excellence. No excuses,” they joined the 100-percenters. Spread over four campuses in some of Philadelphia’s most impoverished neighborhoods, the milestone provided the ultimate evidence that their turnaround model, which included new faculty, tutoring, Saturday instruction and internships, worked.
It’ll be some time, however before their network reaches that milestone again. Not because they’re team isn’t working hard, but because they’re growing. Presently operating seven schools, Mastery has plans to add 15 over the next five years. It takes time to overcome students’ poor preparation; the administration’s goal for new schools is proficiency in reading, writing and math for 85% of the student body within four years. It’s a vision endorsed by the most powerful black man and woman on the planet: Obama shouted them out in a talk last July and in September Oprah’s Angel Network wrote them a million dollar check.
Providence St Mel.
By 1978 Chicago’s archdiocese had given up on Providence St. Mel, a poor-performing high school on Chicago’s west side. The doors were closed but a campaign led by then-principal and current president, Paul Adams III, was successful in saving the school and incorporating it as an independent institution. A complete turnaround ensued in which a focus on getting students prepared for college took center stage. Since then grades K-8 have been added, test scores consistently pushed upward, and an international travel program instituted. The crowning achievement is a thirty-year record of 100 percent acceptance to four year institutions. A full-length documentary chronicling this unique legacy, “The Providence Effect”, was released in 2009.
Urban Prep Academy
The picture sticks with you: black boys in black blazers, red and yellow ties, ecstatic for themselves and each other. They’re all going to college. It’s 2011 and the second year in a row that seniors at Urban Prep Academy have accomplished this feat. Started in 2006, the school enrolls African-American males in grades 9-12, across three Chicago campuses. Students typically arrive reading several years below grade level.
An extended school day and twice the English credits required by most high schools are designed to get everyone on course. And whereas many schools wait until junior year to begin earnest conversations about post-graduation plans, college advisors are assigned on day one at Urban Prep. Between the first and last days, the administration makes countless efforts to foster enduring achievement. But in a world where expectations for black men are so low, an idea captured in the motto might be more important than any action: “We Believe.”
Imhotep
Imhotep may be situated in Philadelphia but its heart resides in Africa. Started in 2000, the school adheres to the premise that education meets its greatest possibility when it is culturally relevant. As such, the school takes the accomplishments and traditions of the African diaspora as its principle subject matter. Interpreting each course through this lens is intended to build pride in addition to academic achievement. Rites of passage ceremonies line up next to internships as important aspects of students’ development. The formula appears to be working — for nine years straight, all graduates have been accepted to college.
Thurgood Marshall
Situated in Washington DC’s Anacostia section, Thurgood Marshall Academy (TMA) serves grades 9-12. Started in 2001, the school takes law as its central organizing premise. Through its curriculum, enrichment programs and volunteer pool of attorneys, the school leaders endeavor to build a lasting appreciation of justice and human rights. A more concrete goal is to foster academic achievement. It might have taken ten-hour school days and Saturday classes to get there, but among the city’s open enrollment high schools, TMA is number one in math and number two in reading. Add to this 100 percent college acceptance for five years straight and there is no doubt that students are receiving a solid education. And whereas many institutions consider their job done once they’ve handed out diplomas, TMA maintains contact with alumni and allocates small grants to cover emergency expenses that might otherwise derail college pursuits.
View Park Preparatory Charter High School
and Frederick Douglass High School
View Park Preparatory Charter High School (VPP) and Frederick Douglass High School (FD) are two of fifteen schools operated by the Inner City Education Foundation (ICEF). In 2007, VPP sent 100 percent of its graduating class to college, followed by FD in 2009. However, long before these benchmarks were reached, ICEF had garnered a strong reputation in South Los Angeles for providing African-American youth with rich learning opportunities.
What started out as a summer camp and after school program has grown into a network of K-12 institutions serving 4500 kids. A rigorous curriculum emphasizes critical thought, analytical writing and sustained silent reading as the keys to lifelong learning. In neighborhoods marred by poverty, gang activity and dropout rates as high as 50%, ICEF has maintained a record of graduating 95% of its students. Recent financial hardship has meant teacher layoffs and program cuts. Here’s to hoping that in restructuring this hardworking community doesn’t lose ground.
