While most US educators are fumbling around, throwing money down dark holes and trying new (unproven) initiatives, Tim King is putting us to shame and making the difference all educators say they long for.
King is the founder and President of Urban Prep Academies in Chicago. Urban Prep is a network of open-enrollment, public, all-male, college-preparatory high schools. He has found success for his students through identifying his students and their needs and directing all efforts full-force to engage, inspire and equip them.
From Wikipedia - Urban Prep structures its educational approach through four curricular and extracurricular "arcs":
§ The Academic Arc: a rigorous college prep curriculum with added focus on reading, writing, and public speaking skills.
§ The Service Arc: a focus on deepening the students' sense of responsibility and identification of community needs by completing volunteer programs throughout the area.
§ The Activity Arc: a focus on increasing students' confidence, interpersonal skills, and leadership qualities by participating in at least two school-sponsored activities per year (sports, clubs, etc.).
§ The Professional Arc: a focus on providing students with valuable experience in a professional setting by requiring them to spend one day a week within such a setting. This serves to reinforce character and leadership development in students, as well as providing for them a means of work experience.
Each grade level at Urban Prep is divided into six groups of twenty students, known as "Prides".
Prides compete with one-another for points awarded for good attendance, high average GPA, and through intramural athletic competitions. Alternatively, Prides may lose points for dress infractions, attendance violations, or other disciplinary infractions.
Everything a boy foundering on the streets of Chicago could need is here. We can look forward to a generation of competent, caring men if they model themselves after their teachers, mentors, and Tim King.
