To donate, please visit our website at www.urbanprep.org/donate. Any contributions given to change.org do not go to Urban Prep Academies. Thank you!

Problem

On October 26th, the Chicago Board of Education voted to not renew the charters for the Urban Prep Englewood and Bronzeville campuses. This decision negatively impacts the educational opportunities available to young, Black and Brown boys in Chicago. 

Solution

Urban Prep will appeal to the Illinois State Board of Education to overturn the decision and become the authorizer of both schools. In order to win the appeal, we must demonstrate the need and support for Urban Prep’s schools. For that, we need you!

Urban Prep Englewood and Bronzeville's Story

When Urban Prep was designed, the mission was clear: to increase the number of African American males from Chicago with college degrees. With all the negative statistics, poverty, lack of resources, violence and the stigma facing this demographic nationwide, that mission is still as relevant today as it was all those years ago. In 2006, Urban Prep opened its first school, the Urban Prep Englewood Campus; Urban Prep Bronzeville Campus was later opened in 2010 as the network’s third school. Both schools serve high-need communities within the city. These communities have been under-resourced and underserved by the school system for decades. Urban Prep students are 99% African-American; the vast majority come from single-parent households; 85% receive free/reduced lunch (the indicator used to establish low-income status); and over 25% have IEP’s (Individual Education Plans). They are victims and survivors of gun violence and trauma--in fact, thirty-one of our Englewood and Bronzeville Campus students have been shot and fourteen killed since we opened. Both campuses provide a curriculum with double the English credits and more core-courses than traditional public schools, an extended school day, robust after-school programs and daily mentoring promoting social-emotional growth and positive self-esteem.

Despite elements of our society working to destroy young Black males and financial challenges caused by reduced funding and increased expenses, Urban Prep has continued to fulfill its mission by improving outcomes for our students. Our schools’ student graduation rates are higher than those for their peer groups in public schools across the city and country; the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) rates the both schools as "Commendable"--the second highest rating available; and 100% of the graduates have been admitted to four-year colleges and universities.

With your help, we will #SaveUP Englewood and Bronzeville Campuses. Please join our campaign by SIGNING our petition, SUPPORTING our students with a donation and SHARING our work with your networks. 

To donate, please do so through our website at www.urbanprep.org/donate

Urban Prep Englewood and Bronzeville students work hard for their futures and together, with your help, we can #SaveUP.