Washington, DC
Wednesday, June 27th

I was on duty the whole day. There was not as much going today in comparison to the last few days but that was good. We actually built in some free time for the students so they could catch up on sleep. Read for upcoming cases and generally be kids. I caught up on laundry and cleaning my room. Ok I just read what I just wrote…., boring.

I thought this might a great time to highlight one of the schools that two of our students come from in Houston, called YES Prep. Yes Prep was ranked the 39th best public school in the United States last year. (Full List) (Ranking Method) To put that ranking into perspective prestigious White Station High is ranked 917th in the country. Only one TN school is ranked higher, MLK magnet school in Nashville. For the Erie readers, Collegiate Academy is ranked 235th. We have two girls from this school in our program right now. What they and their school are accomplishing is nothing short of remarkable. Both of the girls I spoke to stated that they would have been completely lost without this school. One stated it saved her AND her families lives. Two years ago she was nearly failing out of school because she was afraid to go to school and she was not working hard at all. Three years later she has met a Supreme Court Justice and the White House Chief of Staff and shared a sustentative discussion with them. (Newsweek Article)

From their web site:

“Founded in 1998, YES is a free, open-enrollment public school system that serves low-income minority students in 6th-12th grade. Their charter mandates that students must be accepted to a four-year college in order to receive their high school diploma. YES is the only school in greater Houston to make Newsweek’s list of the top 100 public schools in America. There are currently four YES campuses in Houston that serve 1,500 students”

The demographics that the school serves make the accomplishments even more remarkable.

• 80% of YES students are economically-disadvantaged
• 95% are Hispanic or African-American
• 86% are first-generation college-bound
• Most students enter YES at least one grade level behind in math and English

Here are the results of the school in its twelfth year of existence.

• 100% of YES Prep's graduating seniors (six classes) have been accepted to a four-year college or university
• YES seniors have been accepted to 194 schools nationwide, including Duke, Columbia, Cornell, Wellesley, Notre Dame, Rice, Yale, Penn, Stanford, Texas A&M University, University of Texas-Austin, and 43 other Texas schools
• 90% of YES alumni are still enrolled in four-year and two-year colleges (compared to the national retention average of 50% for all ethnic groups and 22% for low-income students) It’s 76% for just the 4-year colleges and universities
• YES graduates have received over $13 million in scholarships and financial aid
  

The students sign a contract to be at school from 7:30 to 5pm Monday through, Thursday they can leave at 4pm. They are to be at School on Saturdays from 9am till 1pm when required. This is for test prep for ACT, SAT, and standardized tests. If they are not prepared for class their or show disrespect to the YES Prep team then they have to stay after school THAT day. They must also attend mandatory summer programs. Their teachers are available nearly 24/7 for homework and school questions. Here is the kicker, they do not get their diploma until they are acepted in a four year college.

When I think of the young and talented students who waste away in bas schools around the country it saddens me. There are no easy answers and the question frustrates a lot of people A LOT smarter than me. The answers don’t come with busing, prayer in school, laptops, internet access, or throwing tons of money at the problem. It takes hard work from the kids and their families, however that family looks. It takes dedication and creative thinking for their teachers and school administers. It takes the community at large to realize that this problem is not only for people with school age kids. It takes a definitive commitment from all of above people. And do not think that for one minute that I feel like a complete hypocrite for working at school that has duckies walking around campus that serves baked Mahi Mahi with chunks of crab smothered in Hollandaise for lunch.

If you want to read about group truly getting it done check at the Web site. (YES Prep)

Here is an article from the Houston Chronicle about Yes Prep and another school, KIPP Academy. (article) A friend of mine from Rhodes is the principal of the first elementary KIPP school in Houston. Here is a Washington Post article about the school and its possible impact in DC.