H. Res. 1414 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

June 16, 2010. 

Whereas in a 2009 study by the Education Research Center 

found that in the 50 largest cities in the United States, 

which have significantly higher rates of poor and minority children, only 53 percent of students graduate on 

time; 

Whereas African-American males are dropping out of high 

school in the Chicago Public School district, and in cities 

around the country, at a rate of over 50 percent and only 

one in 40 Black Chicago Public School males are graduating from college; 

Whereas a University of Chicago study published in 2006 reported that only one in 40 African-American boys in Chicago Public Schools eventually graduate from a 4-year 

university; 

Whereas a 2009 report by the American Council on Education found that only 28 percent of African-American 

males who have graduated from high school have gone on 

to enroll in college, compared to 41 percent of all students; 

Whereas in 2002, a group of motivated African-American 

civic, business, and education leaders, organized by Tim 

King, determined to establish a new high school in Chi-
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•HRES 1414 EH 

cago focused on providing a strong college-preparatory 

high school option for boys in under-served AfricanAmerican communities; 

Whereas Urban Prep Academies is a nonprofit organization 

that operates a network of all-boys public schools including the Nation’s first, and the State of Illinois only, charter high school for boys; 

Whereas the mission of Urban Prep Academies is to provide 

a comprehensive, high-quality college-preparatory education to young men that results in graduates succeeding 

in college; 

Whereas Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men—Englewood Campus was founded in 2002; 

Whereas Urban Prep Charter Academy has a student population that is 100 percent African-American male and 85 

percent low-income, has shattered stereotypes about the 

ability and willingness of African-American males to meet 

high expectations and serves as a national example that 

all students can succeed and achieve academically; 

Whereas Urban Prep’s extended school day, rigorous curriculum, and extracurricular ‘‘arcs’’, which includes the 

Academic Arc, Service Arc, Activity Arc, and Professional 

Arc, have been acknowledged as national models for other 

schools serving low-income communities by a variety of 

educational organizations and media outlets including the 

Chicago Public Schools, the American School Board 

Journal, the Urban School Improvement Network, the Illinois Policy Institute, Education Week, the Washington 

Post, and the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel; 

Whereas Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men—Englewood Campus, achieving a 100 percent college accept-
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•HRES 1414 EH 

ance rate for its June 12, 2010, first ever graduating 

class, will convene an Inaugural ‘‘Signing Day’’ event 

where each senior student will stand to publicly announce 

the college or university he has chosen to attend and 

commit to that school by signing the Urban Prep ‘‘100 

Percent to College’’ board and the ‘‘Credimus Book’’; 

Whereas to date, more than 80 colleges and universities have 

admitted Urban Prep seniors to their incoming freshmen 

classes and these seniors will receive nearly $4,000,000 

in college scholarships and grants; and 

Whereas Urban Prep has been recognized in the United 

States and internationally for its success in improving the 

academic, social, and emotional development of urban 

young men: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives congratulates Principal Tim King and all of the students, teachers, 

administrators, and support personnel at Urban Prep Charter 

Academy for Young Men—Englewood Campus for achieving 

a 100 percent college acceptance rate for its first graduating 

class of 2010. 

Attest: 

Clerk.