Madison Preparatory Academy Empowering Young Men and Women for Life Business Plan October 28, 2011 An Initiative of The Urban League of Greater Madison I | P a g e II What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore…and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over…like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or, does it explode? ~ Langston Hughes ~ III IV TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Madison: Why We Must Act Now .............................................................................................................................................. 3 A. High Aspirations ............................................................................................................................................................. 3 B. Significant Academic Achievement Gaps ...................................................................................................................... 3 C. Significant Graduation Gaps ........................................................................................................................................... 4 D. Significant Gaps in College Preparation & Completion of Rigorous Courses ............................................................... 4 E. Poor Performance on College Entrance Exams .............................................................................................................. 5 F. Not Ready for College .................................................................................................................................................... 5 G. Consequences of Being Under-educated in 2011 and Beyond ....................................................................................... 6 The Charter School Developer: Who We Are ............................................................................................................................. 7 A. About the National Urban League .................................................................................................................................. 7 B. The Urban League of Greater Madison .......................................................................................................................... 7 C. ULGM’s Qualifications .................................................................................................................................................. 8 History and Background on Student Achievement in Madison ................................................................................................... 9 The City of Madison: A Community Profile ............................................................................................................................. 12 Madison’s K-12 Education System ........................................................................................................................................... 14 A. Changing Demographics .............................................................................................................................................. 14 B. Poverty .......................................................................................................................................................................... 16 The Four C’s of Quality Schools ............................................................................................................................................... 16 A. Context ......................................................................................................................................................................... 16 B. Culture .......................................................................................................................................................................... 17 C. Curriculum .................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Educational Alternatives in Madison ......................................................................................................................................... 18 A. Charter Schools............................................................................................................................................................. 18 B. Private Schools ............................................................................................................................................................. 19 Insufficient Faculty and Staff Diversity in Madison’s Public Schools ...................................................................................... 21 No College Going Culture among Madison’s New Student Population .................................................................................... 23 Our Solution: Madison Preparatory Academy ........................................................................................................................... 23 About Charter Schools ............................................................................................................................................................... 24 Charter School Authorizer: Madison Metropolitan School District .......................................................................................... 25 Madison Preparatory Academy’s Competitive Advantage ........................................................................................................ 25 Vision for our Young Men and Women .................................................................................................................................... 26 Educational Philosophy ............................................................................................................................................................. 27 Target Population ....................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Goals .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Student Performance Objectives ................................................................................................................................................ 28 Educational Strategies................................................................................................................................................................ 29 1. Single Gender Public Secondary Schools ..................................................................................................................... 29 2. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Curriculum ........................................................................................................ 33 3. College Preparatory Educational Program.................................................................................................................... 35 4. Harkness Teaching ....................................................................................................................................................... 36 5. Data-Drive Instruction .................................................................................................................................................. 37 6. Extended School Day and Year .................................................................................................................................... 38 7. Mentoring & Community Support ................................................................................................................................ 39 A. Group Mentoring ...................................................................................................................................................... 40 B. One-on-One Mentoring ............................................................................................................................................ 40 C. Peer Mentoring ......................................................................................................................................................... 41 D. Community Support ................................................................................................................................................. 41 8. Prep Year ...................................................................................................................................................................... 42 Academic Standards and Assessment ........................................................................................................................................ 43 Co-Curricular Activities and Athletics ...................................................................................................................................... 43 Parent Engagement .................................................................................................................................................................... 44 A. Parent Association ........................................................................................................................................................ 44