Detroit, MI (June 2020)— Khali Sweeney grew up in the Detroit Public Schools not knowing how to read or write. He remembers the narrative that was reinforced to him over and over again — “it doesn’t matter what you do, you’re going to be dead or in jail by the time you’re 21.” It’s a narrative he never forgot, and one of his motivations in creating the Downtown Boxing Gym.
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Detroit, MI (December 20, 2019)—“What we found in our research is that there isn't an urban school system and a large urban zoo partnering to create a zoology animal science program. So, we thought, ‘We're going to be the first."" Mark Ornstein, Chief Executive Officer, University Prep Schools
The majority of jobs in Michigan – 62 percent – require a post-secondary education. Many underserved students are unable attain these jobs and the economic security that they will provide because they do not meet the education criteria. In community colleges, for example, only a fifth of students graduate. Students often struggle as they navigate complex college requirements and juggle the demands of work, family and financial obligations.
Founded in 2013, Promise Schools was created with a specific purpose: to ensure all scholars regardless of circumstance, race or socioeconomic status, can confidently pursue their life’s aspirations. Its two schools in Northwest Detroit provide a quality college-prep education to more than 800 scholars yearly, empowering them with skills to achieve their ambitions.
As one of the city’s longest-standing tuition-free public charter school systems in Detroit, U Prep has served thousands of students since 2000. One of its missions is to keep a 90/90 promise, which guarantees a minimum graduation rate of 90 percent and college acceptance rate of 90 percent. U Prep has surpassed this standard with every graduating class since its first in 2007.