Madison Preparatory Academy

07/13/2025

We accomplished the mission, despite the delay. A dream deferred is no longer a dream denied. Different name. Different curriculum. Same purpose. Onward.

Celebrating One City Schools 10th Anniversary in July 2025Ten years ago, a vision became reality. Through candid interviews with founder Kaleem Caire, co-fou...

10/23/2021

A majority of the Madison School Board voted down the proposal for the controversial charter school to open next fall, prompting Urban League President Kaleem Caire to threaten a racial

03/14/2015

During the 2013-14 school year, just 28 of 216 (13%) Black and 17 or 270 (6%) Latino children attending elementary schools serving families residing in South Madison (Wisconsin) were reading at grade level. Yes, these results are real. Considering that today's children are tomorrow's workforce,...

07/05/2014

RIP Walter Dean Myers, one of my favorite children's book writers. Sold a lot of his books when I had my book business back in the 90s. Bad Boy, Monster, Now is Your Time, Somewhere in the Darkness, Fallen Angels, It Aint All for Nothin and Scorpion are my all-time favorites. You can find all of Myer's books in his bibliography at his website: http://walterdeanmyers.net/. Scorpion was the first Myer's book I purchased while serving in the U.S. Navy. Pyramid Books of Washington, DC had opened a store in South San Diego. I attended their grand opening. Among the five books I purchased, I picked Scorpion because I was volunteering my time to work with young men at a middle school who were enthralled with California gangs.

Parents, if you want to purchase (or check out at the library)some great children's books by African American authors, try: Virginia Hamilton (http://www.virginiahamilton.com/), Nikki Grimes (http://www.nikkigrimes.com/), Bell Hooks, Angela Johnson (http://www.ajohnsonauthor.com/), Julius Lester (http://www.amazon.com/Julius-Lester/e/B000APHAR6), Ntozake Shange (http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/ntozake-shange), Mildred Taylor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildred_D._Taylor), Carol Boston Weatherford (http://cbweatherford.com/), Jacqueline Woodson (http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/), Kelly Starling Lyons (http://www.kellystarlinglyons.com/), Andrea Davis Pinkney (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Davis_Pinkney), Christopher Paul Curtis (http://www.nobodybutcurtis.com/) and my brother and former roommate Chike Akua (http://www.myteachertransformation.com/). If you don't have any of their books on your shelf, you and your children are missing out!

Mr. Myers was lauded for his work, which often centered on young black people struggling in tough environments.

06/10/2014

KIPP is a network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools throughout the United States, with a track record of preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life.

01/17/2014

Reminder: Something for your kids tonight. Bring your children and mentees, and join us at the Urban League of Greater Madison for our first monthly Community Night of 2014 - and they are always free of charge. Children will learn to create their own computers and be treated to a live demonstration by the award-winning BadgerBots program (http://www.badgerbots.org/). MLK weekend is a busy weekend, but it should be. it's all about service. :-)

01/05/2014

The Gates Millennium Scholars Program Scholars Application deadline is JANUARY 15, 2014! Very few high school seniors of color from the Madison/Janesville/Beloit areas have applied for this robust college scholarship, funded by Microsoft Founder Bill & Melinda Gates and operated by the United Negro College Fund. Please review this and share it with other children and their parents.

The scholarship reduces financial barriers for African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American and Hispanic American students with high academic and leadership promise who have significant financial need. It covers the full cost of "unmet need" for students who are awarded the scholarship, and can be maintained through graduate and professional education in certain fields. Click on the link below to learn more.

The Urban League of Greater Madison will be partnering with GMSP in the future to promote this scholarship to eligible children in our region. The Scholarship program has awarded $763,628,869 to more than 16,000 students since its inception in 2000.

12/07/2013

Madison Prep is discussed.

But that changed when she became an advocate and board member for Madison Prep, the Urban League of Greater Madison's proposal for a charter school designed to serve primarily African American and Latino students.

11/22/2013

We are hiring and seeking partners and volunteers for the Urban League Scholars Academy, which is targeting the achievement and opportunity gaps at their core. Please consider joining us in service to our children as we prepare them for their future.

November 22, 2013 - The Urban League Scholars Academy is an initiative of the Urban League of Greater Madison (ULGM) operated in partnership with the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) at Sennett and Toki Middle Schools with a site at Wright Middle School opening in January 2013. This new e...

11/05/2013

PARENTS/STUDENTS REMINDER: Harvard University at the Urban League of Greater Madison tonight at 6:30pm! Be There!