Mayor Rahm Emanuel has gotten a lot of flak over his proposal to require high school seniors to have a post-graduation plan in place before receiving their diplomas.
On the surface, the mayor's plan to make graduates provide proof they have been accepted into college or the military, a trade or a "gap-year" program, or that they have a job, seemed harsh, even ridiculous considering the dire state of Chicago Public Schools.
With a financial crisis hanging over the district's head, as well as declining enrollment, teacher layoffs and what some consider inadequate academic standards, adding a requirement that makes it harder for many at-risk students to graduate might appear to be the last thing CPS needs.
But what's wrong with forcing young people to start thinking about their future before they go out into the world? In fact, with the competitive workforce that awaits them, how can we afford not to?
Emanuel isn't a touchy-feely type of mayor who likes to talk about emotions. But seeing to it that our young people have a chance at success once they leave the confines of the schoolyard is a way of saying "we believe in you and we want you to believe in yourself."
"We believe" is actually the motto at Urban Prep Academies, a network of Chicago charter schools where every year, 100 percent of the African-American male graduates are admitted to four-year colleges and universities.
Perhaps no one is more suited than Tim King, Urban Prep's founder and CEO, to talk about changing the perception of young black boys from tough, economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. So I asked what he thought about the mayor's plan.
It is no coincidence, King says, that boys who are taught by example to believe in themselves do well academically. But the process doesn't begin in the 12th grade. It can take years to cultivate a positive self-perception.
King has no doubt that Emanuel's plan is a step in the right direction. However, he says, there are valid concerns about how it will be implemented and whether the mayor will receive the support necessary to make it happen.
The first requirement for schools, King says, is to have good career and college counselors in place in order to create a culture and environment that supports post-high school aspirations.
That means instituting a rigorous academic program and providing students with the academic support, good instruction and challenges needed to prepare for post-graduation.
At Urban Prep, there is no stated requirement that students apply for college, King says, but there is an expectation. Those expectations are evident throughout the school.
College banners hang on the walls throughout the campus. Every morning, young people stand and recite the Urban Prep creed: "We are college-bound." It is a simple affirmation, but if you say it every morning from the time you are in the ninth grade, it sinks in.
When a senior is accepted into college, it creates a kind of euphoria at the school. An assembly is held, the student is called up in front of the entire student body and an announcement is made that the young man has been admitted to a particular college.
At that point, the student exchanges his red uniform tie for a red and gold one. So everyone knows who has been admitted to college by the color of his tie. It might sound trivial, but according to King, something so simple has been transformative in the minds of seniors and underclassmen.
"Seniors aspire to get into college, and it also puts positive peer pressure on their classmates," said King. "For adults, it's about getting into college and for them, it's about getting that tie."
It's true that some of the reforms necessary to prepare every young person for college or the job market could be costly. But when you think of the alternative — young people doomed to a life of despair and poverty — do we really have an option?
King doesn't think so. The mission of public schools should be to make sure students are college- and career-ready when they graduate from high school. To fail them is a disservice.
"By doing this, CPS is saying students will be college- or career-ready when they graduate," King says. "And by doing this, they are holding their own feet to the fire as well."
Twitter @dahleeng