Prep for Prep is a leadership development

Leadership development

Leadership development refers to any activity that enhances the quality of leadership within an individual or organization. These activities have ranged from MBA style programs offered at university business schools to action learning, high-ropes courses and executive retreats.- Developing...

 and gifted education

Gifted education

Gifted education is a broad term for special practices, procedures and theories used in the education of children who have been identified as gifted or talented...

 program founded in 1978 by Gary Simons, a public-school teacher in the Bronx. It is targeted toward high achieving students of color in New York State public, charter and parochial schools.

History

Prep for Prep opened in 1978 with 25 students and three teachers. During the first year in 1979, eleven independent schools committed places for Prep students and 22 students matriculated from those schools. Today, the Prep for Prep community includes over 3,000 students and alumni.

In 2000, Prep for Prep partnered with the Goldman Sachs Foundation to establish the New York Metro Region Leadership Academy. According to a report on the Goldman Sachs Foundation signature initiative to develop high-potential youth, "The New York Metro Region Leadership Academy (NYMRLA)was established as a program of Prep for Prep to improve academic preparation of promising 12- and 13-year-old students from suburban public schools in the New York metro region. Through a rigorous course of study and an array of leadership development opportunities, the program prepares young people for accelerated and Advanced Placement courses in high school. NYMRLA’s educational mission is to create a foundation for strong academic performance that will enable students to satisfy the admission criteria of top-ranked colleges." Unfortunately, the Foundation only supported two cohorts of students (131 accepted) and the program had to end due to a lack of funding.

Talent Search

Each year, a citywide "talent search" selects about 120 minority students, including 90 fifth graders and 30 sixth graders. To qualify for recruitment, 5th graders must have a scaled score of 685 or above on the English Language Arts (ELA) test administered during their 4th grade school year, or have scored in the 90th percentile on any standardized reading test administered in that school year. 6th graders must have a scaled score of 705 (90th percentile) or above on the ELA exam administered during their 5th grade school year. Applicants then undergo a series of interviews and further standardized testing to determine admission into the program.

In 2008, 4,066 qualifying students competed for 150 spots in the program, an acceptance rate of 6%.

The Program

Admitted students undergo a 14-month academic course the summer before their seventh or eighth grade year, which includes two intensive seven-week summer sessions as well as after-school Wednesday and all-day Saturday classes during the intervening school year. An average of 75 percent of students successfully complete this program and are placed in schools chosen from among three dozen leading New York City independent schools and East Coast boarding schools. These 36 schools commit places especially for Prep for Prep students, as well as almost $12 million annually in scholarships. Throughout the program and past high school graduation, students also receive personal and academic counseling, college counseling and career counseling, and participate in leadership and community development activities.

School Placement

Prep for Prep students are commonly enrolled at such independent schools as Andover

Phillips Academy

Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...

, Berkeley Carroll

Berkeley Carroll School

The Berkeley Carroll School is an independent, nonsectarian, coed day school, enrolling about 800 students from pre-kindergarten through high school...

, Brearley

Brearley

Brearley is a surname that may refer to:* Alex Brearley , British Olympic canoer* David Brearley , delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention.* Giles Brearley , South Yorkshire local historian...

, Browning SchoolBrowning, The Buckley School, Calhoun, Choate

Choate Rosemary Hall

Choate Rosemary Hall is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school located in Wallingford, Connecticut...

, Collegiate, Dalton, Exeter

Exeter

Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...

, Milton Academy

Milton Academy

Milton Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lower School. Boarding is offered starting in 9th grade...

, Riverdale Country School

Riverdale Country School

Riverdale Country School is a co-educational, independent, college-preparatory day school in New York City. One of the most competitive private schools in the nation, it is located on two campuses covering more than in the Riverdale section of The Bronx, New York.-History:Founded in 1907 by Dr...

, Fieldston, Horace Mann

Horace Mann School

Horace Mann School is an independent college preparatory school in New York City, New York, United States founded in 1887 known for its rigorous course of studies. Horace Mann is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League, educating students from all across the New York tri-state area from...

, Nightingale-Bamford

Nightingale-Bamford School

The Nightingale-Bamford School is an independent all-female university-preparatory school founded in 1920 by Frances Nicolau Nightingale and Maya Stevens Bamford. Located in Manhattan on the Upper East Side, NBS is one of the top ranked private schools in New York City and among one of the...

, Packer Collegiate

Packer Collegiate Institute

Packer Collegiate Institute is an independent college preparatory school for students from prekindergarten through grade 12. Formerly the Brooklyn Female Academy, Packer has been located at 170 Joralemon Street in the historic district of Brooklyn Heights since its founding in 1845.- History :A...

, Poly Prep, and Trinity School NYC. Many Prep for Prep alumni go on to attend Ivy League

Ivy League

The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...

and top tier universities.