“EPIC pushes you hard.  They want the best out of you because they believe students are smart and can be the top.  They believe we can do our best.  There is no 'we can’t.' They only believe in 'we can' so we can be successful.” ~ Amber, Class of 2013
counter
The ChalLengE
Chicago high schools have a terrible track record of achievement - less than 6% of Chicago Public Schools graduates earn a 4 year college degree.  Why?

EPIC Academy's design team began our creation of an effective high school by visioning  an outcome of college graduation for each of our students followed by researching the causes behind that dismal statistic as the basis for our problem-solving model.  Our research incorporated numerous reports including the University of Chicago's Consortium on Chicago School Research combined with speaking to current educators, high school parents, and present and former high school students.  We excluded factors out of our control (i.e. family issues, effects of poverty, neighborhood environment, etc.) and narrowed our answers below as the most important factors resulting in 6% attainment of a college degree:
  1. Low academic and behavioral expectations, limited support when students fall behind, and a focus on content over skills 
    • 60% of employers rate high school graduates basic skills as fair or poor
    • 2/3 of high school drop-outs would have worked harder if more was demanded of them
    • 35% of drop-outs said that keeping up with school work was the main reason they dropped out 
    • 34% of high school students reported that student support needs improvement
    • At the end of 2009 only 64% freshmen were on-track to graduate 
    • Typical high school instruction focuses on covering large textbooks of content while neglecting a coordinated approach to the teaching of college and workforce skills such as speaking, writing, and working in teams
  2. Students feel disconnected from positive adult role models
    • Only 56% of teens believe they can go to an adult when they have an academic issue
    • Only 41% of teens feel comfortable going to an adult to talk about personal problems
  3. The 'best' students receive the most opportunities for leadership & service, creating a social capital achievement gap
    • Only 56% of CPS students participate in an after school activity
    • Only 26% of youth take part in community activism
  4. Schools do not help students plan for their future, and when they do it is too late with limited assistance 
    • 96% of CPS high school seniors stated they wanted to attend college but only 41% took the necessary steps to enroll in college
    • Most high school students do not visit a college until their junior or senior year
    • High school counseling services are inadequate given the needs of students and families who are unfamiliar the college admissions process