Since I began working as a teacher in the south Bronx in 1971, I have watched New York City public schools deteriorate to such an extent that today, they by and large fail to provide a meaningful education for their 1 million students. Years of under-funding has left our children with too few books, inexperienced teachers and woefully inadequate physical infrastructure. Test scores and student performance at inner city public schools began a rapid decline in the early years of my career, a trend which has not yet reversed itself
In 2002, only 39% of New York City students could read and write at grade level. Though politicians have heralded the creation of tough new standardized tests, it is becoming clear without better instruction, city kids will be unable to pass them. Test scores continue to sink and students continue to give up on their educations and drop out of school, it is clear that improvement is not yet on the horizon.
I founded CITY PREP in 1996 to ensure to the greatest extent possible that the bright minds of young people in the inner city will not be lost because of our collective failure to offer them effective educations. A quality educational experience should not be denied to these kids because they happen to live in a blighted neighborhood. Through CITY PREP's program of rigorous academic and cultural enrichment, we seek to provide for our students, who already possess the will, the way to a better life. With our staff of experienced teachers who are committed to excellence and our professional contacts with independent schools, CITY PREP has already become a powerful force for change. Since 1996, we've sent over 250 south Bronx students to receive challenging educations made possible by the granting of over $7.2 million in scholarships to competitive secondary schools.

Frederic Gluck
Executive Director