Mr. Banks will be participating in the opening session, “Re-imagining Schools for Boys and Young Men of Color” along with Tim King, the founder and CEO of Urban Prep.

“I’m honored to speak at the COSEBOC conference in Washington to address how we are working to improve the education and lives of young men of color in New York,” said Mr. Banks. “We developed a formula that works. Increasing parental involvement, creating longer school days, implementing Saturday programs, and providing an overall model for success have greatly improved the graduation rates of those who attend our academies.”

When the first Eagle Academy was founded in the South Bronx six years ago, it was the only all-boys public high school in the nation at the time. Since then, all-boys public education programs have been established throughout the nation, using Eagle’s model to propel success for students who would otherwise be at an incredible disadvantage.

While the overall graduation rate for African Americans and Latinos in New York is 43%, the graduation rate at Eagle Academy currently stands at 84%, and is rising every year. The schools also have over a 95% average attendance rate.

About the Eagle Academy for Young Men

The Eagle Academy Foundation funds the Eagle Academy for Young Men. The Foundation is committed to the development of a network of all-male, college-preparatory public schools from grades 6 through 12 that educate and develop young men into future leaders, who are committed to excellence in character, scholastic achievement and community service. The Foundation is focused on creating Eagle Academies in high-poverty communities with excessively high rates of incarceration. Current Eagle schools are located in the South Bronx and Ocean-Hill Brownsville in Brooklyn. A third school is opening in Jamaica, Queens this year. http://eagleacademyfoundation.com/