Inner City Prep

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It started as an experiment. Public schools in Washington DC were failing — so someone decided to launch an inner city boarding school. The idea is simple. Teach physics, trigonometry, history and Latin. Throw in some etiquette classes, a few trips to Greece, and a dress code.

But these students aren’t your typical prep-school types. They don’t come from money, in fact most come from families who live far below the poverty line, and from neighborhoods where a kid has as much of a chance of going to college as of going to the moon.

This year’s graduating class of the SEED school is about to blast off — all 21 are heading to college, and as they do, a lot of people are wondering if this might be the fix for to America’s public education woes. Planting a little ivy in the inner city.

Guests:

Sophia Echavarria, graduating high school senior accepted at Princeton University

Deon Milton, graduating high school senior accepted at Hiram College

Raj Vinnakota, co-founder of the SEED School, The School for Educational Evolution and Development in Washington, DC