Ron Brown College Preparatory High School students greet each other during the morning circle in Washington. The all-male school is designed specifically to meet the needs of young black men in the nation’s capital.
Equity & Diversity Series

Raising Kings: A Year of Love and Struggle at Ron Brown College Prep

They’re called "kings." All freshmen. All young men of color. And all determined to upend the dominant narrative about young black men in Washington, D.C.

Their public high school—the all-male Ron Brown College Prep—is designed specifically to meet their needs. And for many of the young men, their needs are profound.

Two reporters, Education Week’s Kavitha Cardoza and NPR’s Cory Turner, spent hundreds of hours with teachers, students, and parents from the school’s earliest days to the final bell. These three episodes tell the story of Ron Brown’s first year.

Ron Brown Hallway 2000
Kavitha Cardoza/Education Week
Equity & Diversity Audio Irreconcilable Differences: A Clash Over Academics at D.C. School for Young Black Men
At Ron Brown, lofty ideals crash into reality. Many students are on track to fail, and faculty are revolting against the grading policies.
Kavitha Cardoza & Cory Turner, November 1, 2017
2 min read
Ron Brown Part 2 Bluest Eye 2000
Kavitha Cardoza/Education Week
Equity & Diversity Audio 'They Can't Just Be Average': Profound Academic Challenges in a D.C. School for Young Black Men
At Ron Brown, daunting academic challenges have become glaringly obvious as the school year gets under way.
Kavitha Cardoza & Cory Turner, October 25, 2017
1 min read
Ron Brown Tie 2000 full
Kavitha Cardoza/Education Week
Equity & Diversity Audio Let Brotherly Love Continue: An All-Male Public School Opens
As Washington D.C.'s first all-male public high school opens, 100 9th graders will experience a school grounded in love and empathy.
Kavitha Cardoza & Cory Turner, October 18, 2017
1 min read