This school’s academic model has proven to be successful!
The Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (JRLA) is one of the top open enrollment, tuition-free, charter high schools in Detroit. Former NBA star Jalen Rose founded the school in 2011 to level the educational playing field and support students coming from similar situations he experienced as a teenager.
The school is more than a learning facility; it’s a training ground for the real world. The academic model JRLA follows is to not only teach students life skills and essential knowledge but instill in them that they are part of something bigger than themselves.
Growing up a student-athlete, Rose had to perform well all the time, whether it was in the classroom or on the court. “The eight most important years of a young person’s life are the four that they’re in high school or the four that they could be in college,” he said on the Earn Your Leisure podcast.
That’s why Rose designed the JRLA, to keep students going. The biggest example of this is the incorporation of an 11-month school year, which has been demonstrated across the world in other countries. JRLA is considered a 9-1 model, an initiative where students are given academic and cultural support throughout their college careers. The school’s College Success team works to coordinate success for current students and alumni.
Rose stated, “We gone support you – community college, university, trade school military, police academy. Whatever you decide to do, we’re going to be there and help nurture you.”
The school currently serves over 400 students as well as 600 alumni from the metro Detroit area. According to JRLA, 72% of JRLA graduates have matriculated to college within a year of graduation, compared to a state average of 67%. And with their 100% graduation rate, it’s clear these students are on the right path!
Photo: The Jalen Rose Leadership Academy