With a continuing increase in the achievement gap, the Urban League of Greater Madison believes the proposed Madison Prep charter school will provide underrepresented students in the Madison area with an opportunity to bridge the gap.

Madison Prep will consist of two schools, one for boys and one for girls. It will be open to any sixth-grader that resides in the Madison Metropolitan School District, Director of School Development Laura DeRoche-Perez said.

“[Madison Prep’s mission will be] to prepare students for success at four-year colleges or universities by instilling excellence, pride, leadership, and service,” DeRoche-Perez said.

According to the Urban League’s website, the Board of Education of the Madison Metropolitan School District approved the charter school planning grant application for Madison Prep by a 6-to-1 vote in March.

The final education plan is now currently being analyzed by the Board of Education. The board will take a vote to pass or reject the contract on Nov. 28, DeRoche-Perez said.

In its first year, 60 boys and 60 girls will be admitted. If more students apply, there will be a random lottery to accept the students, she said.

DeRoche-Perez said Madison Prep will serve as a “catalyst to spark improvement for the entire district.” Madison Prep will serve as an “incubator” for positive strategies.

“We want to be able to export the best practices and strategies back to MMSD,” DeRoche-Perez said.

The proposal has passionate advocates such as Mary Burke, a retired Madison business executive. Last month, Burke donated $2.5 million to Madison Prep.

“I think that there are financial issues in terms of funding,” she said. “If I could do what I could to lessen that amount, that’s the way I could contribute.”

Burke said she’s been involved with issues of the achievement gap and how students of color are being prepared to succeed for over a decade. She was involved in starting the AVID/TOPS program that prepares students who are the first in their family to go to college.

Burke said she is particularly concerned with the high school graduation rates among students of color in Madison, which indicate whether people are prepared to get well-paying jobs.

According to DeRoche-Perez, the graduation rate declined for all racial and ethnic groups in 2010. Forty-eight percent of black students and 57 percent of Hispanic students graduated from Madison’s public high schools, compared to 87 percent of white and 82 percent of Asian students.

Burke said those numbers need to be addressed immediately and forcefully.

“I don’t believe there is any one way to address the issue,” Burke said. “Progress can be made in public schools, but more than one significant initiative needs to be in place,” she added.

Burke said critics say Madison Prep will only serve a minority of the students of color from the Madison Metropolitan School District, taking away energy and talent from the public schools.

If the proposal is passed, Madison Prep is slated to open in the fall of 2012, DeRoche-Perez said.