Building Better Narratives in Black Education
“Building a better narrative means privileging African American voices and perspectives as central drivers of successful urban school reform, as these conversations have largely excluded communities of color,” UNCF CEO Dr. Michael L. Lomax
WASHINGTON, DC (PRWEB) September 27, 2016
UNCF, the National Urban League, and Education Post recently released "Building Better Narratives in Black Education," a joint report published by UNCF’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, providing tangible approaches to shift the narrative concerning Black educational reform. The findings of the report aim to better engage communities around K-12 education and drive substantive policy changes for Black students. The three organizations gathered national and local education advocates, policy-makers, and community leaders Sept. 15 for a public launch event and reception at UNCF’s headquarters, featuring special guests Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF president and CEO, and Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League. Watch the discussion between Lomax and Morial here.
“Building a better narrative means privileging African American voices and perspectives as central drivers of successful urban school reform, as these conversations have largely excluded communities of color,” said Dr. Lomax. “We’re excited about engaging with our partners in this important work, which we believe will encourage substantive dialogue and drive meaningful changes to the way Black education reform is viewed, promoting an ‘urgency of now’ in ed reform.”
“At a time when only seven percent of Black 12th graders are performing at ‘proficient’ or above on national math assessments, compared with 32 percent of white students, we know we’ve got lots of work to do,” said Morial. “As education is the pathway to economic prosperity, we’re glad to work together with UNCF and Education Post to engage local communities in taking critical steps to address education achievement gaps.”
The launch event also included a panel of education leaders who discussed accountability, improving educational outcomes, and improving college completion for African American students. Those panelists included:
● Moderator: Sekou Biddle, Vice President, K-12 Advocacy, UNCF
● Dr. Meredith B. L. Anderson, Senior Research Associate (Patterson and K-12 Advocacy), UNCF
● Eugene Pinkard, Deputy Chief of School Turnaround and Performance, DC Public Schools
● Hal Smith, Vice President, Education, Youth Development and Health, National Urban League
● Christopher Stewart, Director of Outreach and External Affairs, Education Post
● Shantelle Wright, Founder and CEO, Achievement Prep
Watch the discussion with panelists here and join in the discussion on social media by using the hashgtag #BBNBlackEd and following @uncf, @Edu_Post, and @NatUrbanLeague on Twitter.
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About UNCF
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community, and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF annually awards $100 million in scholarships and administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.® ” Learn more at UNCF.org, or for continuous news and updates, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.
About Education Post
Education Post is a non-partisan communications organization dedicated to building support for student-focused improvements in public education from preschool to high school graduation. The organization advocates world-class schools that support children to love learning, to be challenged and supported in the classroom, to have access to a range of enrichment activities, to be socially and emotionally strong and healthy, and to graduate from high school with everything they need to pursue the future they see for themselves. Learn more at educationpost.org.
About The National Urban League
The National Urban League is a historic civil rights and advocacy organization dedicated to economic empowerment in African American and other underserved urban communities. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the National Urban League impacts and improves the lives of more than 2 million young people and adults annually through direct service programs, which are implemented locally by 94 Urban League affiliates, serving 300 communities in 36 states and the District of Columbia. Learn more at nul.iamempowered.com.