Renewed efforts for education equality in the African American community
Close to 60 years after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the White House is looking at new ways to improve equality in education for the African American community. President Barack Obama recently signed an executive order to create the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, meant to address the issues surrounding education inequities felt by the community.
“Substantial obstacles to equal educational opportunity still remain in America’s educational system,” explains a White House press release. “African American students lack equal access to highly effective teachers and principals, safe schools, and challenging college-preparatory classes, and they disproportionately experience school discipline and referrals to special education.”
The Obama administration’s White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans has a number of stated goals for the new effort to improve student outcomes within the community. The White House detailed those goals in their announcement of the new initiative, stating that the plan will include:
- Increasing the percentage of African American children who enter kindergarten ready for success by improving access to high-quality early learning and development programs;
- Ensuring that all African American students have access to high-level, rigorous course work and support services that will prepare them for college, a career and civic participation;
- Providing African American students with equitable access to effective teachers and principals in pursuit of a high-quality education, and supporting efforts to improve the recruitment, preparation, development and retention of successful African American teachers and principals;
- Promoting a positive school climate that does not rely on methods that result in disparate use of disciplinary tools, and decreasing the disproportionate number of referrals to special education by addressing root causes of the referrals;
- Reducing the dropout rate of African American students and increasing the proportion of African American students who graduate from high school prepared for college and career;
- Increasing college access, college persistence and college attainment for African American students;
- Strengthening the capacity of institutions of higher education that serve large numbers of African American students, including community colleges, HBCUs, Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) and other institutions; and
- Improving the quality of, and expanding access to, adult education, literacy, and career and technical education.
Improving student outcomes among African Americans will lead to increased prosperity not only within that community, but for the nation as well , according to the Obama administration.
“Significantly improving the educational outcomes of African Americans will provide substantial benefits for our country by advancing important outcomes, like increasing college completion rates, employment rates, and the number of African American teachers,” explains the White House. “Enhanced educational outcomes for African Americans will lead to more productive careers, improved economic mobility and security, and greater social well-being for all Americans. “
The executive order also creates the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans, which will assist in advising the President and Education Department on ways to reach their stated objectives. The Federal Interagency Working Group on Educational Excellence for African Americans will also be formed as a result of the executive order and will be charged with the task of determining the best ways for the federal government to invest funds in education programs and projects geared toward enhancing African American student outcomes.
Significantly improving the educational outcomes of African Americans will provide substantial benefits for our country by advancing important outcomes, like increasing college completion rates, employment rates and the number of African American teachers. Enhanced educational outcomes for African Americans will lead to more productive careers, improved economic mobility and security, and greater social well-being for all Americans.
