African American Students
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National Partnership Formed to Address Dropout Crisis NEA and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to develop initiative to collectively
This 2009 NEA Today article announced, "In a groundbreaking alliance, the National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest professional organization representing 3.2 million educators and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), one of the nation’s leading youth organizations with more than 4,300 Clubs that serve 4.5 million young people announced plans to join together to advance dropout prevention efforts, promote high school graduation, and increase public engagement. According to estimates, approximately one million students or 30 percent of the high school population drops out before graduation each year. Only five in 10 Black and Hispanic students graduate on time with a standard diploma and less than one-half of American Indian and Alaska Native youth complete high school."
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President Obama Signs New Initiative to Improve Educational Outcomes for African Americans
This 2012 statement from The White House announces a new executive order signed by President Obama whose, “Initiative aims to ensure that all African American students receive an education that fully prepares them for high school graduation, college completion, and productive careers.” The Initiative, housed within the Department of Education, will as reports, “work with the Executive Office of the President and Cabinet agencies to identify evidence –based best practices to improve African American student achievement in school and college, and to develop a national network of individuals, organizations and communities that will share and implement these practices.” f
This U.S. Department of Education website explores, the "My Brother's Keeper" (MBK) initiative which seeks to support the success of men and boys of color. The White House released a new MBK Task Force report to the President and invites people everywhere to volunteer as mentors. Through this initiative, the Administration is joining with cities and towns, businesses, and foundations who are taking important steps to connect young people to mentoring, support networks, and the skills they need to find a good job or go to college and work their way into the middle class.
