A new UNCF report details how successes from HBCUs can be implemented into K-12 education

The United Negro College Fund's, the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute (FDPRI) has released a new report, Imparting Wisdom: HBCU Lessons for K-12 Education, which details historically black colleges and universities’ (HBCUs) longstanding efforts to provide quality educational experiences for their students and how their success may be translated in K-12 schools—specifically schools with demographics similar to HBCU populations.

HBCUs are often overlooked as sources of effective methods for producing high-achieving black students, although their existence is based on this very premise. Imparting Wisdom highlights research-based HBCU best practices, practical recommendations and insights from HBCU leaders, with the goal of promoting mutually beneficial alliances between the K-12 and HBCU communities.

Read a report summary: Summary: Imparting Wisdom: HBCU Lessons for K-12 Education

Read the full report: Full report: Imparting Wisdom: HBCU Lessons for K-12 Education

'Black Minds Matter' under fire from conservative group

A coalition of conservatives and some civil rights activists is calling on San Diego State University to withdrawal its support of a doctoral class that helps to educate future teachers about how to make black male students more successful, and that is inspired by Black Lives Matter.

“Now we want to give them taxpayer dollars to train educators on how to indoctrinate our children?” organizer Craig DeLuz said in a press release Tuesday. “That’s insane.”

SDSU professor of education J. Luke Wood developed the course, Black Minds Matter, and said its purpose is not indoctrination, but rather to educate future teachers about how to make black male students more successful in school.

“Our goal is to change the paradigm as to how educators view their role,” he said, adding that doctoral students will learn about challenges black male students face and strategies that can help them succeed.

The course will be taught to SDSU students studying to become education professors, or teachers of teachers. Wood said interest in the course has been so high that he’s also creating a free public course that will allow people to watch the first hour of each class online.

DeLuz, a trustee in the Robla School District in Sacramento, said he heard about the course through a Facebook post and plans to send a letter to SDSU demanding its cancellation before its scheduled Oct. 23 start. He’s started a Facebook page, Education Not Indoctrination, and enlisted leaders of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the Frederick Douglass Foundation of California in his effort.

Read more: 'Black Minds Matter' under fire from conservative group

Black fathers, you are important to your child's education.

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

To my fellow black fathers out there you are vital to your child/children's education in ways you may not even know. You can help lay the foundation for your child/children to build on and it's a role that we must take seriously. Watch more on this very important topic below.

UNCF, National Urban League, and Education Post Release Joint Report on Black Education Efforts

UNCF, the National Urban League, and Education Post today 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 will gather national and local education advocates, policy-makers, and community leaders today 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. The launch event also includes a panel of education leaders who will discuss accountability, improving educational outcomes, and improving college completion for African American students.

“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.”

WHAT: “Building Better Narratives in Black Education” report release, panel discussion, and reception 
WHEN: 4:45 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. EST Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 
WHERE: UNCF, 1805 7th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20001, located at Shaw-Howard Metro station 
WHO: 

•     Jonathan Atkins, Community Engagement Manager, K-12 Advocacy, UNCF
•     Dr. Meredith B. L. Anderson, Senior Research Associate (Patterson and K-12 Advocacy), UNCF
•     Sekou Biddle, Vice President, K-12 Advocacy, UNCF
•     Dr. Michael L. Lomax, President and CEO, UNCF
•     Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League
•     Eugene Pinkard, Deputy Chief of School Turnaround and Performance, DC Public Schools
•     Susie Saavedra, Senior Director for Policy and Legislative Affairs, National Urban League Washington Bureau
•     Naomi Shelton, Director, K-12 Advocacy, UNCF
•     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: Live Stream begins at 5 p.m. EST on UNCF’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/uncf

Follow the discussion on Twitter: @uncf @Edu_Post @NatUrbanLeague #BBNBlackEd

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.

Homeschooling Becoming More Popular with African-American Families

As homeschooling becomes increasingly popular among families across the nation, research shows African-American parents are becoming more interested in homeschooling as an alternative to local government schools.

Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to conducting and collecting research about home-based education, says homeschooling is growing quickly in popularity in the United States, especially among minorities.

“Based on research, we do know that homeschooling has been growing at a fast rate for the last 30 years,” Ray said. “We do know from empirical evidence—not a lot, but some empirical evidence—that over the last 10 to 12 years, it has grown disproportionately faster among minorities, including blacks, than the general rate of growth. My experience confirms that.”

Ray says minority homeschooling families largely have the same concerns as others who have left the government education system.

Read more: Homeschooling Becoming More Popular with African-American Families