BCPS supports White House Initiative to improve academic achievements of boys and young men of color
President Barack Obama during a White House event improving academic achievement of boys and young men of color.
On July 21, 2014, Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) joined the Council of the Great City Schools and urban school districts from across the country for a special White House event with President Barack Obama.
The event included an announcement that 60 urban school districts, including BCPS, are pledging to improve the academic and social outcomes of boys and young men of color. BCPS executive director of Student Support Initiatives, Michaelle Pope, traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend today’s event, which took place at a Washington area school and included a Town Hall style discussion with President Obama.
With roughly 32 percent of the nation’s school-age African American males and 39 percent of the country’s school-age Hispanic males enrolled in big-city public schools, urban-school leaders agree that they have an obligation to teach all students to the highest academic standards and prepare them for today’s global society.
“The most important work we do as a society is raising our children and providing them with an opportunity to receive a high-quality education to prepare them for success in college and careers,” said Superintendent Robert W. Runcie. “We are proud to be part of this national effort, as we continue to focus on improving educational outcomes and closing the achievement gap among our boys and young men of color.”
“Our job as urban educators is not to reflect or perpetuate the inequities that too many of our males of color face; our job is to eliminate those inequities – and that is what we pledge to do,” stressed Council Executive Director Michael Casserly. “We are pleased to join forces today with the White House, the U.S. Department of Education, and our other partners in an unprecedented shared commitment to improve the educational and social opportunities of our young men of color,” he added.
As part of BCPS ongoing focus on improving the academic success of minority male students, the District has:
· Included in the District’s Strategic Plan the goal of improving the academic success of minority male students;
· Broadened the conversation and advocacy, internally and externally, around issues that bar minority males from succeeding in school, work and life;
· Engaged community organizations: Children Services Council, South Florida Educational Research Alliance, as anchor partners.
