This is a critical moment for public education
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John,
The achievement gaps between Black students and their peers in public
education are some of America's most persistent challenges. And after two years
of devastating learning loss caused by COVID-19 disruptions, the systemic
issues facing millions of Black students have grown dramatically.
But data and experience point to a promising solution: Public charter
schools, staffed by diverse teachers and administrators.
Today Mike and Dr. Michael Lomax, President and CEO of the United Negro
College Fund (UNCF), announced a $10 million investment to work with
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to start new public
charter schools in the South -- where more than half of America's Black
students live -- and recruit substantially more Black teachers and principals
to work in them.
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Mike and Dr. Lomax outlined the initiative in an op-ed published today in the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
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READ THE OP-ED
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The funding, from Bloomberg Philanthropies, will support an initiative at UNCF
and build on its work with HBCUs. The partnership with HBCUs will ensure that
the growth of charter schools in these areas is responsive to and rooted in the
needs of Black communities. The investments could incubate new public charter
schools on HBCU campuses, help alumni to start new charters, and support
community-led efforts to open and expand charters.
Demand for high-quality charters is soaring, and students across the country
are stuck on waiting lists.This effort will advance Bloomberg Philanthropies'
goal, announced in December 2021, of creating 150,000 new classroom seats in
high-quality charter schools in 20 U.S. metropolitan areas.
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At the same time, schools everywhere are facing teacher shortages. By working
with HBCUs and their schools of education, this initiative will help ensure a
steady pipeline of talented, highly trained Black teachers. Studies show that
having Black teachers at a young age has a meaningful impact on college
attendance rates for Black students.
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Today's investments and the partnerships they build will help tackle the
urgent challenges facing students in the aftermath of the pandemic, and lay a
foundation for progress that has been elusive for generations of students.
Take a moment to read the full message from Mike and Dr. Lomax:
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Thanks,
MikeBloomberg.com
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Mike Bloomberg
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