Educational Objective:

Eliminating the African American Academic Achievement Gap

 

The effort to make public education work for everyone it serves,  especially African American children, has been the charge of the Education Committee of the BLR in 2001 after analyzing standardized state assessment test scores for the region. A single focused agenda evolved to Eliminate the African American Academic Achievement Gap with major milestones including:

• BLR challenged the school boards of each of the twenty-five public school districts in    St. Louis City and County to adopt an Emergency Action Resolution to Eliminate the African American Achievement Gap.

• All districts passed resolutions to eliminate the “gap” and developed strategic action plans with the engagement of their communities in the process.

• BLR hosted the Eliminating the African American Achievement Gap so that No Child is Left Behind Conference with over 800 attendees from the 25 area school districts and community.  The conference brought local, regional and national presenters to share, train, motivate and challenge districts to eliminate the “gap” using strategies that impact leadership, staff development and performance, parental involvement, technology, relationship building and best/promising practices.

• BLR publishes annually a Regional Report Card: Eliminating the African American Academic Achievement Gap to assess the degree to which each of the 25 St. Louis metropolitan school districts are addressing the academic achievement gap that exists between African American and Caucasian students.  Click on Report Card below to see more:

   

  2005 Regional Report Card

  2006 Regional Report Card

  2007 Regional Report Card

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For More Information

If you would like more information on participating with BLR’s Education Committee,

please contact Gwen Packnett at gwen@umsl.edu or (314) 367-8822.