Maryland State Department of Education Hosts Achieving Academic Equity and Excellence for Black Boys Summit Today, Thursday, August 5
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: lora.rakowski@maryland.gov, 410-767-0486
Maryland State Department of Education Hosts Achieving Academic Equity and Excellence for Black Boys Summit Today, Thursday, August 5
Speakers Include Author and Educator Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu
BALTIMORE, MD (August 5, 2021) – The Maryland State Department of Education’s Advisory Council for Achieving Academic Equity and Excellence for Black Boys (AAEEBB) will host a virtual summit today, Thursday, August 5, 2021 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. All members of the education community are encouraged to join at: https://msde.webex.com/msde/j.php?MTID=m218166a6efc1307682641f693338b8da. The meeting number is 161-666-4205, and participants can also join by phone at: 1-855-797-9480 (US Toll Free: 1-415-655-0045).
The event will provide an understanding of the racial and gender-based disparities in school and discussion of practices for accelerating the educational outcomes for Black boys.
The summit will also feature panel discussions between field experts and students, as well as special guest Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu, author and educational consultant.
“In order to ensure Black boys in Maryland better achieve success in their learning environments, we, as educators, must first listen and learn. I am looking forward to today’s summit, so that we can engage with our students and better understand their experience as we work together to improve outcomes,” said State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury. “Through engagement and innovative approaches, we are going to relentlessly narrow and close opportunity and achievement gaps and fulfill the promise of a high-quality Maryland education experience.”
In April, the Maryland State Board of Education took bold steps to address the achievement gap experienced by Black boys in Maryland schools with the release of Transforming the Culture of Maryland’s Schools for Black Boys for Maryland educators. The resource guide produced by the Task Force on AAEEBB highlighted three key areas of focus to transform the student group’s educational outcomes: social and emotional behavioral supports; recruitment and training of skilled, competent teachers and administrators; and curricula and instruction.
“If our Black boys are in trouble, then so are we all. To truly achieve equity and excellence for all students we must address the challenges our Black boys are facing in the education system,” said State Board of Education and AAEEBB Task Force Chair Vermelle Greene, Ph.D. “In order to do this, educators and leaders must first be knowledgeable about their culture and their social-emotional needs. In addition, ALL boys – regardless of race or ethnicity – must be taught the way they learn best by using effective instructional strategies and methods that address their unique learning needs. Our virtual event is a great segue to the promising journey ahead.”
View the new resource Transforming the Culture of Maryland’s Schools for Black Boys guide at this link:
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Documents/2021/0427/MSDETransformCultureforBlackBoy.pdf
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