Washington DC — Today, U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings joined with members of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. to announce a partnership to raise awareness in the African American community of available education resources under No Child Left Behind.

According to the agreement, the U.S. Department of Education will seek "to fully engage the African American community and its leaders in the successful implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act as it relates to school choice, charter schools, supplemental services, parent report cards, and all of the benefits and options provided to parents with students in schools in need of improvement."

The partnership will co-sponsor events, produce parent-focused materials, enhance charter school performance in underserved communities, and educate families and communities about the benefits and principles of No Child Left Behind.

"100 Black Men of America, Inc. and Chairman Dotson have done outstanding work on issues from education to health care to economic development," said Secretary Spellings. "I'm proud that the Department of Education will be partnering with them to empower students and parents with more information, more choices, and most importantly, better schools."

Under No Child Left Behind, the achievement gap in eighth-grade math between white and African American students narrowed to its lowest point since 1990. According to the most recent Nation's Report Card, African-American students have shown across-the-board improvements in mathematics and in fourth-grade reading, posting all-time highs in math and reading.

The overall concept of "100 Black Men of America, Inc. began in New York in 1963 when a group of concerned African American men began to explore ways of improving conditions in their community. The group eventually adopted the name, "100 Black Men of America, Inc." as a sign of solidarity. Today the organization has grown to over 106 chapters with more than 10,000 members who continue to strive to improve the quality of life in our communities and enhance the educational and economic opportunities for African Americans. 100 Black Men of America, Inc. has more than 100,000 youth participants annually in its mentoring and youth development programs.

Albert E. Dotson, Jr., Chairman of 100 Black Men of America, Inc., was first elected as an officer of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. in 1994 as the organization's Secretary.

###

Top

Back to September 2006