U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige and Dorothy Height, the chair and president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), joined forces today to ignite a movement in communities across the country to close the achievement gap between African-American youngsters and their peers.

"When President Bush says he wants to leave no child behind, he means it literally - every child in America must have access to a quality education," Paige said. "That's why he worked so hard with Congress to pass the No Child Left Behind Act - the historic new law that is changing the culture of education in America.

"Our new Partnership for Academic Achievement will help bring to life the principles of this law. We will work with Dr. Height and NCNW to challenge our entire country to work together on closing the achievement gap," Paige said. "Together, we will work to dramatically raise African-American children's reading and math performance. The task before us is great, but the goal is certainly within our reach. Together, we will leave no child behind."

"Every year lost in a child's education could be a child lost," said Height. "The National Council of Negro Women and its affiliates who have a major concern for education are strongly committed to helping close the achievement gap. We accept the challenge of harnessing our womanpower to create a culture of academic achievement. The climate of high academic expectations that has long been an African-American tradition is no longer there. We can and must bring about change. With a strong sense of purpose, we will work together with parents, schools and communities to instill a thirst for education."

On the 2000 NAEP reading and math assessments, 28 percent more whites than African-American fourth graders scored at the proficient level in reading, and 29 percent more whites than African Americans scored at the proficient level in math.

At the same time, a report released in 2000 by the Education Trust, entitled Dispelling the Myth Revisited, found that more than 4,500 schools with high-poverty and/or high minority enrollment scored in the top third of all schools in their states.

"The findings of the Education Trust affirm what Dr. Height and I believe: that poor and minority students can - and do - achieve at high levels," Paige said. "Through our new partnership, we will strive to make this goal a reality in every community in America."

Over the next three years, the partnership will expand the reach and impact of the best practices of these high-performing, high-poverty schools. Some of the practices include aligning curriculum to clear, appropriate performance standards; offering frequent feedback on children's learning; providing incentives for teachers to be on-board with the other elements of reform; and collaborating with families and other segments of the community to hold children to high achievement standards.

Over the next three years, the Partnership will seek to reduce the difference in the percentage of white versus African-American students performing at the proficient level through these and other activities:

• Launching an integrated national media campaign — NCNW and the Department of Education will partner with other African American community-based organizations to create persuasive messaging for both television and print media.
• Providing national leadership and call upon others to take responsibility for closing the achievement gap — NCNW will convene, for the first time in history, an African- American Women's Roundtable on "Closing the Achievement Gap." This roundtable will consist of African-American women of influence from the business, civic, entertainment and government sectors.
• Demonstrating "What Works" in 10 cities across the country — The Partnership will launch in the following 10 cities: Washington, D.C., Oakland, Chicago, Boston, Miami, New York City, Cleveland, Raleigh/Durham, Dallas and Memphis. NCNW national affiliates and local sections will work other faith-based and community organizations, churches, schools, child care centers and families to raise awareness about academic achievement and to connect children to the appropriate services.
• Empowering families to raise academic achievement —The partnership will use NCNW's unique ability to reach families through its network and nationally heralded activities such as the Black Family Reunion Celebrations.

Finally, by working through the established EACs, the partnership will ensure that each child's progress toward higher achievement will be tracked and that outcomes are measured at the community level.

"It's an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to work with the esteemed Dr. Height on this important project," Paige said. "And I am especially grateful that she is announcing the gift of her time, dedication and expertise to the children of America at a time when we should be giving gifts to her: Dr. Height will celebrate her 90th birthday later this week!"

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, which President Bush signed earlier this year, states and school districts will develop strong systems of accountability based upon student performance. The measure also gives those states and school districts increased local control and flexibility, removing federal red tape and bureaucracy and putting decision making in the hands of those at the local and state levels.

Also under the new law, parents of children from disadvantaged backgrounds will have options under the new law to participate in public school choice programs or obtain supplemental services such as tutoring. And teachers around the country will be encouraged to use teaching methods that are based upon scientific research demonstrating that they work.

For more information about this and other activities related to the No Child Left Behind Act, visit www.ed.gov/nclb/. A photo of today's event will be posted at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPA/photo/index.html.

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