The United Negro College Fund鈥檚 research institute is drawing together leading thinkers, advocates, and policymakers to map out a consensus on the critical issues that affect African-Americans鈥� educational success.
鈥淲e have different pulpits, and we鈥檙e giving different issues,鈥� said M. Christopher Brown II, the executive director of the UNCF鈥檚 Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute. 鈥淏ut there was no consensus around what the issues were.鈥�
Formed in January, the high-level group met for a second time on July 14 at the UNCF鈥檚 headquarters here. By year鈥檚 end, the group plans to produce a report that will outline 10 key issues for African-American students鈥� success, point to where more research is needed, and recommend solutions to the problems identified. The report is intended to provide common talking points and a research agenda for the 48 organizations involved鈥攁 list that includes research firms, school systems, national education groups, and the historically black colleges and universities that make up the backbone of the UNCF鈥檚 membership.
鈥淎s an industry, I鈥檓 not aware that we鈥檝e ever talked about what it is we need to say about African-Americans鈥� education before,鈥� said Sharon P. Robinson, a former president of the Educational Testing Service鈥檚 Educational Policy Leadership Institute in Princeton, N.J.
Another participant at this month鈥檚 meeting, Vinetta C. Jones, the education dean at Howard University in Washington, said the institute鈥檚 work is also important because black Americans鈥� perspectives are missing from mainstream educational research.
鈥淭he vast majority of educational researchers in this country are white and middle-class,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd the research questions you can come up with are greatly influenced by what you bring to the table.鈥�
Issues Emerging
Topping the group鈥檚 emerging agenda are concerns about disparities between black and white students in several areas: school readiness, educational attainment, school funding, and teacher quality. Studies show, for instance, that urban schools with high minority enrollments have higher concentrations of teachers who have emergency certifications or who may be teaching subjects they were not trained to teach than many neighboring suburban schools do.
鈥淲e think there needs to be more research around what are the best incentives to get highly qualified teachers to teach where there is the highest need,鈥� said Erika M. Miller, the executive director of the McKenzie Group, a Washington-based research firm.
The institute said research is also needed to look at how various school improvement efforts, ranging from multiple-intelligences theory to high-stakes testing, affect black students.
To step up college-going rates among African-Americans, the group called for a national campaign to 鈥渞e-market鈥� education to young people, especially those who are banking on future careers as professional athletes or entertainers.
Participants said, however, that more and younger African-American education researchers and leaders would be needed to carry out the initiative鈥檚 agenda.
鈥淚f we ran a list of all the important African-American researchers, policymakers, and advocates in Washington, D.C.,鈥� Mr. Brown said, 鈥渢here are probably less than 100.鈥�
