Accessible, Quality Education

Develop our own great teachers in Black communities:

• Build a stronger, more diverse pipeline of teachers

• Increase mentoring and coaching to allow teachers to amass more experience, which reduces turnover and improves the classroom practice experience

• Support more teachers in acquiring advanced certification, expanding teachers' abilities to address a wider range of content

Advocate at every level to target funds towards kids who've been denied them:

• Advocate for federal reforms that aim to make Title I (the largest federal aid program for public schools) more targeted, so federal dollars support students in communities with more low-income families

• Work toward state reforms that target extra funds to low-wealth school districts

• Target district reforms so schools serving the neediest students are targeted for increased funds based on individual students' needs

Eliminate zero tolerance policies and keep kids in school:

• Advocate for reforms to include issues of discipline in ESEA, the main federal law that addresses achievement gaps among students

• Work to change state laws to remove zero tolerance policies from being a default or requirement for districts

• Advocate at district level for policies that don't remove students from school and that ensure students being disciplined get access to a challenging curriculum

Build and demonstrate a post-graduate path to success for all students:

• Advocate for the creation of early warning and benchmarking systems that keep students on a path to college-ready high school graduation

• Advocate for innovative whole-school reform models that can improve academic achievement at lowest performing schools

• Help local districts and turnaround schools address issues of school climate, extended learning time, and connect students with social service and academic supports to graduate ready to begin college or work