Wholistic Education Enterprises LLC –Critical Thinking Initiative 2011-2021
Our mission is to use the components of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to engage educators, learners, and parents toward closing the academic achievement gap from the inside out.
Information from A PLAN TO CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP
FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS (December 2008)
Closing the gap takes intentionality
State, school district, and school building leadership can help perpetuate the
achievement gap, or it can be a powerful force for eliminating it. When school
boards, superintendents and principals make closing the gap a top priority
– and when they plan, allocate resources, and design accountability measures
to do so – they make progress.
Developing real relationships is critical
To be effective, leaders must have high expectations of all students and
teachers, and a high degree of awareness of their own culture and the culture
of others. These leaders must be able to mobilize students’ cultures as a force
for learning, and they must reach out to engage parents and communities to
support educational excellence. Strong leadership helps embed these attributes
in the school or school district.
Leaders who close gaps see it as a moral imperative
Perhaps most important, education leaders who have made progress in
narrowing the education gap are those who have a sense of urgency and a
deep moral conviction that this work is central to their purpose as educators.
These are the educators who have the courage to challenge the status quo, to
build the political will for change, and to inspire their communities to sustain
the work of making schools work for everyone.
Success in school requires supporting the whole child
To succeed in school, students need strong leadership, effective instruction,
high expectations, and more. They need a comprehensive program of
academic and social support. This program should include academic and
professional career advising, psychological wellness counseling, and elements
that build trusting relationships. Such support will ensure that African
American students experience schools as supporting communities enabling
their success and not as environments of alienation and hostility. For far too
many African American children, this necessary support system and basic
prerequisite to educational success is missing.
Academic success requires guidance and planning
Students need consistent academic guidance – beginning in elementary school
– to help them think about their own aptitudes and interests, and to plan for
their adult lives. This guidance should continue through college and should
include career advising. Especially for students whose parents did not attend
college or post-secondary job training, learning how to navigate the education
system is a critical skill. Additionally, the move from high school or college
to the world of work is for many students the final in a series of critical
transitions for which they need professional guidance.
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