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NCEBC 2013 Annual National Convention
By NCEBC on October 31, 2012 | Category: Feature,Slider | No Comments
NCEBC Best Practices Symposium: Strengthening Black Male Achievement
By NCEBC on October 20, 2011 | Category: Feature,Uncategorized | No Comments
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The National Council on Educating Black Children (NCEBC) and our partners extend a sincere welcome to each one of you and invite you to join us for our Best Practices Symposium: Strengthening Black Male Achievement. NCEBC strongly believes that children, regardless of background, can learn basic skills to sustain them throughout life and make personal fulfillment possible. Over the years, our charge to members of the “village” has been to build partnerships that search for and discover strategies and solutions to ensure that education equates to impartiality and excellence for all children.
Please follow this LINK for more information and click HERE to view the LIVE streaming session on Friday October 21 @ 11:00AM (ET)
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Video streaming by UstreamThe National Council on Educating Black Children (NCEBC) and our partners extend a sincere welcome to each one of you and invite you to join us for our Best Practices Symposium: Strengthening Black Male Achievement. NCEBC strongly believes that children, regardless of background, can learn basic skills to sustain them throughout life and make personal fulfillment possible. Over the years, our charge to members of the “village” has been to build partnerships that search for and discover strategies and solutions to ensure that education equates to impartiality and excellence for all children.
Please follow this LINK for more information and click HERE to view the LIVE streaming session on Friday October 21 @ 11:00AM (ET)
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NCEBC South Bend (Indiana) Literacy Center Feature Story
By NCEBC on September 26, 2011 | Category: Feature | No CommentsBy JOSEPH DITS South Bend Tribune Staff Writer
8:08 p.m. EDT, August 11, 2011
SOUTH BEND – As the school year begins later this month, two new literacy centers aim to reach students who are at risk of failing in math and reading.
The centers are designed as an extension of the school day. The same, enrolled group of students will be asked to show up for six to nine hours per week throughout the school year. They’ll dive into a curriculum of science, math and reading, with a focus on literacy, reading, and reading comprehension.
“Our research shows that students need an additional six to eight hours of literacy activities per week in order to make gains,” said Catherine Woodard with the National Council on Educating Black Children, which is bringing the program to South Bend.
Here’s where the centers will be:
At the Charles Martin Youth Center, 802 Lincoln Way W. For third-, fourth- and fifth-graders, it will open Sept. 6 and meet from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Call 574-280-7092 to register or help.
New Generations Christian Ministries, 431 S. Summit Drive. For sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders, it will open Aug. 29 and meet from 3 to 6 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call 574-288-2503 or 574-232-0640 to register or help.
The public is invited to a news conference from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the center at New Generations. Church member Dawn Jones, who is a South Bend school board member, is a coordinator for this center.
The centers evolved from local discussions about how to help failing students, said Gladys Muhammad, associate director of the South Bend Heritage Foundation, which runs the Charles Martin Youth Center.
“It’s not just the schools but the community that needs to take some responsibility,” she said.
The Augustus F. Hawkins Literacy Centers, as they’re known, are among 18 across the country, with four more in the works, said Woodard, who directs the program for the nonprofit NCEBC based in Indianapolis.
Memorial Hospital is providing financial support, and other organizations are bringing in mentors. The South Bend Community School Corp. is donating computers.
Each day’s activities will be led by a rotating group of volunteers – local educators, business people and parents. More helpers are welcome, Muhammad said.
The NCEBC is sending hundreds of “culturally relevant” books to the centers for their own libraries, Woodard said. Extra books will be sent for the students to take home, she said.
Each center will start out working with up to 25 students. Each already has at least 15 kids signed up, thanks to referrals from the school corporation and word-of-mouth, Jones and Muhammad said.
They could end up with a waiting list. Students can stick with the program through the whole school year. By the second semester, organizers said they may accept more students, depending on how many kids leave the program for various reasons.
Other than the students’ grade level, there are no qualifications, but organizers said they really want to reach students who are struggling the most in reading and math. And they’d prefer students in South Bend schools who live near the centers.
Staff writer Joseph Dits:
jdits@sbtinfo.com
574-235-6158
Say Goodbye to the Summer Slide and Hello to the Summer Leap
By NCEBC on August 26, 2011 | Category: Uncategorized | Tags: education, Equity Institute, NCEBC, Student Improvement | No CommentsINDIANAPOLIS, IN – (August 26, 2011)
We know that during summer months, most students tend to lose more than two months of progress. Educators typically referred to this summer loss as “summer slide.” Summer break, although fun for the students, can present other challenges. Students can become bored and disengaged from academic pursuits. Many schools boards, policy makers, and educators agree that summer should be a time for learning and fun, and that combining both during the summer leads students toward better preparation for the next school year.
In our efforts to decrease the likelihood of unsupervised time and ramp up educative time, NCEBC, held a summer literacy program for students entering grades 2 through 6. Our camp was designed so that students received learning and fun! Students were engaged in reading/literacy and vocabulary, math, and science each morning for 30-minute increments. The afternoons included co-curricular enrichment activities, such as healthy living, sports, indoor and outdoor activities, arts and crafts, culinary arts, and music. Further, students were able to engage in cultural activities including a trip to the circus.
Results: From Summer Slide to Summer Enrichment
According to The Equity Institute (EI) evaluation report, students showed tremendous growth in three academic areas, science, math and reading. Students were tested weekly using ISTEP sample tests and quizzes and other unique learning technological tools such as Pearson Success Maker.
What did the improvement look like? In science, all three-class rotations showed an average gain of 17%. For example, in one of the classes, students who received scores of 60% at the beginning of the session typically scored around 77% by the end of the 5-week session. Math growth at the end of the five week period was tremendous with test scores increasing by approximately 40%. Even more surprising, in one of the math
sections, all students scored between 90 and 100%! And, according to many of our students, they enjoyed math more than anything else offered during the summer.
How did we do it? Yes, we have a winning formula. It includes combining fun with academics, but most importantly, the key to success is found with the people involved in the teaching-learning process. We purposely hired teachers who were culturally engaged with a deep sense of care for all of the students, and teachers who gained a rapport with parents. We hired committed teachers who “loved and fussed” with the focus on ensuring that each child succeeded. We hired teachers who maintained high expectations for all students and who understood the importance of mutual respect between families, their children, and themselves. We attribute these characteristics, attitudes, and skills of that select group of teachers in conjunction with the curriculum and the fun activities, as the recipe for success that challenged the routine summer slide and launched the beginning of a summer educational leap.
For more information, please call 317-283-9081 or email the NCEBC ncebc@sbcglobal.net
NCEBC Launches NASA Ignite!™ Program in Indiana Public School District
By NCEBC on August 24, 2011 | Category: Uncategorized | No CommentsThe National Council on Educating Black Children is pleased to announce its participation in the NASA Ignite!™ program in partnership with MSD Lawrence Township and the Indiana Department of Education. This FREE extended-day science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program will target 7th and 8th grade students attending Fall Creek Valley and Belzer Middle Schools. Scheduled to begin on September 26, 2011, the program will operate Tuesday-Thursday from 3:45 – 5:30 p.m. throughout the academic school year.
About NASA Ignite!™
- NASA Ignite!™ is Indiana’s plan for bringing quality, hands-on NASA activities and professional development to formal and informal education. Ignite!™ is the result of a dynamic partnership between public and private entities and is committed to delivering quality NASA programming to middle school students in the state of Indiana.
- NASA Ignite!™ is a four-year project developed to provide students in grades 4-9 with summer and afterschool programs focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math content (STEM).
- With the integration of a hands-on NASA curriculum, space-themed video games, and an e-mentoring program, NASA Ignite!™
aims to engage students in STEM by exposing them to relevant content, career paths and space exploration. Curriculum, teacher’s manual, instructional guides and classroom materials are provided. - In partnership with NASA, Ignite will also help to support teachers and educators through the offer of professional development, which can provide both an improvement in afterschool education skills, as well as help to link NASA gaming back to the formal
classroom. - This project is led by Indiana Afterschool Network, in partnership with Indiana Department of Education, the Indiana Mentoring Partnership, WisdomTools Enterprises Inc, and other regional and statewide collaborators.
Student Participants
Targeting under-represented populations in the STEM fields (African American, Latino, and Female students in particular)
- Must be recommended by Math or Science Teacher
- Must possess basic understanding of 6th grade-level math and science principals
- Enjoys participating in innovative, engaging, hands-on learning experiences
- Willingness to think “outside” the box and try new things
- Must have parent approval
- Willing to commit to 3 days per week
For more information, please contact NCEBC at ncebc@sbcglobal.net or 317-283-9081
NCEBC Continues Partnership with State Department of Education and Local School District
By NCEBC on August 5, 2011 | Category: Feature | Tags: After-school Program, Augustus F. Hawkins, Literacy Center, NCEBC, US Department of Education | No Comments
The 2011-2012 school year marks the second year of partnership between the National Council on Educating Black Children, the Indiana Department of Education, and the Lawrence Metropolitan School District (Indianapolis, IN). NCEBC Augustus F. Hawkins Literacy Centers will re-open in six Lawrence Township schools (elementary and middle) the day after Labor Day.
At each Literacy Center, children will be supported and encouraged toward an attitude of accountability and excellence toward his or her academic development and every day social interactions. Local certified educators, curriculum and software-certified trainers, and community stakeholders will implement the NCEBC Augustus F. Hawkins Literacy Center program with the goal to:
Improve Academic Achievement
Improve Social Skills & Behavior
Improve School Attendance
Increase Family Involvement
Please click to download a flyer or a more detailed program brochure.
NCEBC 2011 Convention Photos
By NCEBC on May 19, 2011 | Category: Feature,Uncategorized | Tags: African American, Augustus F. Hawkins, Convention, Donald Clark, education, NCEBC, Public Education | No Comments
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NCEBC BOOK FAIR
By NCEBC on April 29, 2011 | Category: Uncategorized | No Comments
NCEBC is hosting a VIRTUAL Book Fair in partnership with Barnes and Noble.
From ANY computer — until Saturday, May 7, 2011 — your online purchase from Barnes and Noble Booksellers using our customer code: 10480036 will reap at least a 10% return to the communities served by NCEBC.
Thank you for your support!
Escape Gate Or Escape Goat? (Student Athletes)
By NCEBC on April 20, 2011 | Category: Feature | Tags: African American, education, Student Athletes, US Department of Education | 1 Comment
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – (April 20, 2011) Dr. Claude Mayberry, Chairman of the Board for the National Council on Educating Black Children, and Publisher and CEO of the children’s periodical Science Weekly commends US Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s recommendation that colleges be held accountable for the academic standards of their black athletes at the same high level of accountability that colleges place on athletic performance and winning. Whereas sports have become a pathway for black athletic students to escape poverty, it is narrow and straightway. However, less than 10% of the dreamers, who escape through the gate, get selected to a professional team.
The problem doesn’t begin in college. It begins in pre-elementary school. When 52% of our black males are dropping out of high school, why should we expect the dropout rate for college to be different? We must change the academic environment that produces pools of black athletically talented students—who are pushed through elementary and high school without ever developing the skills necessary to perform satisfactorily, much less excel, at the college level. The result is that most of these black athletic dreamers end up back in their poverty-stricken communities. We should prepare students to see sports as an option, but not at the risk of poor academic performance, or thinking that sports is the only door to escape poverty.
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The National Council on Educating Black Children (NCEBC) is hosting a Town Hall Meeting on April 28, 2011 at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our topic: “Creating a Healthy Learning Environment in schools to Inspire success Among Students, Especially Black Males” will kick-off the 2011 Annual National Convention in support of our objective to provide materials and strategies to break down barriers that deny African American children access to the resources necessary for high academic performance.
Online registration is recommended and available at: www.ncebc.org
Onsite registration will begin Wednesday April 27, 2011 at 4:00pm. Please visit the web site or contact the National Office for more details.
