Senator Tony Hill and Other Officials Take Aim at Poor Graduation Rate for Black Males
New Report “Yes We Can” Shows America’s Public Schools Fail Over Half the Nation’s Black Male Students, Florida Districts Included
Jacksonville, Fl – Declaring that the dismal graduation rate for black males in Florida is “critical and unacceptable,” Senator Anthony “Tony” Hill, Sr. (D-Jacksonville) will be holding a press conference on Thursday, September 9, 2010 to announce plans to turn things around.
Senator Hill will be teaming up with Dr. John H. Jackson, President and CEO of The Schott Foundation for Public Education, which just released a report, entitled “Yes We Can” documenting the poor performance rates nationwide and ways to improve education for Florida’s young black men.
Also joining them at the event will be Isaiah Rumlin, President of the Jacksonville Branch N.A.A.C.P., The 100 Black Men of Jacksonville, representatives from The Achieve, Instill and Inspire Foundation, and community leaders.
The press conference will be held Thursday, September 9, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. at the Duval County Public School Board Building – 1701 Prudential Drive, Jacksonville, Florida.
Dr. Jackson leads the Foundation’s efforts to ensure a high quality public education for all students regardless of race or gender. Both Senator Hill and Dr. Jackson are advocates for high quality educational experiences for all students.
Some highlights of the report’s findings include:
· The five worst performing districts with large Black male student enrollment (exceeding 40,000) are New York City, N.Y. (28%); Philadelphia, Pa. (28%); Detroit, Mich. (27%); Broward County, Fla. (39%); and Dade County, Fla. (27%).
· The districts with the lowest graduation rates for Black male students are Pinellas County, Fla. (21%); Palm Beach County, Fla. (22%); Duval County, Fla. (23%); Charleston County, S.C. (24%) and Buffalo, N.Y. (25%).
The report outlines solutions – listing the “Conditions for Success” that are critical for providing a fair and substantive opportunity to learn and the “Conditions for Failure.” “Yes We Can” calls on the federal government and states to ensure that all students have a right to an opportunity to learn, not as a matter of competition or location, but as a civil and human right.
