GCS Part of Council of the Great City Schools Commitment to Minority Males

Guilford County Board of Education member Amos Quick was one of 60 leaders of the largest urban school systems in the country that came together for a momentous and significant occasion in Washington, D.C. this week.  

As members the Council of the Great City Schools, these school districts, including Guilford County Schools (GCS), made a first-ever collective commitment to improve educational outcomes for boys and young men of color by implementing a set of evidence-based strategies that range from early childhood to graduation. President Obama made the announcement during a special “My Brother’s Keeper” town hall.

Collectively, the largest school districts educate a third or more of America’s African American and Latino students and nearly 40 percent of low-income boys and young men of color.

At the board’s May 29 meeting, board members voted to adopt the Council of the Great City Schools’ pledge in support of improving outcomes for males of color in America's public schools.

Recognizing that an achievement gap remains for minority students, especially minority male students, GCS has made a long-standing commitment to improving educational outcomes.

As part of the Strategic Plan, the district initiated an Achieving Educational Excellence for African American Male Students project team to review achievement trends of African American males. 

In 2012-13, nine schools were selected to begin piloting improvement plans.  Six elementary schools were selected to focus on early literacy and one elementary, one middle and one high school was selected to pilot plans to reduce the number of instructional days lost by African-American male students by focusing on disproportionality in discipline.

Just this week, the district held its Achieving Academic Excellence for African American Male Students Symposium for all elementary educators and administrators. National leaders spoke to teachers about what it means to include culturally responsive instruction in the classroom, and helped educators be reflective about their school cultures and their own biases.  

In 2010, GCS had one of the 10 best graduation rates for black males among large school districts according to a report released by the Schott Foundation for Public Education. While graduation rates have increased steadily for the past four years, a significant gap still exists for black students.