{"id":5193,"date":"2020-06-19T18:55:16","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T18:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/2020\/06\/19\/black-minds-matter\/"},"modified":"2022-09-27T19:49:35","modified_gmt":"2022-09-27T19:49:35","slug":"black-minds-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/black-minds-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Minds Matter: Resources for racial equity in Kentucky\u2019s schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence recently hosted a week-long series of discussions on racial equity in Kentucky\u2019s public schools. The series, titled Black Minds Matter, focused on formulating solutions on how to close academic achievement gaps and postsecondary attainment gaps between African American students and their peers at the state and local levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough this series on racial equity in education we focused on solutions \u2013 specifically finding ways that policymakers, educators, parents, students, and communities can work together to ensure we are delivering on the promise of public education for each and every student,\u201d said Prichard Committee President and CEO Brigitte Blom Ramsey. \u201cIn 2015, 45 percent of our entering African American students were reported fully ready for kindergarten, but by 2019, we had equipped only 30 percent of them to score proficient or above in K-PREP reading.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blom Ramsey says Kentucky education data also show that our education system isn\u2019t preparing Black students for college and career at the same rate as their White peers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2019, there was a 32.5 percent gap between Kentucky White and Black students on transition readiness,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is clearly a failure of our system to deliver the education that our Black students need to thrive in our economy, and we must collectively own our truths in order to address this inequity.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Ways to take action<\/h4>\n

The first installment in a series of Community Toolkits from the Prichard Committee is also available for download<\/a>. It details what Kentuckians can do in their own communities, schools and districts to help to support the unique needs of students and put an end to systemic barriers that serve to hold students back.<\/p>\n

The Prichard Committee has formalized a standing coalition for Equity in Education: Early Childhood through Postsecondary. The coalition will be open to all citizens interested in repair longstanding failures to deliver educational excellence for students who have been marginalized or historically disadvantaged by our systems. An online signup form is available at prichardcommittee.org\/equity-coalition<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Black Minds Matter blog posts<\/h4>\n