CALL TO ACTION

Early Childhood Literacy: Enjoy a read aloud with Courtney, then take some time to read with your children! You can read to them if they aren’t reading just yet or let them read out loud to you. Take a picture to share with us and use the #BlackMillennialMoves hashtag!

THE WHY?

By fourth grade 50% of Black students are reading below grade level. Children not reading on grade level by at least third grade are four times more likely to drop out than their peers. At least 15 minutes of daily reading increases literacy skills and saw accelerated reading gains. Children that read 30 minutes daily see the most improvement overall!

RESOURCES

Parent Resources:

1. https://improvingliteracy.org/brief/supporting-your-childs-literacy-development-home
2. https://www.educationcorner.com/early-childhood-literacy-strategies.html
3. https://www.raisingreaders.org/understanding-early-literacy/establishing-early-literacy/

CALL TO ACTION

Black Students In S.T.E.M: Get outside for a nature hike or find a local museum to explore. If you cant get out take a virtual field trip! Share some nature finds or something new that you’ve learned together today!

THE WHY?

Black students find themselves underrepresented in STEM fields, at only 18% of college STEM majors. 40% of those that become STEM majors, change their majors in the first two years. The lack of retention can be greatly attributed to racial tensions and bias. Although there’s no lack of interest in the subjects, the lack of mentorship and community negatively effects retention.

RESOURCES

Virtual Field Trips:

1. http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/exhibits/webcams
2. https://explore.org/livecams/currently-live/decorah-eagles
3. https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm
4. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/xwWh9Tju8Vkcrw
5. https://explore.org/livecams/NASA/international-space-station

CALL TO ACTION

Racial gerrymandering, redlining, and white flight: Use GreatSchools.org to look up your school district boundaries. Do you see anything about the current district lines? What about the schools near you and their demographics? Does their appear to be an equal distribution of wealth even in more diverse areas? Let us know what you find!

THE WHY?

As a result of white flight (the phenomenon of white people moving out of urban areas, particularly those with significant minority populations, and into suburban areas), redlining and racial gerrymanderring have been used as a legal means of segregation and an unequal distribution of funds based on property value. This negatively impacts our school districts with higher populations of black students, with a lack of funds comes a significant lack of resources influencing the academic outcomes of our students.

RESOURCES

1. https://youtu.be/2o-yD0wGxAc 
2. https://youtu.be/D9W2Vlg2GVA
3. https://youtu.be/od3s3lZWbWM
4. https://www.greatschools.org/school-district-boundaries-map/

CALL TO ACTION

College Day: Tag an upcoming senior or parent to view college day virtual panels and access resources.

THE WHY?

With an increase in black students attending college, we want to make sure they have as much information as possible to get into their schools of choice and succeed once they get there. The accessibility of information plus community support increases not only attendance rates but retention rates as well.

RESOURCES

CALL TO ACTION

Prison to Pipeline History: Write affirmations to share with black students, record yourself reading them or take a picture of your affirmation. Remember to use the #BlackMillennialMoves hashtags.

THE WHY?

As early as pre-kindergarten black children are perceived as more dangerous and mature than their white counterparts. This is a result of implicit bias within the school system and it contributes to the issue of the school to prison pipeline. Black children are suspended more often for similar infractions (often times age appropriate behaviors) causing them to spend less time in school, taking away from valuable instructional time. They also receive more severe punishment from administrators and school safety officers resulting in hand cuffs, assaults, and jail cells. The school to prison pipeline is a massive infrastructure constructed by systemic racism that we can all work together to combat. One of the first tangible steps we can take for our children is affirming them in a positive light. Followed by working with the administrative team and school law enforcement to limit school arrest, adequate explanation of school policies and punishment, training teachers on positive behavior modification techniques, as well as family/homelife interventions.

RESOURCES

1. https://youtu.be/rxUKU8Rtakw
2. https://youtu.be/zer6FapK49E
3. https://youtu.be/-y0AmxZMgpQ
4. https://info.mstservices.com/blog/can-we-stop-the-school-to-prison-pipeline