THE BLACK MALE ACTION PLANNING

PROCESS

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON EDUCATING BLACK CHILDREN

A Process for Developing and Implementing Community-based Plans to Improve Educational and Life Outcomes for African American Children and Youth

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ACTION 3 | History of the National Council on Educating Black Children and the Black Male Action Planning Process

4 | Recurring Themes from Black Male Action Planning

5 | Process for Planning and Implementation

6 | Black Male Action Plan Checklist

7 | NCEBC Initiatives and Programs

THE BLACK MALE

PLANNINGPROCESS

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The National Council on Educating Black Children (NCEBC) was founded in 1986 by former Congressman Augustus F. Hawkins (1907-2007) who then chaired the House of Rep-

resentatives Education and Labor Committee. As one of the originating authors of Title I, his grave concern focused on the imperative of de-voiding ourselves of such on-going actions that will create results that are tailor-made to fit the category of race-related social, political, and legal phenomena in the U.S. recognized as “the New Jim Crow”. This New Jim Crow includes less than satisfactory educational experiences, more discrimina-tion, and massive incarceration…all of which are affecting Black Males. A consummate activist, he followed the landmark legis-lation by convening a meeting of forty (40) African American organizations including the NAACP, Urban League, and an im-pressive collection of Fraternities and civic non-profits to de-termine why, with all the federal dollars allocated to education, "Johnnie" (our young children of color specifically) still could not read.

Informed deliberation and rich dialogue, gave rise to the organization we now call the National Council on Educating Black Children, Inc. and its flagship document in The Blueprint for Action published in 1987. For 20 years NCEBC held the annual convention to reaffirm our commitment to "The Blueprint" through educational sessions for parents, educators and all stake-holders to provide proven solutions to the educational ills facing African American youth. The 2006 Schott Foundation Report on Black Males in

Public Schools, which was an alarming report on graduation rates, suspension, expulsion and special education placement rates in 39 states, compelled NCEBC to add an additional specific focus, titled The Black Male Action Planning. NCEBC’s “Call for Action” at the 2007 convention, held in Norfolk Virginia, engaged convention participants in a solution-based approach, and began our Black Male Action Planning Process, which has continued at each convention with participation of delegates from over thirty (30) states and one hundred seven (107) cities. Each delegation develops their own Black Male Action Plan (BMAP) for their city, school district or school with the intent of returning to their perspective locations and issuing a “Call To Action” for further input and involvement from constituents and stakeholders. This focus is imperative toward the derailment of ongoing actions that result to in race-related social, political, and legal phenomena in the United States called “The New Jim Crow” facing Black males and includes less than satisfactory educational experiences, discrimination based on race, as well as mass incarceration and has led to a caste system that keeps this population in a underclass in America. NCEBC strongly believes that the school-to-prison pipeline can be derailed through professional development of teachers and administrators, parents and increased student involvement. In order for this derailment to occur, our goals include comprehensive plans that replace the status quo; that involves all stakeholders included in NCEBC National Blueprint for Action.

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON EDUCATING BLACK CHILDREN

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This pamphlet gives you recurring themes, around which to formulate a Black Male Action Plan (BMAP) in every community where there are alarming statistics on Black Males.

The discussions, recommendations and ultimate action plans developed over the years, gave us priority focus areas such as:

■ PARENTAL AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT ■ ADVOCACY AND POLICY■ ISSUES OF DIVERSITY ■ LITERACY■ DATA AND DISSEMINATION

The 2013 BMAP process sets out to provide an opportunity to:

A. motivate NCEBC education advocates to further develop and advance their BMAPs.

B. facilitate a process to assure there is movement toward developing BMAPs and

C. advocate and support cities and communities to organize for action toward implementation.

The 2013 process training materials and process was developed in a 7-step process was used by delegates to produce the following top-tier themes which reinforced our previous BMAP themes with additions and qualifiers.

■ Increase Parental/Family Involvement and Engagement■ Increase Student Engagement and Voice■ Transform Education Systems, Institutions and Communities’ mindset,

Community wide campaign to increase community value of education Systemic collaborations between schools, community and families Prioritize increased resource allocation for quality education.

■ Transform Educators mindset, practices and behaviors toward Educating Black Children

Start the Education process for Black Children in the womb Include cultural competencies and knowledge of self Include Common Core standards basics

INVOLVEMENT

RECURRING THEMES FROM BLACK MALE ACTION PLANNING

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PROCESS FOR PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

The Blueprint For Action IV outlines these steps for implementation, in its Introduction.

Build Awareness and Commitment■ “Reading and review of the Blueprint” and specifically the NCEBC history■ Engage in “a process to become aware of and evaluating the needs of

Black students in your community”■ Collect data from school districts, city and state, work with an equity team

in your city from the university, or a retired researcher.■ Analyze your data and plan to present to a team of interested stakeholders.■ Establish a process to “discuss existing plans for elevating student achievement”

Form Action Planning Group(s)■ Identify representatives of “Stakeholders”■ to bring “diverse ideas” and solutions around the data and the common themes

addressing the needs of Black children■ Choose and publish goals and priorities■ Brainstorm activities to be carried out to achieve goals, with timelines, reports,

evaluation and Stakeholder volunteers who will conduct the activity

Implement Actions and Strategies (BMAP)■ Engage non-profits with a educational focus to garner support and form a structure

Monitor progress and results■ Monitor and document the progress, replicate effective actions, celebrate and share

successes

NCEBC RESOURCES AND TOOLS:

NCEBC “Call to Action” Guide – A Process for Developing and Implementing Community-based Plans to Improve Educational and Life Outcomes for African American Children and Youth

• NCEBC “Core Values”

• NCEBC 12 steps to writing a BMAP

• Guidelines, organizing tools and worksheet templates and for each stage of the plan development

■ BMAP planning worksheet template■ NCEBC “Circle of Education” – The “Village of the Willing” take Responsibility■ NCEBC Planning Action Model■ Starting and Building BMAP workshop outline for facilitators■ Step by step Facilitator approach

• Mobilizing Your Community Information and Instruction Sheet

• The Indiana Commission for Educational Equity, Justice and Quality for African American Children document sample

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IMPLEMENTATION

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Checklist for development and implementation of a local Black Male Action Plan (BMAP) in schools and Communities

1. Assess the sense of urgency of “what’s happening” in education with Black Children

2. Identify leadership to convene and organize BMAP local committee

3. “Call to Action” to develop a local organizing committee

4. Develop and/or revise the initial draft of BMAP – based on research data, best models, experiences of success

5. Share BMAP through a report out to the community at large to identify “stakeholder” in put, buy-in, which will leverage additional resources, funding and community participation

6. Establish a local “Commission for Educational Equity, Justice and Quality for African American Children in your city.

DEVELOPMENT

BLACK MALE ACTION PLANNING PROCESS CHECKLIST

“Black Children are the proxy for what ails American education in general, so as we fashion solutions for

Black Children, we fashion solution for all children” - Congressman Augustus F. Hawkins (1907-2007)

We can help you implementBlack Male Action plan:

Contact NCEBC at 317.283.9081or email Kamau Jywanza at email address need

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NCEBC INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS

HOW NCEBC NATIONAL BMAP INTENDS TO SUPPORT YOUR EFFORTS: For further information, contact the NCEBC office

3737 N. Meridian Street Ste. 102 Indianapolis, IN 46208phone 317-283-9081, fax 283-9080 e-mail ncebc@sbcglobal.net

Also, we can be contacted through social media on facebook and twitter.

The office will assign a member of the BMAP team, or a NCEBC Board Member to your community to support your development and implementation of NCEBC initiatives:

■ BMAP ■ Literacy Centers■ Parent University■ Scheduled access to our weekly blog talk radio show, www.BlogTalkRadio/

NCEBCRadio, our weekly e-newsletter, social media network and initiatives of NCEBC that support the concerns listed in the plans, especially literacy.

■ The Annual National Convention

• Education data, information and analysis re: impact on Black Children…i.e. cultural competency, common core standards, testing, …

• Support to develop local Education Commissions

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This report has been compiled, edited and finalized for dissemination by the National Black Male Action Planning (BMAP) Committee and other contributors who are:

Elizabeth Norwood Francena Cummings Diana Daniels Greta Peay Richard Bonds Adelaide Sanford Gene McCallum, Chair Kamau Jywanza, Co-Chair

This report is summarized from the input and information reported from Black Child Education advocates and Black Child education professionals from across the U.S. Addendum: in office file - detail summary from 2013 BMAP planning session notes: Parental Involve-ment; Student Engagement; Systemic Collaborations between Schools and Communities; Behavior of Educators with African American Male students

For support of the NCEBC Programs donations can be sent to the NCEBC office.

COLLABORATION

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National Council on Educating Black Children

3737 N. Meridian Street, Suite 102

Indianapolis, IN 46208

317.283.9081

www.ncebc.org

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON EDUCATING BLACK CHILDREN