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"Imparting Wisdom: HBCU Lessons for K-12 Education" details historically black colleges and universities' (HBCUs) longstanding efforts to provide quality educational experiences for their students and how their success may be translated in K-12 schools. This brief uplifts research-based HBCU best practices, practical recommendations and insights from HBCU leaders, with the goal of promoting mutually beneficial alliances between the K-12 and higher education communities. The outlined lessons in the report rest on the following best practices that HBCUs employ: (1) cultivating nurturing support systems; (2) leveraging African American culture and identity; and (3) setting high expectations. Each best practice also details corresponding lessons for the K-12 space. These HBCU "best practices" can serve as effective models for K-12 schools, districts and charter management organizations (CMOs) in improving the educational outcomes of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This report is the third in a series that probes community reactions to K-12 education; its two predecessors, "Lift Every Voice and Lead: African American Leaders' Perceptions of K-12 Education Reform" (see ED588631), and "Done to Us, Not with Us: African American Parent Perceptions of K-12 Education" (see ED573649), addressed the roles that should be played by parents and community leaders. The role to be played by youth is just as important. They are, after all, the stakeholders whose response to reform will determine if it succeeds or fails. Of the three groups, they are the only one with firsthand knowledge of what happens in the classroom. And, all too often, they do not have a seat at the table during reform discussions. This study begins to remedy that omission. The findings indicate that African American youth want to be heard, and they offer meaningful commentary on the educational environment and the structural issues that may impede their success. African American youth consider education a key factor in achieving their life goals and overwhelmingly want a college degree; yet, like parents and leaders, many students, especially those from low-income backgrounds, often lack the information needed to successfully navigate the educational landscape. This information deficit often creates barriers to college entry and can have enduring effects on students and communities. This report summarizes the perceptions of African American youth on K-12 education and provides actionable recommendations for improving the educational trajectories of all students.

This brief encourages leaders to utilize their influence to help alleviate the long-standing achievement gaps in the education system, because when students flourish, entire communities can flourish as well. The authors want to ensure that grasstops are intentional in their advocacy for black students. The "Lift Every Voice and Lead Toolkit" provides tangible tips, strategies, talking points and resources to help grasstops who are serious about using their influence to make transformational change for all youth. [For the first report in this series, "Done to Us, Not with Us: African American Parent Perceptions of K-12 Education," see ED573649. For the second report, "Lift Every Voice and Lead: African American Leaders' Perceptions of K-12 Education Reform," see ED588631.]

Despite the importance of postsecondary education to the economic and social vitality of the U.S. and the individuals who pursue this academic goal, the educational pipeline to and through college is broken for communities of color, the fastest-growing segment of the population. This report offers a revealing glimpse of the American system of public education from the perspective of those with the biggest stake in better schools: the parents of the African American children who are least well served by the system. This report is a meta-analysis of a two-part research program that involved both a quantitative survey and qualitative focus groups. The study was conducted in February and March 2012 in five target cities: Atlanta, Detroit, Memphis, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C. These cities were chosen because they have large African American populations, robust education reform efforts are under way or are part of a planning process to address the cities' challenges, and United Negro College Fund (UNCF) has a strong institutional presence there. These cities in particular face many of the educational challenges that prevent too many African American children from fulfilling their potential, and they therefore serve as excellent testing grounds. The key findings from this study reinforce and add greater details to the body of knowledge about African American parents and their involvement in the education of their children. Most important, a substantial percentage of low-income African American parents and caregivers who participated in the study (87 percent) have high aspirations for their children and overwhelmingly want them to graduate from college. An appendix contains the following: (1) Data Collection Methods; and (2) Topics on Which Low-Income Parents Would Like More Information to Support Their Child's Academic Progress.