White House Initiative Will Fund Educational Opportunities


  "Drawing on the power of his own racial identity in a way he seldom does as president, Mr. Obama sought to connect his personal narrative about growing up without a father to that of a generation of black youth in the United States who he said faced higher odds of failure than their peers.

Mr. Obama said the idea for My Brother’s Keeper occurred to him in the aftermath of the killing of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager whose death two years ago sparked a roiling national debate about race and class. He called the challenge of ensuring success for young men of color a “moral issue for our country” as he ticked off the statistics: black boys who are more likely to be suspended from school, less likely to be able to read, and almost certain to encounter the criminal justice system as either a perpetrator or a victim.

White House officials said the foundations had pledged to spend at least $200 million over the next five years in a search for solutions to the problems black men face with early-childhood development, school readiness, educational opportunity, discipline, parenting and the criminal justice system.  "

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Coalition is calling LAUSD to better address need


"A campaign being spearheaded by the Community Coalition is calling on the Los Angeles Unified School District to adopt a “need-based index” to better address its highest need students.

More than 100 education activists gathered outside LAUSD headquarters Monday demanding “equity now” for students, while criticizing the district’s recently released budget for not providing enough detail on how it will meet the needs of low-income students and English learners.

Marqueece Harris Dawson, president of the Community Coalition, said, “It’s very difficult to see how that money follows students with the highest needs or schools with the highest needs. We want something that is very clear, that the average voter who voted for Prop. 30 can see how it is benefiting the kids with the most need.

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