CNN.com - Maryland teacher named Teacher of the Year - Apr 25, 2006

CNN.com - Maryland teacher named Teacher of the Year - Apr 25, 2006: "She has Vietnamese, Latino, African, African-American and Haitian students. All but one speak a language other than English. Their school, Broad Acres Elementary in Silver Spring, Maryland, is largely low-income, with 90 percent of students receiving free or reduced meals, and it was at risk of state takeover when Oliver arrived six years ago.

Yet despite the apparent barriers, Oliver has helped boost her students' scores, involved their parents in their education and gotten youngsters engaged in their school."

National Title Goes To Md. Teacher

National Title Goes To Md. Teacher
Kimberly Oliver, a kindergarten teacher at Broad Acres Elementary School in Silver Spring, who has been named the 2006 National Teacher of the Year.

The choice of Oliver, the first educator from Maryland to win the national honor, marks the second year that a Washington-area teacher has won the national competition. The 2005 Teacher of the Year was Jason Kamras, who taught mathematics at John Philip Sousa Middle School in the District.

"It is an honor to serve as the Maryland Teacher of the Year, and now as the National Teacher of the Year, representing the teaching profession," Oliver said in a statement. She said she was "already an advocate for children and teachers" and, "given this unbelievable opportunity, I hope to emphasize the importance of early childhood education."

USATODAY.com - Richer areas more successful in attracting qualified teachers

USATODAY.com - Richer areas more successful in attracting qualified teachers: "WASHINGTON — Public school teachers in the nation's wealthiest communities continue to be more qualified than those in the poorest despite a federal law designed to provide all children equal educational opportunity.

Preliminary data released by the Department of Education show that in 39 states, the chance of finding teachers who know their subjects are better in elementary schools where parents' incomes are highest. The data show that's also the case among middle and high schools in 43 states.

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CNN.com - Law raises fears of more school segregation - Apr 19, 2006

CNN.com - Law raises fears of more school segregation - Apr 19, 2006: "HARTFORD, Connecticut (AP) -- Betty Sternberg is in charge of two school systems. One, scattered throughout the state, is rich and white. The other, isolated in seven large towns, is poor and minority.

Sternberg is the state's education commissioner, and one of her jobs is to unite the two systems so Connecticut can move past its role as defendant in the nation's longest-running desegregation lawsuit. On paper, it wouldn't seem to be that difficult.

No one involved in the lawsuit disagrees with its contention that Connecticut hasn't always given its poor and minority students an education as good as it's given its rich and white students. No one thinks the gap between the two systems is a good thing. And no one wants the disparities to continue.

CNN.com - 'No Child' loophole misses millions of scores - Apr 18, 2006

CNN.com - 'No Child' loophole misses millions of scores - Apr 18, 2006: "AP) -- Laquanya Agnew and Victoria Duncan share a desk, a love of reading and a passion for learning. But because of a loophole in the No Child Left Behind Act, one second-grader's score in Tennessee counts more than the other's.

That is because Laquanya is black, and Victoria is white.

AP: States Omit Minorities' School Scores - Yahoo! News

AP: States Omit Minorities' School Scores - Yahoo! News: "Overall, AP found that about 1.9 million students — or about 1 in every 14 test scores — aren't being counted under the law's racial categories. Minorities are seven times as likely to have their scores excluded as whites, the analysis showed.

Less than 2 percent of white children's scores aren't being counted as a separate category. In contrast, Hispanics and blacks have roughly 10 percent of their scores excluded. More than one-third of Asian scores and nearly half of American Indian scores aren't broken out, AP found.

CNN.com - Omaha school district to split along racial lines - Apr 14, 2006

CNN.com - Omaha school district to split along racial lines - Apr 14, 2006: "LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- In a move decried by some as state-sponsored segregation, the Legislature voted Thursday to divide the Omaha school system into three districts -- one mostly black, one predominantly white and one largely Hispanic.

Grim forecast for young black men - Race in America - MSNBC.com

Grim forecast for young black men - Race in America - MSNBC.com: "At a time when the U.S. economy is on the upswing and more people are finding work, young African American men are falling further behind.

That’s the grim portrait painted by three new and forthcoming books by scholars at Columbia, Georgetown and Princeton universities. The picture isn't new, but the depths of its despair and pathology are."

Concerned Black Men National Convention: "Achieving Excellence is Our Top Priority" — CBM National Organization

Concerned Black Men National Convention: "Achieving Excellence is Our Top Priority" — CBM National Organization: "'ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY'

REGISTER NOW for the May 2006 CBM Convention! Join us for a weekend of strategy sessions, workshops and seminars, all designed to help our youth develop strong minds, solid character and bright futures. Devising a National Action Plan for 'Closing the Achievement Gap' for African American boys is a top priority. We look forward to seeing you in the Spring!

Use the link to get registration information.

CBM National Organization — CBM National Organization

CBM National Organization — CBM National Organization: "Study Shows Few Grants Given to Minority-Led Non-Profits

For years, CBM and other minority-led nonprofits have complained that our groups have received on average less grant dollars from foundations than other community-based nonprofits. A 2005 study conducted by the Greenlining Foundation shows that the problem is greater than even the critics of traditional nonprofit giving initially believed. Greenlining, a group that supports greater public and private investment in poor and minority communities, found that foundation investment in minority-led nonprofits in America is “negligible.”

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