Less than half of young black male students graduate from high school on time, and while there are discrepancies in local and state dropout rate reports, it’s clear too many young black males never graduate.
In some high-poverty areas, less than one in three appear to earn a diploma.
The result: “Black males have consistently low educational attainment levels, are more chronically unemployed and underemployed, are less healthy and have access to fewer health care resources, die much younger, and are many times more likely to be sent to jail for periods significantly longer than males of other racial/ethnic groups.”
That conclusion from Given Half a Chance, the 2008 report on black males and public education by the Schott Foundation for Public Education, begs the question: What do school board members do to help this troubled group of students?
That’s a question I’m still trying to answer.
Actually, these days, I’m in the middle of researching an article about the academic challenges facing young black males for the Urban Advocate, a publication of NSBA’s Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE). Urban school leaders are looking to discuss the issue at the NSBA Annual Conference in Chicago this spring.
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You’ve ransacked the mall for holiday steals and deals. You’ve gone to the movie theater and seen the latest blockbusters. You’ve baked (or eaten) all the cookies and treats you ever want to see in your lifetime (or at least until next holiday season.) 
In recognition of all the hard work she put into making Christmas a festive and memorable occasion (and the fact that she was completely spent from the effort), my girlfriend’s husband and children rewarded her with breakfast in bed the next day.
The landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision was the theme of NSBA’s hand decorated ornament at the White House this year. Initiated by First Lady Michelle Obama and coordinated by the National Policy Alliance and others, non-profit organizations were invited to decorate ornaments that commemorate local American landmarks. Kanisha Williams-Jones and Myra Maxwell of NSBA selected the U.S. Supreme Court as a landmark and used decoupage to decorate an ornament with items depicting the 1954 court case that struck down segregation in schools and propelled educational and social reform throughout the United States. 
Everyone knows breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet many children come to school hungry, which ultimately impacts their performance. To make sure students are ready to learn, more and more school districts are offering universal breakfast, a practice that serves the first meal of the day to every child, regardless of income.
Roy Romer, Arne Duncan, Geoffrey Canada, and Doug and Lynn Fuchs are on the list. Who else does Forbes consider to be a “Revolutionary Educator,” someone who can achieve the impossible with disadvantaged children? Find out 