All children can learn is the statement the Schott Foundation for Public Education is standing by; sharing various solutions of proven successful efforts in traditional public schools. The 2010 50 State Report on Black Males in Public Education shows that success stories of New Jersey and Maryland schools are still the exception and not the norm.
A new report on public education has found that many of the nation's school systems have failed miserably at educating Black male students, leading to a growing achievement gap and lower graduation rates for Black boys.
Sr. Eileen Catherine Sullivan, SBS; who, as an instructor and administrator, helped shape the lives of many local African-American young women, died of cancer early last Sunday at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. She was 65. Her wake will be held on Tuesday, August 17 at the St. Elizabeth’s chapel in Bensalem. The Mass of the Resurrection will be at 10:30 am, on Wednesday August 18, followed by the burial in the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament cemetery.
After five years of waiting, planning, a community supported demolition process and meticulous construction, a community celebrates the return of a neighborhood landmark and educational pillar in Algiers. Local and state education leaders, alumni and supporters congregated in the “new” L.B. Landry High School’s auditorium last Thursday, August 5, to celebrate the completion of Landry’s new structure and ultimate re-opening.
Why do students drop out of high school or college? High school and college completion rates are declining in institutions nationwide, even those with the most talented students. The policy makers have focused on student preparation as the primary reason why fewer students graduate within four-year increments.
Read More ... Dr. Andre M. Perry, Contributing Columnist - 1 opinion posted
At nine, Omar is super sharp and bright. His mother, Nabila Hanson, will tell you it’s because his innate passion for learning hasn’t been stifled in a public school. And he hasn’t been “dumbed down” in one, either.
This summer, as many of us look back and reflect five years after Hurricane Katrina, the young visionaries of Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools (Rethink) are already looking ahead to New Orleans ten years after the storm.
Read More ... Kelly Parker, Contributing Writer - 1 opinion posted
Dual-enrollment programs, which offer students in high school to enroll in courses for college credit, can be a key element in the transition from high school to college, according to a new report released Tuesday by researchers at two universities, commissioned by the Blackboard Institute.
A special report by Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine once again provides documentation of Xavier University of Louisiana’s success in a number of academic disciplines.
(Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — New data from the U.S. Department of Education reveals that Black students continue to drop out of high school at a much higher rate than whites and nearly 40 percent fail to earn a high school diploma on time.
Unless something truly miraculous happens in the next several weeks, the Mother-In-Law Lounge, the North Claiborne Avenue landmark opened by New Orleans R&B legend Ernie K-Doe and his wife Antoinette in 1994, will be no more.
Read More ... Geraldine Wyckoff, Contributing Writer
The New Orleans Outreach Power Ties Program touched the lives of more than 100 students this semester. Students from Samuel J. Green, Arthur Ashe Charter School, and McDonogh City Park Academy attended seminars on resumé-writing, interview skills, dress and office behavior. Students also participated in a Career Day and job-site visits.
New Orleans teens Philip Sylve, Alfred Jordon, Jr., and Joshua Naquin were recently awarded full Berklee City Music Summer Scholarships to attend Berklee College of Music's Five-Week Summer Performance Program for high school students in Boston July 10 through August 13.
As the nation's healthcare system braces for an influx of newly insured patients, a new study published in the June 15 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine examines the record of the nation's medical schools in graduating physicians to meet this new public need. The study, the first to score all U.S. medical schools based on their ability to meet a social mission, reveals glaring differences among institutions with regard to their production of physicians who practice primary care, work in underserved areas, and are minorities.
Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) has been named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The honor was bestowed upon the university by the Corporation for National and Community Service for service to the local communities. SUNO received word of the honor on May 26, 2010.
Xavier University of Louisiana ranks among the nation's Top 20 colleges of pharmacy when it comes to research funding by NIH, the National Institutes of Health, according to the latest American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy report on such funding. The new ranking reflects a substantial jump from Xavier's previous ranking at #58 out of 109 total schools included in the annual NIH rankings.
AUSTIN, Texas (Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Weekly) — A week-long series of strong testimonies, marches, rallies and cries of injustice by nationally renowned figures such as NAACP President and CEO Ben Jealous and former U.S. Secretary of State Rod Paige could not deter a bloc of hard-core ultra “Christian Conservatives” of the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) from passing 9-5 a controversial social studies component of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum in the late evening of May 21.
Read More ... Gordon Jackson, Contributing Writer - 1 opinion posted
(Taylor Media Services) — The federal government released a statistical portrait of the nation’s over 16,000 public schools last Thursday and among its most disturbing findings was that “economic segregation is on the rise.” This means that more and more poor students are being concentrated in schools with high levels of poverty while students from middle-class and upper-income families are increasingly going to school with one another.
(Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — The Texas Board of Education on May 21 voted to change the state curriculum of social studies and history classes to reflect a more positive view of capitalism, the military, Christianity and modern Republican figures in American history.
Value-added evaluations employ a sophisticated statistical method to control many different variables that impact student achievement. Jindal’s top education legislation passed right before the state submits its $175 million Race-to-the-Top application June 1. It is believed that having a teacher evaluation program, which is tied to the Obama administration’s priorities, heightens the state’s chances of receiving federal educational aid.
Read More ... Dr. Andre Perry, Contributing Columnist
Changing the performance of public school students can be as simple as changing the mindsets of you and I. Such are the beliefs of 17 practicing and aspiring African-American and Latino educators who recently met with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in New Orleans during this year’s Teacher’s Appreciation Week.
The new Arizona policy on immigration will reverberate in schools throughout the state. Where will school-age children go if their parents are detained? Many of the potential detainees are parents of children who are either undocumented and/or citizens; neither has committed crimes. The simple Arizona solution to the complex problem of immigration reform may place school-age learners in educational exile.
Read More ... Dr. Andre Perry, Contributing Columnist - 1 opinion posted
Urban League College Track is now accepting enrollment applications for the class of 2014. This incredible opportunity is for rising 9th graders and is one that will close the gap between access and opportunity for higher learning.
Violent crimes are so common that we are almost desensitized. Should we be surprised to learn this year that Louisiana public schools expel students at five times the national rate?The Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children, along with the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative, also cited in a report issued last week that Louisiana schools issue out-of-school suspensions at twice the rate of the rest of the country.
Read More ... Dr. Andre Perry, Contributing Columnist
University of Notre Dame officials say they don’t keep such records of achievement by race but don’t recall ever having a Black valedictorian in the Catholic institution’s 168-year history. Therefore, Katie Washington, a Gary, Ind., native and biology major, will get that distinction in mid-May.
Like its namesake, Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School for Literature and Technology is exemplifying personal and academic excellence; becoming a standout in developing superior students as well as individuals.
WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro American Newspapers) - With the signing of yet another historical piece of legislation, President Obama made good on his promise to make higher education more affordable and accessible for all Americans.
Louisiana State Senator J.P. Morrell has sponsored Senate Bill 74, which if enacted would create a community advisory committee for each school in the Recovery School District. Morrell clearly drafted this measure to appease constituents that believe charter schools lack proper oversight and community involvement. The bill could be a knee-jerk response to the alleged theft of $675,000 from Langston Hughes Academy by its former financial manager.
Read More ... Dr. Andre Perry, Contributing Columnist
High school and college graduation rates, particularly at public institutions, have been maligned recently. The six-year graduation rates of local post-secondary institutions are overshadowed by the achievement data of public high schools. If high school and college achievement are related, so our solutions should be also.
Read More ... Dr. Andre Perry, Contributing Columnist - 2 opinions posted
Schools in Jefferson and Orleans Parish that participated in the Community Cash for Schools® Program this year earned $13,073. The top-earning school in the two parishes was Lusher Charter School in New Orleans, with $1,107.
Last week I participated in a conference hosted by Tulane University titled, Before and After Katrina: Black Education in New Orleans. The conference’s organizer, Dr. Nghana Lewis, asked its participants to deal with what has become a powder keg — Black education.
Read More ... Dr. Andre Perry, Contributing Columnist - 1 opinion posted
Top-performing high school students from Catholic high schools across the nation, as well as those from public high schools in two Louisiana parishes, will be eligible for full-tuition scholarships at Xavier University beginning with the Fall 2010 semester.
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning will hold its state summit on early childhood education April 15-16 at the Cajundome Convention Center in Lafayette.
Xavier University of Louisiana continues its track record of successfully placing more African-American students into medical schools each year than any other higher education institution in the country, a distinction that it has maintained since 1993.
(Special to the NNPA from the Seattle Medium) — Black, Latina/o and Native American students seeking admission to the University of California (UC) have filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California to overturn California’s Proposition 209 and restore affirmative action in the UC system.
JACKSON, Miss. (Special to the NNPA from the Mississippi Link) — A bill to merge three historical Black colleges in Mississippi has died in the state’s legislature. Mississippi Valley State University was faced with the possibility of merging their campus with Alcorn State and Jackson State after a bill to that effect was introduced to the Senate.
As Xavier University’s priority deadline of March 1 fast approaches, Xavier’s Office of Admissions reports that applications for the fall 2010 semester are running 15 percent higher than last year.
Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) will serve as a site for the third annual Louisiana College Goal Sunday on February 21, 2010, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Health and Physical Education Building at 6400 Press Dr. The purpose of College Goal Sunday is to provide students and their families with free professional assistance in completing the nation’s primary student financial aid form known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The Southern University Law Center’s Journal of Race, Gender, and Poverty will host a one-day symposium, “State of the Union: The Progress Report," from 9:00 a.m. — 4 p.m. Friday, February 19, 2010, in 120 and 130 A.A. Lenoir Hall.
RICHMOND (Special to the NNPA from the Richmond Free Press) — Official segregation has ended, but Dr. Louis W. Sullivan is concerned that the legacy of vicious racism continues to afflict health care.
Read More ... Jeremy M. Lazarus, Contributing Writer
(Taylor Media Services) — On most of the nation’s college campuses, the number of African American females out-numbers African American males by nearly two-to-one. However, according to a report released last week by the American Council on Education, the gender gap for Blacks and whites appears to be stabilizing with a slight increase in the number of males enrolling in college.
Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) celebrated another milestone last week as its enrollment increased to 93 percent of its pre-Hurricane Katrina enrollment of 3,647 students, according to preliminary Spring 2010 figures. Currently, 3,391 students have enrolled this semester, representing the institution's highest enrollment since Hurricane Katrina inundated the Lakefront campus with floodwater.
Recent statistical reports scrutinize Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and indicate that graduation rates are substantially lower than mainstream institutions of higher learning. To that end, a consortium of higher education experts converged to begin dialogue on creating a comprehensive measure to assist HBCUs in developing meaningful action plans to increase academic achievement among low-income students of color.
A new national poll released Dec 22 shows strong support for “for-profit” education in this economic decline. The poll conducted by Lake Research Partners for Americans For Democratic Action Education Fund surveyed 1,000 adults with oversamples of 500 African Americans, 500 Latino/as, and 250 lower-income whites.
Utilizing data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2008, the Journal found that 31.7 percent of Blacks over the age of three were enrolled in an education program, from nursery school to graduate education. During the same time period, only 24 percent of whites over the age of three were enrolled in formal education programs.
New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) recently opened its doors to the Recovery School District and George Washington Carver High School, providing their students a venue for their annual Holiday Performance Review. More than 70 of Carver’s current students were able to showcase their talents in singing, dance, musicianship and acting on NOCCA’s professional stage Freda Lupin Memorial Hall.
By directing fiscal year 2010 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations toward high school programs and the students who are least likely to graduate prepared for college and work, the Committees on Appropriations are moving in the right direction, according to the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), a coalition of civil rights organizations focused on high school education reform.
Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) has been ranked No. 1 in campus safety with a 98.2 safety rating among Louisiana colleges and universities by StateUniversity.com’s “Safest Schools” report. SUNO was informed of its ranking November 30.
The report — “2008-2009 State of the States in Gifted Education” by the National Association for Gifted Children and the Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted — finds a fragmented collection of policies and resources that vary greatly between states and local districts and that are almost universally underfunded and under-resourced.
Southern University’s Department of Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies has received a $1 million grant to design and operate a program to help students with disabilities succeed in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
When he reached 10 years old, Stewart’s father enrolled him in the nationally acclaimed Timbuktu Academy, an intense science and math program at Southern. The program emphasized the fundamentals of learning, discipline and focus. Four years later, Polite was ready for college.
Whether it was deliberate or not, the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System on Monday, Nov. 16, appointed Frank G. Pogue to serve as Interim President of Grambling State University just in time for the XXXVI Annual Bayou Classic.
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization, announced Tuesday that it has received a $1.8 million grant from The Kresge Foundation in support of the Building Green at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) Initiative.
Colleges fight to get and keep Black males According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, African-Americans at colleges and universities across the nation have a “very low” graduation rate of 44 percent. Despite the disparities in the graduation rates of Black males, there are strides being made across the country to help them get into and stay in college. Read More ... Eboni Farmer, NNPA Special Correspondent
The market share of public school students enrolled in charter schools continues to grow, with New Orleans remaining at the top of the list for the fourth year in a row according to a study released Thursday by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. In 2009, the market share of charter school students increased to 57 percent from last year's report of 55 percent. The 2009 school year brought about the opening of four new charter schools in New Orleans.
Delgado Community College’s Charity School of Nursing invites prospective, current and pre-nursing students and their families to an Open House reception at the School of Nursing Campus (450 S. Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans, La.) 9 a.m. – 12 noon. on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009. The Open House is presented by the Charity Association of Student Nurses and Charity School of Nursing Admissions Office. For more information, contact Carol Leefe at (504) 571-1324 and visit www.dcc.edu.
A new survey finds no progress in participation in afterschool programs by Louisiana youth over the last five years, even as the nation made progress and demand for afterschool programs in Louisiana increased dramatically. The rate of participation in afterschool dropped to just 13 percent in 2009, trailing the national average of 15 percent – and a significant percentage of the state’s children are still unsupervised each afternoon after the school day ends.
(Special to the NNPA from the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder) - According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Blacks employed in top college athletics administration positions have increased minimally since 1995. But, Black women have been particularly unsuccessful at breaking through the color and race barriers at this level of college sports.
On any given day, nearly 23 percent of all young Black men ages 16 to 24 who have dropped out of high school are in jail, prison, or a juvenile justice institution in America, according to a disturbing new national report released Oct. 9 on the dire economic and social consequences of not graduating from high school.
Taylor Yarborough, a freshman at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, was among 100 teens honored recently by the Tavis Smiley Foundation for demonstrating outstanding leadership and service during the organization’s largest recognition and celebration of young people to date.
Mid-city’s Warren Easton Charter High School celebrated the completion of the school building’s new advanced, hurricane-resistant solar roof with a press conference held at the school’s library Wednesday morning.
Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) has received $1.75 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the next five years for its Enhancement, Enrichment and Excellence in Mathematics and Science (E3MaS) grant.
Ensuring that every child in a public school has the opportunity to receive a solid education has been one of the tenets of Dr. George McKenna’s life. The tireless leader believes that children have a fundamental right to receive a proper education that will prepare them to be productive members of society and reach their full potential.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) on Thursday announced an additional $21.7 million for schools throughout the New Orleans area, including funding for Edward Hynes Elementary and Holy Cross schools.
Scholastic and local Clear Channel Radio stations have raised more than $30,000 to purchase Scholastic book certificates for thousands of Greater New Orleans youth to redeem at Read and Rise™ Scholastic Book fairs scheduled to take place throughout the year.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (Special to the NNPA from Black Voice News) — William Alexander was all ears at his mother’s home in Riverside during President Barack Obama’s back-to-school message to kids Sept. 8. The Oakland elementary school teacher who was in the area attending a conference knows the importance of encouraging children to stay in school. In 2004 he became the first in his family to go to college.
In the newly released 2010 edition of the magazine’s widely read annual college guide, Xavier was ranked 27th among the publication’s list of the “Best Universities — Master’s” from the southern region of the United States. That places the university in the “top tier” of the 120 institutions included in that category and marks an improvement over last year’s ranking of 29th.
Last week, both Xavier University and Southern University at New Orleans were in celebratory moods since each university's fall enrollment is at post-Hurricane Katrina highs.
WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) — Graduates of Howard University in Washington, D.C., earn higher salaries than graduates of any other Black college or university as well as some premier non-Black institutions of higher learning, according to a study by salary research company PayScale.
STAIR (Start The Adventure In Reading), a nonprofit children’s literacy program, is seeking tutors for the 2009-2010 school year. Tutor training begins Wednesday, September 16, through Thursday, October 22, at locations around the greater New Orleans area. Training takes only two hours and no experience is necessary. Tutors volunteer after school or on Saturday mornings at STAIR sites in Orleans, Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes.
When you ask Head of School Mickey Landry about the performance of last year’s 4th graders at Lafayette Academy Charter School, he beams with pride. With a week of the new school year behind them, the Carrollton Avenue charter school is still riding high from its recent feat.ninety-eight percent of last year’s 4th-grade students passed the LEAP test to advance to the fifth grade.
At a July 24 briefing, the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE) provided recommendations for the development of common academic standards that take into account the unique needs of students of color and low-income students to ensure that all children, regardless of ZIP code, income, race, or ethnicity are taught to the same high standards.
The New America Alliance (NAA) and The Executive Leadership Council, preeminent organizations of business leaders in the Latino and African-American communities, respectively, will be holding an historic summit in Santa Barbara, California on August 13-15, 2009, to launch a joint national education initiative. The initiative will focus on closing the education achievement gap facing both minority communities and defining the private sector’s role in addressing it. To view the agenda, visit http://naaonline.org/news-and-events/.
Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) will break ground for its Information Technology Center on Thursday, July 23, at 11:30 a.m. at the Lake Campus (rear parking lot behind building 44) at 6801 Press Drive.
Legislation approved by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal recently to lower academic standards for high school graduation from public schools is a disservice to the state’s students, the consequences of which will have long-term moral and economic implications, according to the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), a coalition of civil rights organizations advocating for high school education reform, said July 8.
Dr. Kassie Freeman was selected June 26 over two nationally prominent Southern alumni - retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré and James Joseph, a former U.S. ambassador to South Africa. Honoré led a task force following Hurricane Katrina. Joseph is teaching at Duke University.
Florida A&M University is providing an outstanding opportunity for Black women entering college in the fall of 2009. It is designed to address their absence in the field of computer technology. Dr. Jason Black is the Principal Investigator of a recently awarded $552,000 National Science Foundation grant entitled African-American Women in Computer Science. The grant provides scholarships from $4000 to $10,000 per year for female African-American students.
A national study released last week by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) gives high marks to Louisiana’s charter schools, when compared to the state’s traditional public schools and to charter schools in 14 other states and Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON (Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) - The White House reaffirmed its commitment to historically Black colleges and universities last week in response to criticisms that arose when the proposed education budget revealed the loss of an $85 million allotment to Black institutions.
Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) and Delgado Community College united to rekindle an articulation agreement between the two institutions as well as sign a two-plus-two agreement at a press conference on Wednesday, in the SUNO Park Campus Cafeteria. Dr. Victor Ukpolo, the chancellor of SUNO, and Dr. Ron Wright, the chancellor of Delgado, jointly signed the agreement.
During their senior year of high school, these teenage girls wanted to travel uncharted waters and make school history with a class trip on a cruise. It doesn't seem like a big deal in today's liberal environment, but this was 20 years ago at the all-girls St. Mary's Academy. The Class of 1989 was determined and persistent; they didn't want anything but a cruise. They got their wish and were the first graduating class in recent history to not have a senior trip.
It was Wednesday, April 1, but it was no April Fool's joke when Blaine Robertson, a senior at East St. John High School, got a phone call telling him that his college education was paid in full.
Students and recent college graduates who want to work for city government and develop their skills to become leaders in our New Orleans community still have time to apply to the 10th annual Mayoral Fellows Program.
On Thursday Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) welcomed Tony Russell, the Acting Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Louisiana office. Dr. Victor Ukpolo, the Chancellor of SUNO, toured several buildings with Russell as well as representatives from the offices of Senator Mary Landrieu and Congressman Anh “Joseph” Cao. Representatives from the Louisiana Office of Facility Planning and Control were also on hand for the tour.
The Louisiana Weekly recently published two articles containing information about Xavier University College of Pharmacy that erroneously gave readers the impression that the institution's College of Pharmacy was placed on probation or lost its accreditation. Neither is true.
(BLACK PR WIRE) - Remember reading those "Choose Your Own Adventure" novels as a child? You would come to a crossroad in the story where you had to decide a course of action for the characters. Each decision was followed by more decisions, and made for several possible endings in just one book.
St. Mary's Academy showcases recovery in New Orleans East St. Mary’s Academy kicked off its Festival on the Highway Friday, March 20 with proceeds benefiting the school’s Enhancement Fund. The fun-filled event features carnival rides, games, food, entertainment, vendor booths, a silent auction and a $1000 Mega Raffle.Read More ... The Louisiana Weekly
As opponents of state takeover in East Baton Rouge and New Orleans fight Louisiana Department of Education's current efforts to revitalize chronically failing schools, they should not be so quick to resist charter schools. State takeover should not equate to charter schools. Educational leaders, unions, community groups and others who oppose state takeover will find fewer methods for ensuring educational quality and state intrusion than by being directly responsible for schools. If the aforementioned groups do not want State control and greater community involvement, then concerned citizens should take the schools off the state's hands and charter them.
Read More ... Andre M. Perry, Contributing Columnist
Delgado Community College will hold an Allied Health & Nursing Career Showcase, providing information on college programs, financial aid opportunities and career options, on Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 9 a.m. - noon. The fair will be held in the Michael L. Williamson Complex/Gym in Building 11 on the City Park Campus (615 City Park Avenue, New Orleans, La.). The event is free and open to the public.
(Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspapers) - Part of the mission of the nation's historically Black institutions (HBI) is to provide a college education for a disproportionate number of students who can't afford to go to most traditionally white institutions (TWI).
According to statewide 2008 standardized test results, minority students in Texas rank dead last in vital education subjects like math, science, reading and writing. Add to that the devastating effects of poverty, and the statistics paint a not-so-pretty picture of the state of many inner-city youth.
Liberty Bank and Trust Company will hold its annual fundraiser to benefit UNCF on Thursday, March 12, 2009. Titled, Liberty Bank/UNCF Ball in the City, the 15-year-old event, has raised more than $1 million with all proceeds supporting the educational mission of the United Negro College Fund. Receiving 80 percent of those proceeds are New Orleans' UNCF institutions, Dillard and Xavier universities.
Xavier University president Norman C. Francis is slated to receive the St. Katharine Drexel National Justice Award from the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Bensalem, Pennsylvania - near Philadelphia.
Delgado Community College has registered 14,678 students college-wide for spring 2009 semester, representing an increase of 11.4 percent over spring 2008 enrollment. Spring 2009 numbers represent continuing strong recovery for Delgado since Hurricane Katrina disrupted an historic enrollment trend in fall 2005; the college has realized double-digit increases in year-over-year enrollment every semester since the college resumed classes post-storm in spring 2006.
The Xavier University SuperScholar/EXCEL program returns to the campus this summer June 21 - July 18, 2009. The four-week summer program, which prepares African-American students for college and ultimately for graduate or professional school, is currently accepting applications.
Southern University at New Orleans' (SUNO) Center for African and African-American Studies (The Center) continues a tradition of events for Black History Month. The extensive calendar of activities features a lecture by Dr. Curtis Austin, associate professor of history and director of the Center for Black Studies at the University of Southern Mississippi.
(NewsUSA) — Across the country, families are making every hard-earned dollar count. But even as belts tighten, making a child’s education a priority has never been more important.
The Marcus Garvey Resource and Cultural Center/Washington Avenue Community Center, operating out of temporary headquarters located at 3300 Toledano Avenue in Mid-City, recently announced its First Annual Scholarship Book Stipend.
Daria Atkinson, a former New Orleans student, was recently nominated to represent the state of Georgia as a National Scholar at the national Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) held in Washington, D.C.
In response to the state's impending budget shortfall, the Southern University Board of Supervisors met Thursday to approve a budget reduction plan that would reduce the Southern University System's budget by $6,957,331. The plan, which calls for the reduction to be shared by the Board and System and each campus within the System, is preliminary and seeks to protect the core mission of the university as much as possible from the negative effects of budget cuts, university officials said.
On a night sure to be remembered, long-time Xavier University of Louisiana President Norman Francis and First Lady Blanche Francis were honored Nov. 21 in an Anniversary Gala worthy of the name.
"I was surprised to see a blond, blue-eyed, pink-faced man, with a southern drawl, nattily dressed with a courtly manner. He was not typical of the civil rights members of that era," said Sybil Morial of her introduction to Clifton Johnson, founder and director emeritus of the Amistad Research Center, during a celebration of his life in early November. Johnson died May 21, 2008, at his home in Eugene, Oregon.
Mocha Moms launch literacy program at local barbershops and beauty salons If it's true that knowledge is power and this is the Information Age, there is perhaps no skill more important in determining the success of individuals than literacy. While literacy enables people to function and take care of themselves in a democratic society, perhaps even more critical to the success and personal growth of an individual is a hunger for knowledge and a desire to read books.Read More ... Edmund W. Lewis, Editor
SUNO' police chief quits amid state inquiry Capt. Leatrice Warren's resignation comes on the heels of the release of a report Tuesday from the state inspector general accusing her of running personal errands when she should have been working, padding her salary with excessive overtime compensation and skipping the required annual firearms test for five years.Read More ...
Two New Orleans natives have been inducted into the 2008 Grambling State University Alumni Hall of Fame. The inductees, Dr. Neari Francois Warner and Mr. Aaron James, are both graduates of Walter L. Cohen Senior High School.
LONG BEACH, Calif. (Special to the NNPA from the Los Angeles WAVE) — In an appearance before an annual gathering of powerful women, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the failing American education system has become “the most pressing national security issue in this country right now.”
Read More ... By Marisela Santana Contributing Writer
Recently, the Louisiana Children’s Defense Fund hosted a “From Cradle to Prison Pipeline Summit” where Marian Wright Edelman, the Defense Fund’s founder, served as keynote speaker. The event took place on the campus of Dillard University of New Orleans.
Read More ... By Katrina Rogers, Contributing Writer
What some call pride of place, New Orleanians call home. While others bemoan potholes, poverty and prison, New Orleanians celebrate the joie de vivre. It is not that New Orleanians are oblivious to their city's problems, it's just that they tend to live in the here and now because - as is often said - "Tomorrow is not promised."
Read More ... By Valentine Pierce Contributing Writer
SUNO to host international multicultural conference Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) will serve as the host institution for the 18th Annual National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME, www.nameorg.org) International Conference. The conference will take place at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel November 12-16 under the theme "Beyond Celebrating Diversity: ReACTivating the Equity and Social Justice Roots of Multicultural Education." Read More ...
Benjamin Franklin High School is proud to announce the following students have earned recognition in the 54th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the nation’s oldest and most successful minority education assistance organization, recently launched its National Faith Campaign at a brunch for faith leaders in Los Angeles. The campaign aims to engage and encourage the faith community to support UNCF, minority students, and the 39 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that belong to UNCF, and to build a robust network of informed advocates for minority education. UNCF expects the new campaign to raise $10 million by 2013.
CHICAGO (Special to the NNPA from the Chicago Crusader) - A study that surveyed Fortune 1000 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) executives representing leading science and technology companies in the United States, was released last week by Bayer Corporation.
Read More ... By J. Coyden Palmer, Contributing Writer
Educational attainment, family structure and savings are the strongest determinants of whether Americans move up, or down, the economic ladder, according to a new report authored by Stuart Butler, William Beach and Paul Winfree of The Heritage Foundation and released Sept. 18 by the Economic Mobility Project, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Building upon the Project's previous reports, which have established broad agreement about the status of mobility in America today, Pathways to Economic Mobility: Key Indicators explores a series of factors that affect the likelihood of economic movement within a lifetime or from one generation to the next. This report classifies the main indicators of mobility into three distinct categories: social capital, human capital and financial capital.
Urban League 'College Track' program is off and running Fifty Pierre A. Capdau Early College High School freshmen were chosen to participate in the ground-breaking Urban League College Track, an after-school college preparatory program that offers the foundation necessary to develop productive, well-rounded individuals beyond high school. Read More ... By Kelly Parker, Contributing Writer
As young people return to school, whether at the K-12 level or in higher education, they need to understand that their search for knowledge is embraced and supported by a community that not only wants them to succeed, but that is also prepared to invest in their success. I write from the cutting experience of seeing young women get discouraged because of the loan load they must shoulder to matriculate, and because of the challenges they face searching for knowledge.
A community center shuttered by Hurricane Katrina that once served as a place to mentor youth, raise money for college-bound students and assist with voter registration will reopen its doors with the help of an annual jazz brunch hosted by the Delta Sigma Theta New Orleans Alumnae Chapter Foundation.
Black students showing strong gains, charter school studies find Results from four studies show Black students in public charter schools making important gains and outperforming their counterparts in traditional schools on standard academic tests. The studies are summarized in a new issue brief "The Color of Success: Read More ...
Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, praised members of Congress last Friday for its reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Cedric Blair, a sophomore majoring in economics and finance at Dillard University, was recently named a recipient of a 2008 Institute for International Public Policy Fellowship on Tuesday, July 8.
A special report by Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine once again provides documentation of the Xavier University of Louisiana's success in a number of academic disciplines.
The Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), the leading coalition of high-profile civil rights organizations focused on education reform, recently held a Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill to promote the importance of culturally based teaching in high schools.
Local chapter of AKA sorority hosts its Annual Beautillion “Twenty Years Later: The Future Is Now” was the theme for the Alpha Beta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s Annual Beautillion held on Saturday, June 7, in the Grand Ballroom of the Xavier University Student Center. Read More ...
Free summer camps for middle-school students starts June 9 Operation REACH, Inc. will host the Gulfsouth Youth Action Camps, fun and enriching summer camps open to rising fifth- through eighth-graders, June 9 to July 25, 2008 at the Cutoff Community Center on the Westbank and Einstein Charter School in eastern New Orleans. Read More ...
McDonogh 35 holds Annual Commencement Execises The 91st Graduating Class of McDonogh 35 was conferred diplomas on May 21, 2008 at the UNO Lakefront Arena with NOPS Superintendent Darryl C. Kilbert delivering the keynote address. Read More ...
SUNO Foundation’s ‘BASH III’ to honor Edward ‘Kidd’ Jordan The Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) Foundation will hold its third “BASH” on Thursday, June 26, 2008, at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside at 7 p.m. The event will honor legendary jazz musician Edward “Kidd” Jordan in an effort to raise funds for University scholarships and endowments. It is the first BASH since Hurricane Katrina. Read More ...
Xavier Prep presents debutantes at its Annual Cotillion Earlier this Spring Season, the Crystal Palace became the setting for Annual Debutant Cotillion of Xavier University Preparatory School. “One Moment in Time” was the theme for this momentous occasion for the 39 senior class members who were presented that evening. Read More ...
Wadsworth Davis
Clarification: McDonogh 35 predates the 1930s Sometimes facts can get a bit confused. And sometimes, especially in this Post-Katrina world we New Orleanians live in, we get a bit confused. Most assuredly, that’s what happened with our feature story in the May 19-25, 2008 issue, titled “McDonogh 35’s first ‘Negro’ Class observes 73rd Class Reunion.” Read More ... By Valentine Pierce
SUNO returns three academic programs The Louisiana Board of Regents last week unanimously granted approval for the reinstatement of three critical programs to Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO). Students will once again have the option to major either in Mathematics, English or History. Read More ...
Future state takeovers of public schools When local attorney and public activist James Garvey saw that no one was planning to run for the open seat on the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, he put his name forward—and was elected without opposition. Upon arrival, he found himself one of the eleven people now responsible for not only governing most of the Orleans Parish School System, but preparing to potentially take control of failing schools across Louisiana. Read More ... By Christopher Tidmore
