Deputy Secretary of Education Jim Shelton will give panel remarks at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Conference today, Aug. 1, in Boston. He will participate on a panel titled “From Repairing the Breach to My Brother’s Keeper: Reconnecting African American Men and Boys to American Society.” Shelton, along with a panel of experts and advocates, will discuss the systematic and holistic approaches related to the plight of African American men and boys, and how journalists and communicators can help change and improve perceptions of black males in American culture and society. In addition, Shelton will highlight the administration’s efforts to reduce racial disparities in the classroom and President Obama’s initiative My Brother’s Keeper aimed at creating pathways to success for men and boys of color. Shelton, who is the executive director of My Brother’s Keeper task force, also will discuss the Department’s comprehensive Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), which addresses the disparities in educational opportunities among African Americans and other students of color.
The Obama Administration’s commitment to equity in education underlies nearly every significant activity of the U.S. Department of Education—from My Brother’s Keeper to the proposed Race to the Top-Equity and Opportunity grant program, which would create incentives for states and school districts to drive comprehensive change in how they identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps.