Acting Deputy Secretary of Education Jim Shelton and Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Excellence in Education for African Americans David Johns will give remarks at the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) annual Exemplary Leadership Summit in Houston on Friday and Saturday, June 28-June 29.
On Friday, Shelton will discuss building systems and supports required to produce excellence and equity in the age of higher standards and greater domestic and global competition. He also will highlight ways in which the President’s education agenda can help bring this work to scale nationally.
Johns’ remarks on Saturday will focus on the work of the new initiative, as well as the President's investments in education and workforce development programs that impact African Americans.
The Obama Administration is committed to narrowing the achievement gap by ensuring that minority and low-income students are able to learn from a highly effective teacher. As part of the Race to the Top challenge, 17 states changed their laws to better support and prepare effective teachers. Since 2009, the Administration has dedicated more than $4 billion in School Improvement Grants to fund transformational change, focusing on those schools where children have long been underserved.
The National Alliance of Black School Educators is a national nonprofit organization devoted to improving both the educational experiences and accomplishments of African American youth through the development and use of instructional and motivational methods that increase academic achievement. Now in its 38th year, NABSE has more than 10,000 members. The leadership summit will bring together prominent educators, including teachers, administrators, superintendents and corporate and institutional members, to discuss education as a civil right for African American children.