U.S. Department of Education officials, John Silvanus Wilson, Jr., executive director, White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Alberto Retana, director of Community Outreach, will participate in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) education summit in Raleigh, Dec. 2-4. On Friday, Retana will give luncheon remarks where he will provide an overview on the Department’s School Improvement Grant funding, geared toward turning around underperforming schools, and Promise Neighborhoods initiative, aimed at investing in improved education and community services for children in distressed communities. On Saturday, Wilson will join the NAACP National Board of Directors and the NAACP state education leaders for a panel discussion on sustaining the valuable work of HBCUs. The summit is part of the NAACP’s Daisy Bates Education Summit where NAACP state education leaders, HBCU presidents, chancellors, researchers and other key constituents will discuss issues affecting the financial health and stability of HBCUs.