• The Pledge

    “A Pledge by America’s Great City Schools” is a pact among urban school districts to improve the educational outcomes of Males of Color by implementing a set of evidence-based strategies that range from early childhood through graduation.  The Pledge outlines 11 areas that impact the outcomes of Males of Color which taken together has the potential to transform how schools educate Males of Color from different racial, cultural and linguistic backgrounds.  Over sixty large city superintendents and school boards have signed onto the Pledge and have committed to implementing long-term initiatives in their respective districts to improve the lives of Males of Color. 

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    A Pledge by America’s Great City Schools

     
    • Whereas, some 32 percent of the nation’s African American males and some 39 percent of the nation’s Hispanic males attend school each day in one of the Great City School systems; and
    • Whereas, the academic achievement of Males of Color in the nation’s urban school systems and nationally is well below what it needs to be for these young people to be successful in college and careers; and
    • Whereas, disproportionate numbers of Males of Color drop out of urban schools and often have low attendance rates; and
    • Whereas, Males of Color disproportionately attend under-resourced schools and are taught by the least-effective teachers; and 
    • Whereas, the nation’s Great City Schools have an obligation to teach all students under their aegis to the highest academic standards and prepare them for successful participation in our nation: 
    • Be It Therefore Resolved that, the Great City Schools pledge to ensure that its pre-school efforts better serve Males of Color and their academic and social development, and 
    • That the Great City Schools will adopt and implement elementary and middle school efforts to increase the pipeline of Males of Color who are succeeding academically and socially in our urban schools and who are on track to succeed in high school, and
    • That the Great City Schools will keep data and establish protocols that will allow it to monitor the progress of Males of Color and other students in our schools and appropriately intervene at the earliest warning signs, and
    • That the Great City Schools will adopt and implement promising and proven approaches to reducing absenteeism, especially chronic absenteeism, among Males of Color, and
    • That the Great City Schools will develop initiatives and regularly report on progress in retaining Males of Color in school and reducing disproportionate suspension and expulsion rates, and
    • That the Great City Schools will develop initiatives and regularly report on progress in increasing the numbers of our Males of Color and other students participating in advanced placement and honors courses and gifted and talented programs, and
    • That the Great City Schools will strongly encourage colleges of education to adopt curriculum that addresses the academic, cultural, and social needs of Males of Color, and that the district will maintain data on how these teachers do with our Males of Color, and 
    • That the Great City Schools will develop initiatives and regularly report on progress in increasing the numbers of Males of Color and other students who complete the FASFA, and
    • That the Great City Schools will work to reduce as appropriate the disproportionate numbers of Males of Color in special education courses, and
    • That the Great City Schools will work to transform high schools with persistently low graduation rates among Males of Color and others and to provide literacy and engagement initiatives with parents, and
    • That the Great City Schools will engage in a broader discussion and examination of how issues of race, language, and culture affect the work of our district.

    Council of the Great City Schools

    Albuquerque Public Schools

    Anchorage School District

    Atlanta Public Schools

    Austin Public Schools

    Baltimore City Public Schools

    Birmingham Public Schools

    Boston Public Schools

    Bridgeport Public Schools

    Broward County Public Schools

    Buffalo Public Schools

    Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools

    Chicago Public Schools

    Cincinnati Public Schools

    Clark County (Las Vegas) Public Schools

    Cleveland Metropolitan School District

    Columbus City School District

    Dallas Independent School District

    Dayton Public Schools

    Denver Public Schools

    Des Moines Public Schools

    Detroit Public Schools

    District of Columbia Public Schools

    Duval County (Jacksonville) Public Schools

    East Baton Rouge Parish School System

    El Paso Independent School District

    Fort Worth Independent School District

    Fresno Unified School District

    Guilford County (Greensboro) Public Schools

    Hillsborough County (Tampa) Public Schools

    Houston Independent School District

    Indianapolis Public Schools

    Jackson Public Schools

    Jefferson County (Louisville) Public Schools

    Kansas City (MO) Public Schools

    Long Beach Unified School District

    Los Angeles Unified School District

    Miami-Dade County Public Schools

    Milwaukee Public Schools

    Minneapolis Public Schools

    Nashville Public Schools

    Newark Public Schools

    New York City Department of Education

    Norfolk Public Schools

    Oakland Unified School District

    Oklahoma City Public Schools

    Omaha Public Schools

    Orange County (Orlando) Public Schools

    Palm Beach School District

    Philadelphia School District

    Pittsburgh Public Schools

    Portland Public Schools

    Providence Public Schools

    Richmond Public Schools

    Rochester City School District

    Sacramento City Unified School District

    Saint Paul Public Schools

    San Diego Unified School District

    San Francisco Public Schools

    Seattle Public Schools

    Shelby County (Memphis) Public Schools

    Toledo Public Schools