A PLAN FOR SUCCESSCommunities of Color Define Policy Prioritiesfor High School Reform

Introduction

Communities across the UnitedStates share a common desireto see their children graduatefrom high school with a qualityeducation that prepares themfor college, the twenty-first-centuryworkplace, and overall successin life. Yet far too often, somecommunities are torn apart bythe tragic consequences of anunequal public education systemthat fails to provide high-qualityeducation to students of colorand youth from low-incomeneighborhoods.

Nowhere is this crisis more acutethan in our nation’s high schools.The problem is defined by severalvariables, including a growingnumber of schools that haveinadequate human and materialresources, large differencesin student achievement, andunacceptable numbers of dropouts.

Why are there such blatantinequities in the distributionof education opportunities inAmerica? One key problem isthat many high-poverty schools,which predominately servestudents of color, lack the fundingand resources of wealthier schoolsand districts. A recent reportnoted that in thirty-one of forty-nine states studied, schooldistricts with the highest minority

enrollments received fewerresources than districts withthe lowest number of minoritiesenrolled (Carey 2004). Anotherstudy determined that in schoolswhere at least 75 percent ofthe students were low-income,there were three times as manyuncertified or out-of-field teachersteaching English and science thanthere were in wealthier schools(Wirt et al. 2004).

Students of color and low-incomestudents are also ill-served bylow academic expectations, whichoften result in their disproportionateenrollment in less rigorous courses(Barth 2003). The challenges offewer resources and loweredexpectations serve as barriersfor districts and schools thatstruggle to improve their students’achievement to the levels ofwhite students from more affluentareas. The consequences canbe seen, for example, in NationalAssessment of EducationalProgress (NAEP) statistics, whichshow that 86 percent of Hispanicand 89 percent of African Americaneighth graders read below gradelevel, compared to 63 percentof white eighth graders (U.S.Department of Education 2005).The consequences are also acutefor English language learners (ELL):only 4 percent of eighth-gradeELL students reached the proficientor advanced NAEP reading levelsin 2005 (U.S. Department ofEducation 2005).

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Quality education is a civil right. However,many of our nation’s children, overwhelmingly

those of color or from low-incomebackgrounds, are being denied the educationthey deserve, trapped in under-performing,

under-funded, and often segregated schools.It is both a moral and economic imperative

that we close the opportunity gap and ensurethat all children have access to the high quality

education they will need to succeed in life.Wade Henderson

Counselor, Leadership Conference onCivil Rights Education Fund (LCCREF)

President and CEO, Leadership Conferenceon Civil Rights (LCCR)

of color in the growing nationaldiscussion about secondaryschool reform.

The Campaign for High SchoolEquity (CHSE) is a diversecoalition of national organizationsrepresenting communities ofcolor that believe that high schoolsshould have the capacity andmotivation to prepare everystudent for graduation, college,work, and life.

Members of the Campaign includethe Leadership Conference on CivilRights Education Fund, the Leagueof United Latin American Citizens,the Mexican American LegalDefense and Educational Fund,the National Association for theAdvancement of Colored People,the National Association of LatinoElected and Appointed OfficialsEducational Fund, the NationalCouncil of La Raza, the NationalIndian Education Association,the National Urban League, andthe Southeast Asia ResourceAction Center. The Alliance forExcellent Education serves asthe Campaign’s convener and

coordinator. These organizationshave long been involved in theeducation policy issues facingthe nation. Their experiences andspecialized understanding of theissues add significantly to the highschool reform debate, and mustbe included as an integral part ofthe national discussion about policychange options as the countrymoves toward action.

In recognition of the facts andchallenges enumerated above,these groups and other civilrights organizations met regularlywith the Alliance for ExcellentEducation over the past year todiscuss problems and solutionsfor students of color who arepoorly served by America’shigh schools.

This document outlines CHSE’scollective sense of the policypriorities that must be addressedif our nation’s high schools are tochange so that all young peoplegraduate from high school readyto work, ready for college, andready to be knowledgeablecitizens. Its intent is to acquaint

Every school year, about 1.2 millionstudents drop out of our nation’shigh schools, leaving almost oneof every three freshmen without ahigh school degree four years later(Swanson 2004). While roughly70 percent of high school studentsgraduate on time, African American,Hispanic, and American Indian andAlaska Native students have onlya 55 percent or less chance ofgraduating from high school witha regular diploma (Greene andWinters 2006). In addition—andcontrary to the model minoritymyth—many Asian Americansalso face barriers in education.For example, about 50 percentof Cambodians and Laotians andabout 60 percent of Hmong agedtwenty-five and older who are livingin the United States have less thana high school education (Reevesand Bennett 2004).

Research shows that about 2,000of America’s 17,000 high schoolsproduce approximately half ofAmerica’s dropouts (Balfanzand Legters 2004). In theseschools—commonly called“dropout factories”—less than60 percent of ninth graders areenrolled as twelfth graders fouryears later. The nation’s studentsof color are four times more likelythan the nation’s nonminoritystudents to attend one of theselow-performing schools, and threetimes less likely to attend a highschool with very high graduationrates. With the growth of the

nonwhite population expectedto outpace overall populationgrowth in coming years, a steadilyrising percentage of Americanswill be without high schooldiplomas if this situation isnot effectively addressed.

Dropouts are more likely than highschool graduates to experiencepoverty, poor health, andincarceration during their adultlives. And the high cost of droppingout is borne not only by theindividual but by all Americans,who pay an economic and socialprice when students leave highschool without a diploma. Ifminority high school graduationrates were raised to the currentlevel of whites by 2020, and ifthose new graduates went on topostsecondary education at similarrates, the potential increase inpersonal income across the countrywould add, conservatively, morethan $310.4 billion to the U.S.economy (Alliance for ExcellentEducation 2006a).

Campaign for High SchoolEquity (CHSE)

While many in the educationpolicy world are aware of andcommitted to the need toconcentrate on the plight oflow-income students andstudents of color, a vast amountof insight can be gained byincorporating the knowledgeand perspectives of communities

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Parents and communities play a key a role instrengthening educational opportunities andensuring the success of young Latino students.We must make this critical link between parents,communities, and schools to prevent more dropoutsand increase the number of graduates preparedfor college, work, and life.

Rosa RosalesPresident, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)

Defining Policy Priorities

The role of fostering educationalequity is a historic one for thefederal government, from schooldesegregation to Title IX to FederalPell Grants and Title I. WithAmerica’s high schools currentlyexacerbating rather than eliminatingopportunity gaps, the time hasclearly come for all communities,with leadership from the federallevel, to act on an agenda todramatically improve America’shigh schools.

Although the federal governmenthas involved itself in the reformof elementary schools, it hasbeen less involved in America’ssecondary schools. The No ChildLeft Behind Act (NCLB) has helpedto bring issues of race and ethnicityto the center of discussions on theeducation crisis. As required byNCLB, state, district, and schoolreport cards all contain informationabout student achievementdisaggregated by race and ethnicity(as well as low-income status,limited English proficient status, andother factors). Those achievementgaps at the elementary level explain,in part, the failure of high schoolsto educate students of color andlow-income youth. Building on thisfoundation, the reauthorization ofNCLB (scheduled to be undertakenby the Congress) should have as aprimary focus the reform of

America’s high schools to bettereducate students of color. Thefollowing policy recommendationsare designed to spur changes that,if implemented, would improve theacademic and socioeconomicoutcomes for students of colorand low-income students.

Make All Students Proficient andPrepared for College and Work

Access to equal opportunitycan only exist if all students arechallenged to reach the samehigh expectations. Only abouthalf of students who graduate fromhigh school are prepared to besuccessful in college (Greene andWinters 2005). Those who attendcollege without the basic skills theyshould have mastered in highschool cost the nation more than$1.4 billion a year in communitycollege remedial education alone(Alliance for Excellent Education2006b). Sadly, surveys of employersindicate that many high schoolgraduates also do not have theskills necessary for success in theworkplace (Conference Board et al.2006). States and districts shouldwork in partnership with schoolsand communities to restore thevalue and utility of a high schooldiploma. Organizations that aredoing work to align state standardswith college- and work-readinessbenchmarks, such as Achieve’sAmerican Diploma Project, are alsoimportant in helping to achieve thisgoal. To promote proficiency and

policymakers, advocates,educators, and the generalpublic with key policy leversidentified by these organizationsto increase high school graduationrates, as well as the college andworkforce readiness of minorityand low-income youth.

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Education equity andeducation equality arethe birthrights of allnative children andform the cultural andlanguage legaciesof their families,communities, andnations.

VerlieAnn Malina-WrightPresident, National Indian

Education Association (NIEA)

arrived immigrant students,and former limited Englishproficient students);

• invest in technical assistanceand evidence-based schoolimprovement tools to providestates, districts, and communitieswith resources to improvelow-performing high schools;

• use high-quality valid andaccurate assessments for allstudents (including appropriateuse of accommodations whenneeded and mandatory use ofalternative assessments, whichmay include native languageassessments and simplifiedEnglish assessments whenELL students have not yetmet the threshold for taking

standard English-languageassessments); and

• disseminate high school data andother information through mediaand other information distributionvehicles specifically servingcommunities of color.

Redesign the AmericanHigh School

It is not enough for states, districts,and schools to raise expectations;they must also provide sufficientsupport for their students to helpthem reach and surpass thesehigher standards. Additionally, somecategories of students, like thosewho have learning disabilities orare English language learners, mayneed more specialized support(Short and Fitzsimmons 2006).In order to address students’diverse needs, states and districtsmust provide their schools with themeans to explore and implementnew educational models, as wellas other effective interventionssuch as literacy programs, personalgraduation plans, and extendedlearning time. To truly serve theneeds of America’s diverse learners,high schools must be redesignedin the following ways:

• implement a variety of quality highschool models shown to supportdifferent learning styles andstudent situations (for example,high-quality charter schools,small schools, newcomerschools, alternative schools,

preparedness, policies thatsupport the following shouldbe implemented:

• align high school standards,assessments, curriculum,and instruction with college-and work-readiness standards,including critical thinkingand problem-solving skills;

• require states to publicly reporton access to college preparatoryclasses and course-takingpatterns by income, race,and ethnicity, both amongand within schools;

• provide meaningful informationand other support for parentsseeking a rigorous curriculumfor their child;

• promote culturally relevantcontent knowledge and teachingthat prepares students to beeffective in a global economy;and

• ensure that all students,especially those in high-needschools, receive rigorousand engaging classes incore subjects.

Hold High Schools Accountablefor Student Success

If the purpose of high school isto prepare students for collegeand work, then high schools shouldbe held accountable for meetingthis expectation for all studentsequally. As it stands, there arefew mechanisms for making surethat high schools accomplish

this mission. A well-designedaccountability system shouldhelp communities ensure thattheir schools are serving theirchildren well. Proposals thathold high schools to a higherstandard include the following:

• develop state longitudinal datasystems with unique studentidentifiers that align student datawith teacher data and schoolperformance and resource data;

• define graduation rates accordingto a common standard and uselongitudinal data systems andindividual student identifiers tofollow every child’s path tograduation;

• develop an NCLB accountabilitysystem that requires schoolsto increase their disaggregatedgraduation rates over time andto consider graduation rates onan equal footing with high-qualityassessments aligned to collegeand work readiness indetermining school quality;

• provide states and districtswith incentives to fostermore effective, data-drivendecisionmaking and professionaldevelopment in the use of datato improve policy and practicefor state and district officials,school leaders, teachers,and parents;

• publicly report disaggregatedracial and ethnic data to highlightsubgroups of students (forexample, Southeast Asiansand Pacific Islanders, newly

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Our schools cannot beconsidered successfuluntil they address theneeds of all students.This includes Englishlanguage learners, whohave a long history ofbeing overlooked. It isvital to the future ofour nation that allchildren be able toachieve so they areprepared for collegeand the twenty-firstcentury workforce.

Janet MurguíaPresident, National Council

of La Raza (NCLR)

Provide Students With theExcellent Leaders and TeachersThey Need to Succeed

Secondary schools designated asneeding improvement tend to havefewer school resources and poorerworking conditions; they alsodisproportionately serve studentsof color and are located in areas ofconcentrated poverty (Cohen andGinsburg 2001). Schools with thesechallenges require especially strongand effective leaders. Unfortunately,the multiple challenges associatedwith low-performing schools impairthe effective recruitment andretention of experienced principals(Stecher et al. 2003). Sinceprincipals have a critical role inmanaging the school environmentand setting high expectations forteacher and student academicperformance, it is important toadopt policies that attract andkeep effective leaders in schoolsneeding improvement.

It is often difficult to recruithigh-quality teachers tolow-performing schools for manyof the same reasons that makeattracting effective principals achallenge. Teachers in theseschools generally do not havethe benefit of effective mentoringand other introductory trainingsupports, and ongoing professionaldevelopment opportunities arescarce. These teachers also areoften stressed by trying to makesure their students reach standards

that, with the previously mentionedlack of resources, may seemimpossible to attain. As a result,low-performing schoolsdisproportionately attract teacherswho are new to the professionand/or are teaching out of theirfield of expertise (Peske andHaycock 2006).

One measure of success forsecondary school teachers istheir ability to increase studentachievement by effectivelycommunicating and engaging adiverse group of students aroundcomplex academic content whileadroitly managing the classroomenvironment. This is a tall task formost individuals, and it is especiallydifficult when teachers lackadequate support systems.

Recommendations to improveschool leader and teachereffectiveness include the following:

• provide higher pay and otherincentives, such as home-buyingprograms or tax credits, toattract highly effective schoolleaders and teachers to servein high-need middle and highschools;

• establish incentives for leadersand teachers whose studentsand schools exhibit markedimprovement in academicachievement and otheroutcomes;

• equip and train school leadersand teachers working in

career academies, distancelearning, and immersion schools);

• provide integrated studentsupports that utilize bothin-school and community-basedservices (for example, high-qualityhigh school counselors, socialworkers, health care, and mentalhealth services);

• promote strategies (such asliteracy coaches or nativelanguage instruction) andtargeted interventions (such asafterschool programs or blockscheduling) that improve studentnumeracy and literacy skillswithout sacrificing access tohigh-level academic subjects;

• promote instructional practicesdesigned to meet the needs ofdiverse learners such as reflexivelearning and culturally competentlearning techniques;

• ensure that legally andeducationally valid criteria areused to appropriately informdecisions regarding studenteligibility for services in specialeducation, services for Englishlanguage learners, collegepreparatory curricula, and giftedand talented programs;

• develop consistent standardsand practices, such as improvedidentification and assessmentsystems, to facilitate Englishlanguage learners’ integrationinto the American publiceducation system; and

• provide access to computers andother learning technologies thatcan be used to complementin-class instruction and tutoring.

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Contrary to the ‘modelminority myth,’—the ideathat all Asian PacificAmerican (APA) studentsare achieving above andbeyond—APA students facetremendous challenges ineducation. The plight of APAimmigrant, refugee, andEnglish language learnerstudents are often obscuredand overshadowed and onlywhen data is disaggregateddo some of the needs of thispopulation become moreapparent. We call on thereauthorization of NCLB toinclude disaggregation ofdata which will highlightsome of the real barriers forall students including APAs.

Doua ThorExecutive Director, Southeast AsiaResource Action Center (SEARAC)

• create and support multilingualparent centers to train parentsand other caregivers ininterpreting school and studentperformance data, advocatingon behalf of their children,working with their children andschool personnel to developpersonal graduation plans, andselecting courses their childrenneed in order to graduate fromhigh school prepared for collegeand overall success in life;

• provide more support forcommunity-based organizationsrunning afterschool andout-of-school programs, andcoordinate these programs toensure alignment with students’academic goals and needs;

• improve access tocommunity-based resourcesthat support students’ abilityto learn by locating services,such as health clinics andchild-care centers, withinor near schools; and

• create business and communitypartnerships that support studentenrichment opportunities (suchas internships) and facilitatecommunity and college linkages.

Provide Equitable LearningConditions for All Students

Persistent disparities in theallocation of key educationresources often bar low-income andminority students from receiving thehigh-quality education they deserve.Research demonstrates that, across

high-need schools by supportingin-school clinical training,effective induction and mentoringprograms, and other professionaldevelopment opportunitiesdesigned to better enable schoolleaders and teachers to teachstudents effectively, as well asto understand the students’school, family, and communityenvironments;

• support principal and teacherdiversity recruitment andpreparation programs in schoolsof education that diversify thegender, socioeconomic, racial,ethnic, and linguistic compositionof the nation’s principal andteacher pool, integrate culturallycompetent school and classroominstructional leadership methodswith effective managementtechniques, and provideadditional financial assistanceto teacher candidates;

• develop and support educationcenters of excellence atminority-serving institutionsto strengthen their capacityto recruit and train a diversepool of teachers;

• promote the development ofprincipals and teachers from thecommunity by creating a pipelinethat draws from sources suchas teacher aides and existinghigh school students, andby recruiting highly qualifiedtraditional and nontraditionalprofessionals; and

• develop standards for managingdiversity in the school context

and require quality diversitymanagement training andcertification as a standard partof principal and teacher training.

Invest Communities inStudent Success

Every high school needs a safeand supportive community, insideand outside the classroom,so the focus can be on improvingacademic achievement. The schoolenvironment is critical to studentsuccess, but it is not the only factorthat impacts secondary schoolstudents’ academic and socialoutcomes. Families andcommunities also play key roles inshaping the environment. Studentsin low-performing schools often donot receive the same exposure tooutside learning opportunities astheir more affluent counterparts.As a result, they start the academicrace steps behind other students,and many never catch up. Too oftenthese students do not have accessto the quality community supportservices that can contribute to theiroverall health, well-being, anddevelopment. Measures should betaken to harmonize the incentiveand disincentive structures of theexternal and internal environmentsto support each student’s ability tostay in school, excel academically,and develop into a healthyand productive individual.Recommendations to helpcoordinate these structuresinclude the following:

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Often, schools servinghigh-poverty orpredominantly minoritycommunities do not receivethe resources that theirmore affluent counterpartsreceive. Such disparitiesmust be eliminated inorder to guarantee thatall students are equallywell-prepared for successin life.

Dennis HayesInterim President and CEO, NationalAssociation for the Advancement of

Colored People (NAACP)

Conclusion

The quality of the nation’s highschools and the students theyproduce should be of concernto each and every person inAmerica, whether they havechildren or not. These studentsare America’s future, and thecountry’s collective economicand social well-being rests ontheir shoulders.

It is time to end the inequitiesof the current system. To do that,expectations must be raised, andthe public must demand changesin policy and practice that willsupport the transformative redesignof secondary schools into centersof engaged academic learning thatprepare all students equally forsuccess in life. This will not be aneasy task, but it is a critical onethat requires federal, state, andlocal leadership.

states, school districts that enrollthe highest percentage of studentsof color and low-income studentsreceive fewer resources than schooldistricts serving white and affluentstudents (Carey 2004, EducationTrust 2005). Resource inequityaffects schools in such areas asstaffing, facility quality, textbookand equipment availability andadequacy, and access tochallenging academic coursework.For secondary school students,these inequalities are exacerbatedbecause the federal dollars thatare supposed to make up for thelack of resources in low-incomecommunities (Title I) aredisproportionately allocated togrades K–6. Resources must bedistributed equitably and adequatelyand used effectively. They shouldbe directed to where they areneeded the most, and, in mostcases, a significant portion shouldbe invested in research-basedpractices that have been provento help student learning. Policyrecommendations that supportthese objectives include:

• create a new federal secondaryschool improvement fund thatwould be used to turn aroundlow-performing middle and highschools;

• provide sufficient additionalresources to appropriately serveEnglish language learners;

• offer federal incentives toencourage states to developalternative school-financeformulas that minimize heavyreliance on local property taxesand increase resources for thestudents and schools that needit most; and

• require states to compare andpublicly report resources availableto achieve a sound and basiceducation at every school; forstates where inequities appear,develop five-year plans forequalizing resources and requirea publicly reported biannualreport that evaluates progresstoward the five-year goal.

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Many parents want to advocate for quality educationfor their children, but they do not know whereto start. By informing parents of their rights andresponsibilities concerning their children’seducation, we can give them the tools they needto take effective action.

John TrasviñaPresident and General Counsel, Mexican American Legal Defense

and Educational Fund (MALDEF)

Short, D., and Fitzsimmons,S. (2007). Double the work:Challenges and solutions toacquiring language and academicliteracy for adolescent Englishlanguage learners. (A report toCarnegie Corporation of New York.)Washington, DC: Alliance forExcellent Education.

Stecher, B., Hamilton, L., andGonzalez, G. (2003). Workingsmarter to leave no child behind:Practical insights for school leaders.Santa Monica, CA: Rand Education.

Swanson, C. (2004). Projectionsof 2003–04 high school graduates:Supplemental analysis based onfindings from Who graduates?Who doesn’t? Washington, DC:Urban Institute.

U.S. Department of Education,National Center for EducationStatistics. (2005). The nation’sreport card: Reading 2005.Washington, DC: U.S. GovernmentPrinting Office.

Wirt, J., Rooney, P., Choy, S.,Provasnik, S., Sen, A., and Tobin,R. (2004). The condition ofeducation 2004 (NCES 2004-077).Washington, DC: U.S. GovernmentPrinting Office.

References

Alliance for Excellent Education.(2006a). Demography as destiny:How America can build a betterfuture. Issue brief. Washington, DC:Alliance for Excellent Education.

————. (2006b). Paying double:Inadequate high schools andcommunity college remediation.Issue brief. Washington, DC:Alliance for Excellent Education.

Balfanz, R., and Legters, N. (2004).Locating the dropout crisis.Baltimore, MD: Johns HopkinsUniversity Center for SocialOrganization of Schools.

Barth, P. (2003). A common corecurriculum for the new century.Thinking K–16: A publication ofthe Education Trust, 7(1): 3–25.

Carey, K. (2004). The funding gap2004: Many states still shortchangelow-income and minority students.Washington, DC: Education Trust.

Cohen, M., and Ginsburg,A. (2001). School improvementreport: Executive order on turningaround low-performing schools.Washington, DC: U.S. Departmentof Education.

Conference Board, CorporateVoices for Working Families, thePartnership for 21st Century Skills,and the Society for HumanResource Management. (2006).Are they really ready to work?Employers’ perspectives on thebasic knowledge and applied skillsof new entrants to the 21st centuryU.S. workforce. New York:Conference Board.

Education Trust. (2005). The fundinggap 2005: Low-income andminority students shortchanged bymost states. Washington, DC:Education Trust.

Greene, J. P., and Winters, M.(2005). Public high schoolgraduation and college-readinessrates: 1991−2002. New York, NY:Manhattan Institute for PolicyResearch.

Peske, H., and Haycock, K. (2006).Teaching inequality: How poor andminority students are shortchangedon teacher quality. Washington, DC:Education Trust.

Reeves, T. J., and Bennett, C. E.(2004). We the people: Asians inthe United States. Washington, DC:U.S. Census Bureau.

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Full civic participationis the key to strong

communities, yet mostsurveys show that highschool dropouts are notas actively involved intheir communities. Aquality high school

curriculum thatpromotes civic learning

and engagementalongside vital skills

such as strong reading,writing, and critical

thinking will strengthenour democracy.

Arturo VargasExecutive Director, National

Association of Latino Electedand Appointed Officials (NALEO)

Educational Fund

League of United Latin AmericanCitizens (LULAC)

The League of United LatinAmerican Citizens (LULAC) isthe largest and oldest Hispanicorganization in the United States.LULAC advances the economiccondition, educational attainment,political influence, health, andcivil rights of Hispanic Americansthrough community-basedprograms operating at more than700 LULAC councils nationwide.LULAC councils provide morethan one million dollars inscholarships to Hispanic studentseach year, conduct citizenship andvoter registration drives, developlow-income housing units, conductyouth leadership training programs,and seek to empower the Hispaniccommunity at the local, state, andnational level. In addition, theLULAC National Educational ServiceCenters, LULAC’s educationalarm, provides counseling servicesto more than 18,000 Hispanicstudents per year at sixteenregional centers.

Mexican American Legal Defenseand Educational Fund (MALDEF)

Founded in 1968 in San Antonio,Texas, the Mexican American LegalDefense and Educational Fund(MALDEF) is the leading nonprofitLatino litigation, advocacy, andeducational outreach institutionin the United States. MALDEF’smission is to foster sound public

policies, laws, and programs tosafeguard the civil rights of the45 million Latinos living in the UnitedStates and to empower the Latinocommunity to fully participate inour society. Through the skillsand training taught in its parentleadership programs, MALDEFprovides parents with theknowledge and tools necessaryto advocate for a quality educationfor their children.

National Association for theAdvancement of Colored People(NAACP)

The mission of the NationalAssociation for the Advancementof Colored People (NAACP) isto ensure the political, educational,social, and economic equalityof rights of all persons and toeliminate racial hatred and racialdiscrimination. From the ballot boxto the classroom, the dedicatedworkers, organizers, and leaderswho forged this great organizationand maintain its status as achampion of social justice, foughtlong and hard to ensure that thevoices of African Americans wouldbe heard. For nearly one hundredyears, it has been the talent andtenacity of NAACP membersthat has saved lives and changedmany negative aspects ofAmerican society.

Campaign for High SchoolEquity (CHSE) Organizations

Leadership Conference on CivilRights Education Fund (LCCREF)

Founded in 1969 as the educationand research arm of the civil andhuman rights coalition, theLeadership Conference on CivilRights Education Fund (LCCREF)emphasizes the need for nationalpolicies, including educationpolicies, that support civil rightsand social and economic justice.LCCREF initiatives are groundedin the belief that an informed publicis more likely to support effectivefederal civil rights and social justicepolicies. By fostering a fullerunderstanding and celebrationof our nation’s diversity, LCCREFalso plays a major role in leadingindividuals, families, andcommunities to a fuller appreciationof our nation’s diversity and theinherent necessity of equal justiceand equal opportunity.

As a leading expert on civil rightsresearch and education, LCCREFenjoys a sisterly relationship withthe Leadership Conference on CivilRights (LCCR), a coalition of nearly200 national organizationscommitted to the enactment andenforcement of strong federal civilrights and social justice legislation.

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NUL stands foropportunity. Yet youngAfrican Americans willnot be able to achieveeconomic and socialsuccess if they are notgiven the opportunity toreceive a quality highschool education. A highschool diploma is thepassport that willfacilitate success in theworld of work andpostsecondaryeducation.

Marc MorialPresident and CEO,

National Urban League (NUL)

traditions. Founded in 1969,NIEA is the largest and oldestIndian education organization inthe nation and strives to keep IndianCountry moving toward educationalequity. Governed by a boardof directors made up of twelverepresentatives, the NIEA hasseveral committees that workto ensure native educators andstudents are represented in variouseducational institutions and forumsthroughout Indian Country andWashington, DC.

National Urban League (NUL)

Established in 1910, the UrbanLeague is the nation's oldestand largest community-basedmovement devoted to empoweringAfrican Americans to enter theeconomic and social mainstream.Today, the National Urban League,headquartered in New York City,spearheads the nonpartisan effortsof its local affiliates. There are overone hundred local affiliates of theNUL located in thirty-five states andthe District of Columbia providingdirect services to more than twomillion people nationwide throughprograms, advocacy, and research.The mission of the Urban Leaguemovement is to enable AfricanAmericans to secure economicself-reliance, parity, power, and civilrights. Through their Education andYouth Empowerment initiatives, theUrban League works to ensure thatall children are well educated andprepared for economic self-reliance

in the twenty-first century throughcollege scholarships, earlychildhood literacy, Head Start,and aftercare programs.

Southeast Asia Resource ActionCenter (SEARAC)

The Southeast Asia ResourceAction Center (SEARAC) is anational organization advancingthe interests of Cambodian,Laotian, and Vietnamese Americansthrough leadership development,capacity building, and communityempowerment. SEARAC wasfounded in 1979 to facilitate therelocation of Southeast Asianrefugees into American societyand foster the developmentof nonprofit organizations ledby and for Southeast AsianAmericans. SEARAC servesas a coalition-builder and leader,carries out action-oriented researchprojects, and strengthens thecapacity of community-basedorganizations. SEARAC also fosterscivic engagement and representsthese communities at the nationallevel in Washington, DC.

Alliance for Excellent Education(CHSE coordinator)

Launched in 2001, the Alliance forExcellent Education is a nationalnonprofit policy and advocacyorganization that works toward anational goal of making every childa high school graduate, preparedfor postsecondary education and

National Association of LatinoElected and Appointed Officials(NALEO) Educational Fund

The National Association of LatinoElected and Appointed Officials(NALEO) Educational Fund is thenation's leading organization thatpromotes the full participation ofLatinos in the American politicalprocess, from citizenship to publicservice. A nonpartisan 501(c)(3)organization first established in1981, it carries out its missionthrough programs that integrateLatinos fully into American politicalsociety, provides professionaldevelopment opportunities andtechnical assistance to the nation'smore than 6,000 Latino elected andappointed officials, and monitorsand conducts advocacy on issuesimportant to the Latino communityand its political participation.Through its policy institutes, theNALEO Educational Fund conductsskills and policy developmentopportunities for Latino electedand appointed officials throughoutthe country. As part of theorganization’s mission to promotethe governance and policymakingsuccess of Latino elected andappointed officials, the Fundcreated the NALEO EducationLeadership Initiative in 2002 toassist the nation’s Latino schoolboard members and statelegislators with technical assistance,training, and networkingopportunities designed to increasetheir effectiveness as education

policymakers, advocates and localleaders to close the educationalachievement gap between Latinoand non-Latino students.

National Council of La Raza (NCLR)

The National Council of La Raza(NCLR), the largest nationalHispanic civil rights and advocacyorganization in the United States,works to improve opportunitiesfor Hispanic Americans. Throughits network of nearly 300 affiliatedcommunity-based organizations,NCLR reaches millions of Hispanicseach year in forty-one states,Puerto Rico, and the District ofColumbia. To achieve its mission,NCLR conducts applied research,policy analysis, and advocacy,providing a Latino perspective infive key areas: assets/investments,civil rights/immigration, education,employment and economic status,and health. In addition, it providescapacity-building assistance to itsaffiliates who work at the state andlocal level to advance opportunitiesfor individuals and families.

National Indian EducationAssociation (NIEA)

The National Indian EducationAssociation (NIEA) is amembership-based organizationcommitted to increasing educationalopportunities and resources forAmerican Indian, Alaska Native, andNative Hawaiian students whileprotecting cultural and linguistic

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success in life. It focuses on theneeds of the six million secondaryschool students (those in thelowest achievement quartile) whoare most likely to leave schoolwithout a diploma or to graduateunprepared for a productive future.The Alliance is a respected sourceof information about the dropoutcrisis in America’s high schools,as well as on the research andpractice-based solutions that canimprove schools and lead to higherlevels of student achievement andattainment. Its audience includeselected and appointed officials,the media, educators, business andlabor leaders, parents and students,and a concerned public. To inform,in particular, the federal-leveldebate about education policiesand options, the Alliance producesreports and other materials,convenes conferences andmeetings, briefs policymakersand the press, and provides timelyinformation to a wide audience viaa number of publications, includingStraight A’s, its widely distributedbiweekly newsletter, and regularlyupdated website.

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The Campaign for High School Equity is grateful to the Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation for the financial support that made this publication possible.

The Campaign forHigh School Equity’sefforts will focus theattention of thecountry's leaderson the high schoolcrisis and involveindividuals fromevery communityin encouragingfederal, state, andlocal governments toput policies in placethat will ensure thatevery child graduatesfrom high schoolwith the knowledgeand skills he or sheneeds for successin postsecondaryeducation, the modernworkplace, and life.

Bob WisePresident, Alliance for

Excellent Education

www.highschoolequity.org