Denver to Hold First National Conference on Educational Needs of Black Men
FORT COLLINS, Colo.
A national conference — the first effort of its kind — to address the educational needs of African-American men will be held in Denver May 4 & 5. The conference will provide opportunities to research and study Black men’s experiences at all stages of the educational pipeline, from the early influence their family has on their educational success to their roles as university administrators.
Hosted by the Center for African American Research and Policy, Colorado State University and the Interwest Equity Assistance Center, the conference plans to provide information about scientific research and their practical applications in regards to improving the educational experience of Black men.
“The thing that makes this conference different is that we will develop a best-practices document that can be disseminated to parents, K-12 educational settings, higher education institutions and to any other constituents who are concerned with the plight of African-American males in education,” says Dr. Chance W. Lewis, assistant professor of Teacher Education at Colorado State University and associate director of the Center for African American Research and Policy.
The goal is to bring together individuals who are committed to improving the educational conditions of Black men in the United States, says Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson, assistant professor of higher and postsecondary education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and executive director of the Center for African American Research and Policy.
“We will discuss the experiences of African-American males as both students and professionals throughout the educational pipeline. What will make this dialogue unique is that key stakeholders — including researchers, practitioners and policy makers — will be at the table,” adds Jackson. “We intend to translate this rich and varied dialogue into a best-practices document to provide intervention guidelines as students progress through educational systems.”
Lewis and Jackson will both be involved in the discussions during the conference, as will a number of other notable scholars. Among those scheduled to attend are Dr. Lamont A. Flowers, distinguished professor of Educational Leadership and director of the Charles H. Houston Center for the Study of the Black Experience in Education at Clemson University; Dr. Jelani Mandara, assistant professor of Human Development and Social Policy at Northwestern University; Dr. James L. Moore, III, associate professor of Counselor Education at The Ohio State University; and Dr. Brian N. Williams, assistant professor of Public Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia.
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