April 18, 2017
MEDIA ADVISORY
April 18, 2017
CONTACT FOR EDUCATION PIONEERS
Kirsten Searer
Kirsten.searer@educationpioneers.org
Education Pioneers takes popular “The Importance of Black Men in Education: Power of Data” panel to New York
Panel discussion to examine how a lack of data-driven decision making can perpetuate inequities in schools
NEW YORK -- Education Pioneers, a national nonprofit that recruits professionals with diverse skills and backgrounds into non-teaching leadership positions throughout K-12 public education, will bring its popular “The Importance of Black Men in Education” panel to New York tomorrow.
The panel discussion will focus specifically on the importance of data-driven decisions -- led by black male leaders and other leaders of color -- to transform outcomes for students growing up in underserved communities.
WHAT: “The Importance of Black Men in Education: Power of Data” panel discussion
WHEN: 6pm - 8pm, Wednesday, April 19
WHERE: 25 Broadway, New York, NY 10004
PANELISTS:
Ifeoma Ike, Esq.: Deputy Executive Director, NYC Young Men’s Initiative; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Lehman’s College; Co-Founder, Black and Brown People Vote (moderator)
Derrell Bradford: Executive VP of 50CAN and Executive Director of NYCAN
Kevin Bryant: Director of Recruitment, Uncommon Schools // 2016 EP Alumnus
Terryl Dozier: Director of Data, Analytics, & Renewal Accountability, NYC Department of Education // 2013 EP Alumnus
Travis Young: Policy Analyst, Office of Student Enrollment, NYC Department of Education // 2014 EP Alumnus
Similar successful panels have been held in Newark and San Francisco recently, and have focused on the importance of having more black men in the education sector.
The New York event on April 19 will discuss the need for data analysts in education who can use data to shine light on the opportunity gap and the lack of data-driven decision making in schools that can perpetuate inequities.
“We tend to know what conversations are needed but we don’t speak on it,” said Jenell McMillon, Manager, Special Projects, Regional Recruitment, for Education Pioneers. “We need a place to talk about the change and action needed to improve education for all students, especially our black male students, while understanding that data is critical to decision-making in education.”
While about 49 percent of the nation’s public school students are students of color, the Department of Education reports that just 18 percent of the nation’s teacher pool are people of color -- and just 2 percent of that group are black men.
Yet studies consistently show that students of color perform better when they have been taught by a teacher of color. A new study from Johns Hopkins University found that having at least one black teacher in third through fifth grades reduces a black student’s probability of dropping out of school by 29 percent, and the odds of dropping out decreased by 39 percent for very low-income black boys.
While Education Pioneers does not recruit teachers, the organization does recruit and develop leaders in education who influence the classroom experience and affect teacher retention, including human resources professionals and data analysts.
Follow the conversation on April 19 using #BMIE and #DataLeadersWanted.
About Education Pioneers
Since 2003, Education Pioneers has recruited professionals with diverse skills and backgrounds to solve problems from outside of the classroom, so students and teachers succeed in the classroom. Education Pioneers has recruited and trained more than 3,500 leaders in partnership with more than 200 education organizations in 20 cities nationwide.
Of the organization’s alumni in the workforce, more than 70 percent serve in education and lead or contribute to work that impacts more than 3.5 million public school students – most of whom are students of color and come from underserved areas. Find out more about where Education Pioneers’ leaders work and their impact here: http://www.educationpioneers.org/our-impact.
More information about Education Pioneers can be found at www.educationpioneers.org.
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