SAN DIEGO—African-American student enrollments in colleges and universities are at astonishingly low levels throughout the state. This is particularly true of African-American male students. In addition, statistics show that more than one in five public school students in San Diego County will drop out of school by their senior year. If you disaggregate this information, the African American and Latino student drop out percentages increase to 41.7% and 30.3% respectively.
On Saturday, November 1, 2008, decision-makers from various school districts, community colleges, four-year colleges and universities, and community-based organizations will come together with parents and community members to address this education crisis for many African American families.
State Superintendent Jack O’Connell will support the effort and give an update on various P-16 council recommendations that directly impact the San Diego educational community. Superintendent O'Connell has a statewide initiative to identify ways the state can better assist counties, districts, and schools in their efforts to help all children succeed academically. His comprehensive plan is aimed at closing California's harmful achievement gap that exists for students of color, as well as with English learners, students in poverty, and students with disabilities. “It is wonderful that Dr. O’Connell is coming to our community to help us address the needs of our children,” said, Dr. Anthony E. Beebe, President of San Diego Continuing Education.
The California Alliance of African American Educators (CAAAE) has partnered with San Diego Continuing Education, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Concerned Parents Alliance, College Bound San Diego and Empowering Parents to host the 6th Annual CAAAE professional development event, which will be a working meeting. This year’s theme is: A Call to Action for San Diego Decision Makers to Address the Local Educational Crisis for African American Families.
Decision makers from many organizations, including the San Diego Community College District, SDSU, UCSD, USD, as well as San Diego Unified, Poway, Oceanside and Lemon Grove school districts, will be attending.
“Having key leaders from various local educational institutions, as well as parents and community, come together and brainstorm ideas to develop solutions and bridge this educational gap is a step in the right direction,” said Dr. Darlene Willis, Co-coordinator, San Diego Region of CAAAE. “It means we begin to establish accountability for educational organizations and parents, which will provide successful outcomes to help ensure educational success for the African American families in San Diego.”
The mission of CAAAE is to provide programs and services to students, families, and teachers in order to create culturally conscious African American students who are life-long learners and critical thinkers.
“We are pleased to host such an important event at San Diego Continuing Education’s Educational Cultural Complex, and support the CAAAE with their mission,” said Beebe. “Of the more than 100,000 students we serve annually through San Diego Continuing Education classes, only 9% are African American. Our goal is to increase that number substantially by better meeting the needs of our community and understanding what educational barriers exist, so we can remove them.