National Alliance of Black School Educators
In November 2007, the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) and the Pearson Foundation announced an important initiative that targets K-12 African-American students and their families, and addresses the distinct educational and social challenges faced by that community--Education is a Civil Right. This project includes a public outreach campaign and customized resources for both educators and African-American families.
In the Fall of 2008 the Pearson Foundation launched the Education is a Civil Right Public Service Announcement competition for Los Angeles-area students. The Education is a Civil Right PSA Student Competition is designed to give middle and high school students a chance to talk openly about the role that education plays in their lives; and it focuses attention on the inviolable obligation that educators, families, and the community has to improve all of the conditions necessary to provide African American students with engaging, relevant, and meaningful school experiences.
The competition begins with a two-day workshop for teachers. On day one teachers are introduced to the Education is a Civil Right Initiative and accompanying curriculum. Part of day one is set aside for administrators, local educators, and community leaders to be videotaped expressing their ideas and opinions about education and the Education is a Civil Right Initiative.
On day two, working in groups of three or four, teachers make their own public service announcements. They script, perform, and edit the PSAs to understand firsthand what their students will be doing.
At the end of day two, teachers are encouraged to evangelize the benefits of participating in the PSA Competition; they invite their students to create storyboards of public service announcements that will be submitted to a panel for review. Teachers are given materials to bring back to their classrooms to get the process started and to help them organize the project for their students.
Working together, the Education is a Civil Right Committee and the Pearson Foundation is offering students in selected school districts nationwide an opportunity to develop and produce public service announcements during a special two-day offsite workshop. Through this program, students participate in a national movement to bring awareness of this initiative to legislators, community leaders, other students and to the public at large by using digital media to craft, perform, and edit PSAs.
NABSE is the leading organization of African-American educators devoted to the academic success of children of African descent. During their most recent annual conference, held in Nashville, NABSE and the Pearson Foundation premiered the Education is a Civil Right program prior to the keynote address given by Bill Cosby, an outspoken leader in the movement to strengthen black families’ commitment to education for their children.
The Pearson Foundation’s first contribution to the effort was the production of a video that presents a cross-section of African-American leaders expressing their thoughts and support of the initiative.
