New England Blacks in Philanthropy

New England Blacks in Philanthropy (NEBIP) invites you to its
2nd Annual Researchers' Breakfast Meeting:

Education:
Who Really Cares?
Current Challenges Facing the Black Community

September 25, 2008
8:30AM to 10:30AM
United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley
51 Sleeper Street
Boston, MA

Our breakfast will bring together grantmakers, philanthropists, and researchers to discuss the impact of educational challenges confronting the Black community today. We will discuss the current achievement gap of Black students- of Black Boys in particular. This gap can be viewed through many lenses, but most often this topic is explored as one the following:

Parental issues - Are parents involved in their children’s education? Do they really care?
Student issues - Are Black students trying to succeed? Do they really care?
Institutional issues – Why is there over-representation of Black students in lower education tracks? Do they really care?

Acknowledging the work of The Schott Foundation and The Achievement Gap Initiative, we invite you to join us as we explore these issues and others to determine how the philanthropic community can take immediate steps to close the achievement gap for Black children with an emphasis on Black Boys.

Keynote:
Ronald Fergurson – Co-Director, Academic Achievement Gap,
Dr. Ferguson, Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University, is an economist and Senior Research Associate at the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy and has taught at the university since 1983. His teaching and publications cover a variety of issues related to education and economic development. Much of his research since the mid-1990s has focused on racial achievement gaps, appearing in publications of the National Research Council, the Brookings Institution, and the U.S. Department of Education, in addition to various books and scholarly journals. He participates in a variety of consulting and policy advisory activities, and works with school districts on closing achievement gaps. He is the creator and Director of the Tripod Project for School Improvement and is also the Faculty Co-chair and Director of The Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University.

Moderator:
Charles Desmond - Trefler Foundation
Charles Desmond is the Executive Vice President of the Trefler Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Desmond held many positions at UMass Boston, including Associate Chancellor for School/Community Collaboration, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Dean of the College of Public and Community Service, as well as Project Director for Upward Bound and Director of Pre-Freshmen Programs. He also served as President of the National Coordinating Council of Educational Opportunity Association, the precursor to the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE).