Education

AAWA

AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN'S AGENDA EDUCATION FOUNDATION

Stabilizing Cleveland Families

I Am Woman, Hear Me...

African American women want a Mayor fully committed to improving the quality of education for all Cleveland’s children. Between the school years 1996-97 and 1999-2000, 17,961 students who were expected to graduate, did not graduate. The Mayor must support strong public schools, high academic achievement for all students and expand the City’s role in education. The Mayor must promote incentive-based programs to bring certified teachers to our schools, and build community and business linkages for educational excellence. The Mayor must promote innovative school-to-career initiatives that attack the problem of low high school graduation rates by working with employers to guarantee career path jobs for high school graduates. The Mayor must ensure that the school building bond funds provide opportunities for community job creation, using trade union apprenticeship programs as a vehicle. The Mayor should encourage parental leave for city employees to attend school conferences, and make early literacy a priority for Cleveland.

Priority Issues for Education: Facts

Only a third of the students in the Cleveland School District have been graduating in recent years.
Among African American and female students who started 9^th grade 4 years earlier, fewer than 40% graduated. Between 1996-2000, 17,961 students did not graduate.
The academic achievement gap between Black and White students is significant and ongoing.
In 1999, only 53% of White children passed the 4^th grade science proficiency test; only 30% of Black children passed the same test.
Quality of education is directly linked to future earning ability. Ohioans with less than a high school education earned a median wage of $7.80 an hour, compared to $10.68 for high school graduates and $17.31 for college graduates.

Priority Issues for Education: Action

African American women want a Mayor who is committed to improving these appalling statistics and the quality of education for all of Cleveland’s children.

As Mayor I pledge to:

Encourage parent involvement in education by offering parental leave for city employees to attend school conferences.
Promote early literacy and make literacy, technology, vocational education and academic achievement – all essential for self-sufficiency – among the City’s highest priorities.
Promote school/community linkages in the provision of social services to needy students and families.
Promote innovative school-to-career initiatives in partnership with business and labor.
Promote youth and adult access to after-school programs in technology, job training and life skills.
Promote linkages with the cultural and arts community to develop adequate fine arts programs in all schools.
Ensure that school building bond funds provide opportunity for community job creation for community residents, using trade union apprenticeship programs as a vehicle.

Priority Issues for Education: Facts

Last modified: 08/25/05