The statistics are staggering: If you are from a low-income community in the United States, you have a higher chance of going to jail than of getting a four-year college degree. For every 100 African-American children growing up in California, only 9 will graduate from college. These statistics are not due to lack of potential; rather, they are the direct result of the lack of educational opportunities in this country for our highest-need students. For children growing up in low-income communities, educational inequity imposes heavy and often tragic life consequences. For example, high school dropouts earn 50% less than those who do graduate from high school and are eight times more likely to go to prison. We need educators in the classroom serving not only as a physical representation of the fact that one can be a successful African-American, but also acting as mentors with the full capacity to understand the economic and cultural implications of growing up black in America. Please join us on Wednesday, January 9th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time to learn more about the achievement gap in America and how it disproportionately affects our African-American students. Additionally, you will hear directly from Teach For America alumni about how corps members are positively influencing these communities in our nation and how their shared racial background enables them to have a profound additional impact on their students. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions of the alumni.
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