North Carolina Central University News November 15, 2011 NCCU Selected for National Conference on Educating Boys of Color The Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (COSEBOC), a national organization dedicated to nurturing academic success in minority males, has selected North Carolina Central University as the location for its sixth annual conference next spring. The event, which will be held April 26 - 28, expects to draw more than 300 educators from across the country to share best practices, policies and ideas that create positive learning environments in which black and Latino boys can develop and achieve. The conference was held last year at Temple University in Philadelphia, and the year before at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The organization chose Durham after receiving a joint proposal written by Dr. Ramona Cox, director of University School Partnerships for NCCU, and Dr. Alvera Lesane, former administrator with Durham Public Schools. "We're looking forward to this because we know Durham is interested in the success of this population of young men," said Ron Walker, executive director of COSEBOC. "We anticipate there will be a lot of learning and networking going on, along with a commitment to action." Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and Dr. Pedro Noguera, the Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education at New York University, will be featured speakers at the conference. Hrabowski's research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance. Noguera is an urban sociologist who has devoted his research to the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions. Another highlight of the conference will be a ceremony recognizing schools that have found measureable ways to improve the academic performance of black and Latino boys. These role-model schools will share their strategies and receive a cash grant to help them continue their efforts. "Right now, the narrative of young men of color focuses on the deficit - what young men of color are not doing and how they are not succeeding," Cox said. "But there are organizations and individuals out there doing some incredible work to rewrite this narrative, and COSEBOC wants to focus on the fact that we are having successes and our young men of color are thriving." Walker, a veteran educator, helped found the group with the philosophy that there is nothing inherently wrong with minority boys. Rather, schools need to provide an environment that fosters confidence, trust, a sense of identity, cultural understanding and other tools necessary for achievement. "We use the term affirmative development - that's the approach that we want to take," Walker said. "We know the bad statistics and we've seen the reports about what black and Latino boys can't do. We refuse to go down that road. We believe in lifting up the promise for young men. They can, with the right support, do well." He said mentoring, parental engagement and the hiring of more qualified minority male teachers are some of the keys to student success. Learn more about the organization at www.coseboc.org<http://www.coseboc.org/>. Online conference registration begins Dec. 1. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.