North Carolina Central University News April 13, 2012 National Conference on Educating Boys of Color Comes to NCCU North Carolina Central University will welcome the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (COSEBOC), a national organization dedicated to nurturing academic success in minority males, for the group's sixth annual gathering April 26 to 28. The theme this year is "Great Schools are Not an Accident: Successful Learning Communities for Boys and Young Men of Color." The coalition gathering is hosted jointly by NCCU, Durham Public Schools and the Durham Association of Educators and is expected to draw more than 300 educators from across the country. The goal is to share best practices, policies and ideas that create positive learning environments in which black and Latino boys can develop and achieve. "We're looking forward to this because we know Durham is invested 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, along with a commitment to action." Walker, a veteran educator, helped found COSEBOC with the philosophy that the achievement of minority boys can be improved with appropriate support and an environment that fosters confidence, trust, a sense of identity and cultural understanding. "We are creating a counter-narrative that reveals that black and brown boys are capable of doing anything they want to do," said Walker. "There needs to be a mindset among those that surround them which believes that they are the hope for the future." 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 conference highlight 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," said Ramona Cox, director of University School Partnerships at NCCU. "But there are organizations and individuals 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." "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." Walker said mentoring, parental engagement and the hiring of more qualified minority male teachers are some of the keys to student success. The annual COSEBOC gathering looks for opportunities to involve the host community in its work. This year a town hall meeting at the Hayti Heritage Center will kick off the event on April 25 at 5:30 p.m. David Miller, co-founder of Raising Him Alone (RHA), will moderate the event. RHA provides resources and support to single mothers raising boys. The town hall will focus on increasing parental involvement . Learn more about the organization at www.coseboc.org<http://www.coseboc.org> SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 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. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2012meeting-form.html for the October 21-23, 2012 HBCU Library Alliance 5th Membership Meeting and the Photographic Preservation Pre-Conference in New Orleans, LA. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.