The Ohio NAACP Taskforce started from a request from the National NAACP to Mrs. Sybil Edwards-McNabb, former NAACP Ohio Conference State President, to have Ohio represented in a nineteen (19) state conference on Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA) to be held in Chicago and Houston.
Upon completion of the Conference, the Ohio Task Force was requested to participate in the Washington, D.C. ESSA Conference hosted by the President and CEO, Thomas J. Donohue of the United States Chamber of Commerce and the President and CEO, Cornell Brooks of the National NAACP.
Upon the election of the current NAACP President, Tom Roberts (2017 to present), the Task Force was asked to continue the work and to help engage the Ohio Department of Education, State Superintendent Paulo DeMaria, State Board of Education President, Laura Kohler, and Ohio State Board of Education Vice President, Charlotte McGuire.
The State of Ohio Collective, a 501c3 Think Tank, joined the work in 2020 adding statewide support, research, scope, and analysis to the project.
The task force was created to improve and correct outcomes for Black children. Evidence and research read the foundation of strategies that are effective in improving outcomes for children who are Black. The work of the task force focused on the following key areas:
1
Understanding and identifying best academic and non-academic practice models, strategies and actions that are successful in schools and districts that have closed the achievement gap for Black students in Ohio schools.
2
Recognizing that implementing change is the greatest challenge, identify schools that are demonstrating high-quality change and improvement management, and the practice models being used by these schools that result in overcoming barriers and closing the achievement gap.
3
Creating a template and self-assessment tools that schools and districts or others can use to gauge the level of implementation of best practice models, and to guide improvement planning and implementation.
4
Identifying key strategies and actions that will serve to disseminate and promote the use and implementation of the identified best practice models.
5
Defining a system of measurement and monitoring to gauge Ohio’s progress. Clarifying the expectations for academic achievement for each child, including each Black child.
6
Clarifying the expectations for academic achievement for each child, including each Black child.
7
Affirming the academic expectations and goals for the statewide education system, including interim state and district targets for closing achievement gaps consistent with federal law and federal expectations that such targets be ambitious and attainable.