FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
CONTACTS:
Joye Griffin
703-205-3480
joye.griffin@uncf.org
DR. MICHAEL L. LOMAX SELECTED AS NEW COMMISSION MEMBER FOR ASPEN INSTITUTE'S COMMISSION ON NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
FAIRFAX, Va. (August 19, 2009) The Aspen Institute's Commission on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) recently named Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D. president and CEO of UNCF--the United Negro College Fund-as one of the new Commission members who will update recommendations for its report -recommendations that will deal with such issues as improving teacher effectiveness, standards and assessments, graduation rates, data capabilities and low-performing schools. Lomax will serve on the school improvement subcommittee. The Commission is launching a new series of hearings to refine and extend recommendations from its 2007 education policy blueprint Beyond NCLB: Fulfilling the Promise to Our Nation's Children. Additionally, the Commission will issue an addendum report to provide a roadmap for improving the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) early next year.
UNCF is the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization. It supports the college education of 60,000 students each year through 400 scholarship programs and aid to its 39 member historically black colleges and universities.
Commission Co-chair and former Georgia governor Roy Barnes said, "Under the leadership of Michael Lomax, UNCF has excelled in its mission of expanding access to higher education for African American students and increasingly the organization has engaged in the critical arena of effective K-12 education reform to assure that all students come to college prepared for success and completion. He is a strong addition to the Commission team and will be a powerful advocate for creating urgency and momentum for improving the nation's schools."
"No Child Left Behind" is the name given to the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), a law first passed in 1965 to ensure that the nation's most disadvantaged students had access to a quality education. The law provides federal funding to states and districts to support activities aimed at closing the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their peers and boosting overall student achievement. NCLB requires accountability for and public reporting of student achievement results by student group--including African American, Hispanic, Limited English Proficient, low-income, and others--in order to ensure that schools focus on educating all students. The law is overdue for renewal in Congress.
The work of the Aspen Institute's bipartisan, independent Commission will capitalize on recent research, more than two years' additional field experience with NCLB, and new requirements under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The Commission will also conduct extensive research and outreach to gather the best ideas for improving key areas of the law, including through public comment on its website and other interactive channels.
"I am honored to serve on Aspen Institute's Commission on No Child Left Behind," said Lomax. "The President has committed the country to regaining world leadership in the percentage of citizens with college education. But to succeed in college, kids need a rigorous K-12 education, and this Commission will play an important part in making that a reality."
About UNCF
UNCF--the United Negro College Fund--is the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students' education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 39 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 18 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at www.UNCF.org.
