INNOVATE

“Imparting Wisdom”—and Extending Lessons from HBCUs to K-12 Schools in Indianapolis

Advocacy Sekou Biddle participates in the online forum to share learnings from the work related to UNCF’s research and learnings.

Following its recent report, Imparting Wisdom, UNCF’s K-12 Advocacy team has been working to take lessons learned from the HBCU community about how to improve education for Black students and share them with K-12 schools across the United States.

In addition to engagement work with stakeholders in Washington, DC, the team continues to deepen its relationship with the education community through several community conversation events aimed at building HBCU-K12 partnerships and promoting educational equity.

UNCF co-hosted a community conversation in Indianapolis with the Mind Trust entitled, “Imparting Wisdom in the Circle City” in March 2021 that served as the discussion point for UNCF’s report, “Imparting Wisdom: HBCU Lessons for K-12 Education.” The conversation also served as a platform for engagement and exploration of the role of African American students, leaders and voices—specifically HBCUs—in K-12 education improvement efforts. The panel included African American district leaders and advocates in the K-12 sector.

Additionally, UNCF in partnership with Stand for Children and The Mind Trust, hosted another community conversation in June 2021 that focused on current research and recommendations related to school safety and school resource officers. The panel represented Indianapolis students, families and community leaders who shared their experiences working on the issue.

In July 2021, UNCF coordinated and participated in a panel for the Indiana Black Expo-Indiana University Education Conference. The panel focused on the Imparting Wisdom report, discussing key lessons from HBCUs for the K-12 sector. Terrance Dixon, vice president of enrollment management and student success, Shaw University, provided key insights that drove the discussion with tangible examples, while Sekou Biddle, UNCF’s Vice President, Advocacy and Student Professional Development Programs; and Dr. Meredith Anderson, UNCF Director of K-12 Research, presented key learnings from the report. Nearly 350 people attended the virtual event.

As a follow-up, during March 2022, the K-12 Advocacy team released, “Black Students and Indianapolis Schools: A Data Snapshot,” a brief that focuses on the educational landscape for Black students in Marion County in Indianapolis. The publication covered issues such as college readiness, opportunity gaps teacher diversity and student achievement outcomes.

Through its K-12 Advocacy team, UNCF’s commitment to helping K-12 students become college-ready is a true innovation that ensures better futures for us all.