In the 2016 report Building Better Narratives in Black Education, the three equity-centered organizations, UNCF, Education Post and National Urban League, sought to highlight efforts aimed at improving or changing education in America for black students. The report underlines the ways in which education reform has failed to include voices within communities of color—shedding light on initiatives that truly have African American students’ interests at the core. Oftentimes, education reform in black communities focuses too much on the deficits than on successfully implemented practices or strategies.

Building a better narrative involves promoting the “urgency of now.”

Building Better Narratives in Black Education, a joint report published by UNCF’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, provides tangible approaches to shift the narrative concerning black educational reform. The findings of the report aim to better engage communities around K-12 education and drive substantive policy changes for black students.