(1888PressRelease)
June 22, 2009 - Los Angeles, CA - The Dream Deferred Conference, organized by the College Board, showcased the M3 Foundations Math & Sports Academy in illustrating how effective programs in middle and high schools work with black males. In the area where the M3 Math & Sports Academy operates, the dropout rate of black male students is in excess of 73%. Of these, more than 60% end up in the penal system.
The Dream Deferred Conference, now in its fifth year, addresses the most critical educational issues directly impacting African American students, educators, and community leaders today. The College Board hosts A Dream Deferred, where solutions-driven dialogue is led by passionate educators; nationally recognized leaders; and partners in philanthropy, business, and government.
M3s success in moving black males from substandard performance to high achievers is noteworthy, said KG Charles-Harris, M3Õs Executive Director. Students join our program with GPAs as low as 0.6, and on average students perform above 3.0 GPA after slightly more than one year in the program, he continued.
M3 participated on a panel sponsored by the Mitchell Kapor Foundations Black Boys College Bound Initiative (BBCBI), a program that brings together and helps fund organizations working to address the dropout rate and achievement gap for black males in school. The M3 Math & Sports Academy is one of the programs supported by BBCBI.
For additional information, please contact KG Charles-Harris or visit www.m3boys.org.
About M3 Math & Sports Academy:
M3 Math & Sports Academy alters the trajectory that is common for black males by causing them to perform at a high to excellent level to become future college students and leaders. M3 works with black boys, often from low and middle-income families, to produce tomorrow's leaders. We recognize that it's difficult for black boys to motivate themselves to achieve academically when there are few role models in their communities who have achieved success through higher education.
At M3 our focus is to create habits of success. We emphasize strenuous physical exercise in sports practice with rigorous academics (with a focus on mathematics) and ensure that prominent black men from the community meet and speak with the boys on a regular basis. In addition, we incorporate entertainment arts and analysis of contemporary music and films to create an environment of social awareness and critique. Extensive excursions are used to introduce students to environments that expand their horizons. M3 Math & Sports Academy has been in existence in the East Bay since 2006.
Contact:
KG Charles-Harris, Executive Director
M3 Math & Sports Academy
832 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 94710
510-849-9300
kgch ( @ ) m3boys dot org
http://www.m3boys.org
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