Research reveals that when children are taught with a “growth mindset,” their teacher(s) have high expectations and uphold an increased academic rigor for all students. As a group, the Empowered Parents in Community (EPiC), rely on this research as a guiding principle. This principle is also a key component for the work of Parents of African American Children (PAAC), which stands to close the opportunity gap by increasing access and enrollment to academically rigorous programs such as: AIG (Academically and Intellectually Gifted), Honors, AP (Advanced Placement) and IB (International Baccalaureate).

In August we shared reports in which DPS exceeded expected academic growth. In the September School Board Meeting , DPS gave a detailed report on how all of the schools are doing academically and shared that data divided by race and gender. They also shared out the benchmarks from the strategic plan, trends, and plans for increased academic growth. Truth be told, it is a lot of information and numbers. A few weeks later, at the Black Parent Empowerment Workshop, Parents of African American Children – Durham committed to focusing efforts of “Access to Academic Rigor.” Dr. Nakia Hardy, DPS Deputy Superintendent, shared this PowerPoint in which Ms. Kim Marion (Director of Advanced Academics) and Dr. Kelvin Bullock (Exec. Dir. Of Equity Affairs) also presented on the academic trends of proficiency. On Tuesday, Nov. 19th, from 8pm – 9:30pm, we will have a PAAC-Durham conference call to highlight points of need and advocacy. Click here to register.