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Department of African American and Diaspora Studies

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Urban Education and Black Male Achievement Think Tank

The Urban Education and Black Male Achievement Think Tank (UEBMA) conducts research on the multi-dimensions of K-20 students of color achievement, with a primary focus on Black student achievement.

National and local research data from the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), Educational Testing Services (ETS), The Schott Foundation, and numerous other data collecting and testing sources report that Black students and specifically Black males from all social and economic strata and geographical locations are falling woefully short academically; at all levels of education, Black male’s academic achievement lags behind that of their contemporaries. The reasons for the educational achievement gaps are numerous.

The UEBMA Think Tank explores all correlated achievement gap factors. We work collaboratively with local schools and organizations, nationally with others invested in the plight of Black student achievement, and with international networks, as we research lower educational attainment as it correlates with low expectations, negative stereotyping, lack of opportunities, stress, social isolation, health care systems, the prison industrial complex, families who are struggling, and other factors.

UEBMA is part of the Scholar Identity Model.

Past Initiatives

  • Why We Can’t Wait, youth empowerment organization. Independent Study opportunity.
  • National Association for Gifted and Talented Children annual convention, November 2021, Denver, CO
  • Men of Color National Summit. Closing the Achievement Gap for African American and Hispanic Males. Clemson University, TD Center Greenville, South Carolina, April 27-28, 2017
  • International Colloquium on Black Males in Education Hamilton, Bermuda, October 4-7, 2016
  • Beyond Plight: Defining Pathways to Optimal Development for Black Male and Boys Across the Life Course report in association with A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities
  • Scholar Identity Model Community Outreach Initiative, a 10-day workshop for middle and high school students at Vanderbilt University
  • Bridging the Achievement Gap Institute (for K-12 teachers, administrators, and university and community researchers and scholars)

Contact

Gilman W. Whiting
Director, Urban Education and Black Male Achievement Think Tank
Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies
g.whiting@vanderbilt.edu