According to published reports, many school systems are evaluating the effectiveness of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), which was passed by Congress. The No Child Left Behind Act, commonly known as NCLB, is a federal law that reauthorizes a number of federal programs that aim to improve the performance of primary and secondary schools. NCLB proposes to do this by increasing the standards of accountability for states, school districts and schools, as well as providing parents more flexibility in choosing which schools their children will attend.

Supporters of NCLB claim the legislation encourages accountability in public schools, offers parents greater educational options for their children, and helps close the achievement gap between minority and white students. NCLB aims to achieve these goals through federally mandated standardized testing, a controversial method of measuring educational outcomes. In addition, some have argued that local government had failed students, necessitating federal intervention to prevent issues like teachers teaching outside their areas of expertise, and complacency in the face of continually failing schools.

Those who are critical of the NCLB legislation, particularly officials in some state public schools systems argue that the bill is “cookie cutter” legislation that isn’t compatible with singular issues specific to local school systems across the country. Further, they contend that the bill is not fully funded in many school systems, there continue to be problems with creating and administering standardized testing, inequitable division of resources and limitations of local control, among other reported concerns.

While federal officials have said that states that don't comply with the bill could lose federal funding, more than a dozen states have recently debated against embracing the bill that mandated frequent testing and set strict, uniform achievement standards for schools. Refusal to comply with “No Child Left Behind” legislation would place many school systems, particularly urban schools in a quandary since loss of federal dollars would largely affect low-income schools that get the bulk of federal dollars.

While the intent of No Child Left behind was to ultimately close the achievement gap among our children, there is continued debate regarding its overall intent and effectiveness. What do you think?

The Concerned Black Men 12th Annual Congressional Black Caucus Reception will be hosted on Friday, September 25, 2009 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm at the following location:

Grand Hyatt Hotel
Constitution Ballroom
1000 H St. NW
Washington DC 20001 

The Concerned Black Men Congressional Black Caucus Reception is an annual "Invitation Only" event for approximately 500-600 supporters of CBM's national and local programs. During this year's Reception, Concerned Black Men will be launching a nationwide program to find mentors for 5000 Black boys across the country.

To help us with the CBM Cares® National Mentoring Initiative, and to support programs that transform the lives of African American children, CBM is requesting a minimum donation of $25.00 or more to support this important work. All donations are tax deductible as allowed by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

RECEPTION RSVP/DONATION INSTRUCTIONS

To RSVP for the Concerned Black Men 12th Annual Congressional Black Caucus Reception, please click on the Ticketweb logo below:

For more information, contact the CBM National Office toll free at 1-888-395-7816 or by e-mail at: info@cbmnational.org.

The word “Mentor” has its roots in Greek mythology.

The word Mentor originated in the Odyssey by Homer who describes the character Mentor as a “wise and trusted friend”. When Odysseus leaves to fight the Trojan War he asks his good friend Mentor to guard the household.  Mentor watches over the kingdom and becomes guardian and teacher to Odysseus’ son Telemachus. Presently, the family support system that so many of us took for granted as we stumbled into adulthood is not as readily available to our young people. Today, we don’t look at that support system as mentors. Concerned Black Men – National Organization (CBM) is stepping up to the plate to fill that gap with a mentoring program geared toward our young African American boys with potential (usually referred to as at” risk youth”) through our local Capital City Cares® Mentoring Initiative and our CBM Cares® National Mentoring Initiative.  By focusing on, referring to and engaging in the positive, their potential, CBM is positioning the Organization to be a major advocate for our young boys to guide them into making wise choices for themselves. All the studies report the same findings; young people with a positive caring adult (mentor) in their life are less likely to participate in risky behavior.  There are 5,040 hours in a year.  Committing merely 96 of those hours over the course of a year, that’s .019 percent of your time you can dedicate to helping a young boy who needs someone to believe in him and help him believe in himself. We must ask ourselves… Is this asking too much? What’s the alternative?You don’t need initials in front or behind your name, a six figure income, a luxury car or a mansion, but we’ll consider you if you do.  All you need is caring heart, the willingness to have fun and make a positive difference in a young boy’s life. But be prepared because it will make a difference in your life as well!

Want to become a Mentor? Contact the Concerned Black Men National Office toll free at 1-888-395-7816 or e-mail us at info@cbmnational.org.

Concerned Black Men...Caring for Our Youth Since 1975