The AACLD was recently awarded a grant from the Oak Foundation to conduct advocacy trainings for African American parent leaders in 20 locations throughout the United States. This grant will significantly expand the AACLD's outreach to parents nationwide with the intent of creating a movement for change that results in an improved and socially just quality of education for African American children with learning differences.
The main objective of this project, Empowering Parents for African American Student Achievement, is to fully develop the AACLD's Parent Leadership Institute, increasing the number of individuals who (1) have demonstrated leadership ability and are committed to bettering the lives of children who are misunderstood, mislabeled, and underrepresented in the fight for educational rights and (2) are willing to train other parents to be effective advocates.
"Parents need information to help their children succeed in school. This project will start a movement of parents that are not solely dependent upon the school system for their children's success but will allow them to discover how to work with schools in order to achieve academic success based on learning style" said Nancy Tidwell, Founder & President of the AACLD, in a press release announcing the grant.
As a result of the project:
- 20 African American master teachers will gain the expertise and skill to prepare children for educational success,
- 900 African American parent leaders will receive the teacher training via face-to-face sessions, and
- 240 additional African American parent leaders will receive the teacher training via online sessions.
Accordingly, a united voice on issues relevant to the African American community will be shaped and the quality of education in this country is expected to improve through AACLD continued networking.
AACLD has partnered with CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder) to adapt their Parent-to-Parent training program for delivery in the African American community and the PACER Center (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights), to help develop an efficient and effective service delivery model.
The National Medical Association, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Lloyd C. Elam Mental Health Center at Meharry Medical College, and the Association of Black Psychologists, along with others, have agreed to assist the AACLD to ensure cultural competence in the content and delivery of the trainings.
Specific locations for the trainings will be announced soon.
If you are interested in becoming a parent leader for this project or believe you already have the skills to train other parents, please send a description of your advocacy experience and contact information to info@aacld.org.
