Sharing Web Resources 2.

In The National Council of Educating Black Children (NCEBC) have several great components to its website. One of the resources that really caught my eye was "Touching The Spirit" teaching workshops. You remember the old African American proverb saying? "It takes a village to raise a child" it also takes a village of professionals to take responsibility in attaining the necessary tools to help effective teachers achieve goals by designing  a curriculum that will educate, and encourage excellence through culturally relevant teaching strategies. In these workshops teachers will successfully learn about their student's history, culture, language, background knowledge, and experience which will help professionals develop learning activities that will engage their students interest and involvement.  Touching the Spirit framework includes 14 components the components are:

• Ritual (Affirmation/performances)
• Rhythm (Music, speech and movement)
• Recitation (Memorization)
• Repetition
• Relationships
• Expectations of Excellence
• Continual Search for Patterns
• Insistence on Working Toward Mastery
• Teacher Modeling of Skills and Processes
• Intensive Direct Instruction and Practice
• Study of African Deep Thought
• Focus on Discourse, Inquiry, and Creative and Symbolic Thinking
• Using Knowledge for Social Criticism and Community Action
• In-Depth Study and Performance of African and African American Culture

The National Council on Educating Black Children from Garry Holland on Vimeo. on The Call for action talks about how all children can learn and as a society it is up to us to speak out on the quality of education and how African American children living low economic ereas are struggling because of their circumstances that they growing up in. One issue that really caught my attention in this video they interviewed a black girl and boy and they were asked, "which doll was nice and which doll was  mean?" Both children picked the white doll to be nicer and the black doll mean. I thought that was so said that these children living in low economic areas are subject to violence, drugs, crime, single parent homes, bad living conditions, sickness, a school system that have given up on them. African American children experience the highest drop out rate, kicked out of school, jail and one of the biggest issues African American male not finishing school or even going on to higher education.

The information on this website that gives me a better understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field. In their research is the “Blueprint for Action” which  provides a framework for collaborative community partnerships with public school, community, parents, and other African American organizations  to solve problems and accelerate achievement for all children, especially African American  children in particular to making sure that the villiage takes responsibility for developing a plan to improve the educational achievement of  all  children.

One resource on the website in particular The Literacy Center which are being established in various cities to enhance the instruction provided by public and charter schools to those students who are classified as a high risk for academic failure.  So far the NCEBC's National Literacy Center program operates seven literacy centers in Indiana, including four in Indianapolis' disadvantaged neighborhoods. It plans to open 20 in designated areas across the state in an aggressive effort to support school initiatives that increase literacy skills. The  NCEBC will provide the curriculum, staff development, books and materials. and each child enrolled receives three books a year. This program will be a big addition to our society if incorporated in all states not just for African American but available for any child that is in need to increase their literacy skills.

Resources:
National Council of Educating Black Children (NCEBC)
ncebc.org