Public Policy Initiatives
In its work addressing the educational crisis that is condemning African-American youth to societal margins, the Algebra Project has been exploring new ways to engage a national audience in this persistent problem.
The Algebra Project helped convene a meeting at Howard University in March 2005 to craft a national campaign with three objectives:
- Increase understanding of the current crisis in public education for students of color
- Identify and more effectively coordinate local initiatives addressing the crisis
- Position the crisis more squarely in civil rights terms and popularize the demand for quality education as a civil and human right
The initiative began with a small gathering of thoughtful individuals who have been active in this field. Participants included educational and civil rights activists, legal and educational scholars and practitioners, organizers, funders and students.
We hope to stimulate a fruitful discussion across disciplines that will help us to shape the campaign, to understand the basic legal and educational concepts and current thinking, and to sharpen our message.