Task Force on Quality Education

Posted by National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on January 22, 2018

In July 2016, during the 107th National Convention, delegates unanimously passed a Resolution calling for a moratorium on charter school expansion until there is accountability and transparency in their operations.

At the October 2016 NAACP Board of Directors Meeting, the Board adopted the Resolution and the Chair, with Board approval created the 12-member Charter School Task Force. After the November General Election, based upon the United States President-Elect’s campaign promise to expand privatization of public education, the officers were concerned that the 1954 Brown versus Board of Education victory that promised a quality education for all was at risk. As a result, the NAACP Board of Directors expanded the Task Force work to include protection of quality public education for all inner-city children. Thus, the Task for was renamed to be the Task Force on Quality Education.

The Task Force agreed to hold hearings across the country and speak directly to educators of traditional district schools as well as charter schools and report the findings to the NAACP National Board of Directors. The Task Force believes the report will serve as a guide to the future direction the NAACP should take to preserve public quality education for all children in America.

Seven public Hearings were held around the country from December 2016 through April 2017. The hearing format ensured that testimony came from educators, administrators, school policy experts, charter school leaders, parents, advocates, community leaders and students to gain insight into public education. The seven cities selected as hearing locations were; New Haven, Memphis, Orlando, Los Angeles, Detroit, New Orleans and New York. Findings and future actions are contained in the attached report.

http://www.naacp.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Task_ForceReport_final2.pdf