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Presidential Executive Order 13621 (Barack Obama, 2012)

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Executive Order 13621: White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans was a presidential executive order issued by President Barack Obama (D) on August 1, 2012, that established the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans and the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans within the U.S. Department of Education. E.O. 13621 sought to provide the support that will "enable African American students to improve their level of educational achievement through rigorous and well-rounded academic and support services that will prepare them for college, a career, and a lifetime of learning," according to the text.[1]

Background

President Barack Obama aimed to achieve the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020 in order to help students succeed in a global economy.[2] As part of his approach to education, President Obama created the Race to the Top initiative, which aimed to "encourage states to develop rigorous standards and better assessments; adopt better data systems to provide information about student progress; help teachers and school leaders become more effective; and provide support for the rigorous interventions needed to turn around the lowest-performing schools", according to a 2011 publication released by the Obama administration.[2]

President Obama issued E.O. 13621 on August 1, 2012, which aimed to further his education goals by fostering greater educational achievement among African American students. This executive order established the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans and the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans within the U.S. Department of Education. The mission of the initiative was to "strengthen the Nation by improving educational outcomes for African Americans of all ages," according to the text.[1]

Provisions

Policy

E.O. 13621 stated that it is the policy of the United States to foster greater educational outcomes among African American students:[1]

“ Over the course of America's history, African American men and women have strengthened our Nation, including by leading reforms, overcoming obstacles, and breaking down barriers. In the less than 60 years since the Brown v. Board of Education decision put America on a path toward equal educational opportunity, America's educational system has undergone a remarkable transformation, and many African American children who attended the substandard segregated schools of the 1950s have grown up to see their children attend integrated elementary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities.

However, substantial obstacles to equal educational opportunity still remain in America's educational system. African Americans lack equal access to highly effective teachers and principals, safe schools, and challenging college-preparatory classes, and they disproportionately experience school discipline and referrals to special education. African American student achievement not only lags behind that of their domestic peers by an average of two grade levels, but also behind students in almost every other developed nation. Over a third of African American students do not graduate from high school on time with a regular high school diploma, and only four percent of African American high school graduates interested in college are college-ready across a range of subjects. An even greater number of African American males do not graduate with a regular high school diploma, and African American males also experience disparate rates of incarceration.

Significantly improving the educational outcomes of African Americans will provide substantial benefits for our country by, among other things, increasing college completion rates, productivity, employment rates, and the number of African American teachers. Enhanced educational outcomes lead to more productive careers, improved economic opportunity, and greater social well-being for all Americans. Complementing the role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in preparing generations of African American students for successful careers, and the work of my Administration's separate White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, this new Initiative's focus on improving all the sequential levels of education will produce a more effective educational continuum for all African American students.

To reach the ambitious education goals we have set for our Nation, as well as to ensure equality of access and opportunity for all, we must provide the support that will enable African American students to improve their level of educational achievement through rigorous and well-rounded academic and support services that will prepare them for college, a career, and a lifetime of learning.[3]

”

Creation and functions of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans

E.O. 13621 established the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans within the U.S. Department of Education. The mission and functions of the initiative included the following:[1]

“ (1) The Initiative will help to restore the United States to its role as the global leader in education; strengthen the Nation by improving educational outcomes for African Americans of all ages; and help ensure that African Americans receive a complete and competitive education that prepares them for college, a satisfying career, and productive citizenship.

(2) The Initiative will complement and reinforce the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Initiative established by Executive Order 13532 of February 26, 2010, and together, they both will support enhanced educational outcomes for African Americans at every level of the American education system, including early childhood education; elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education; career and technical education; and adult education.

(3) To help expand educational opportunities, improve educational outcomes, and deliver a complete and competitive education for all African Americans, the Initiative shall, consistent with applicable law, promote, encourage, and undertake efforts designed to meet the following objectives:

(i) increasing general understanding of the causes of the educational challenges faced by African American students, whether they are in urban, suburban, or rural learning environments;
(ii) increasing the percentage of African American children who enter kindergarten ready for success by improving their access to high-quality programs and services that enable early learning and development of children from birth through age 5;
(iii) decreasing the disproportionate number of referrals of African American children from general education to special education by addressing the root causes of the referrals and eradicating discriminatory referrals;
(iv) implementing successful and innovative education reform strategies and practices in America's public schools to ensure that African American students receive a rigorous and well-rounded education in safe and healthy environments, and have access to high-level, rigorous course work and support services that will prepare them for college, a career, and civic participation;
(v) ensuring that all African American students have comparable access to the resources necessary to obtain a high-quality education, including effective teachers and school leaders, in part by supporting efforts to improve the recruitment, preparation, development, and retention of successful African American teachers and school leaders and other effective teachers and school leaders responsible for the education of African American students;
(vi) reducing the dropout rate of African American students and helping African American students graduate from high school prepared for college and a career, in part by promoting a positive school climate that does not rely on methods that result in disparate use of disciplinary tools, and by supporting successful and innovative dropout prevention and recovery strategies that better engage African American youths in their learning, help them catch up academically, and provide those who have left the educational system with pathways to reentry;
(vii) increasing college access and success for African American students and providing support to help ensure that a greater percentage of African Americans complete college and contribute to the goal of having America again lead the world in the proportion of adults who are college graduates by 2020, in part through strategies to strengthen the capacity of institutions of higher education that serve large numbers of African American students, including community colleges, HBCUs, Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), and other institutions; and
(viii) enhancing the educational and life opportunities of African Americans by fostering positive family and community engagement in education; reducing racial isolation and resegregation of elementary and secondary schools to promote understanding and tolerance among all Americans; improving the quality of, and expanding access to, adult education, literacy, and career and technical education; and increasing opportunities for education and career advancement in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.[3]
 ”

Establishment of the Interagency Working Group on Educational Excellence for African Americans

E.O. 13621 established the Federal Interagency Working Group on Educational Excellence for African Americans and required it to support the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. The working group was funded by the U.S. Department of Education and was mandated to periodically publish reports on its activities. The working group included the following members:[1]

“ (2) The Working Group shall consist of senior officials from the Department, the White House Domestic Policy Council, the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, and such additional agencies and offices as the President may subsequently designate. Senior officials shall be designated by the heads of their respective agencies and offices.

(3) The Initiative's Executive Director may establish subgroups of the Working Group to focus on different aspects of the educational system (such as early childhood education, K-12 education, higher education (including HBCUs and PBIs), career and technical education, adult education, or correctional education and reengagement) or educational challenges facing particular populations of African Americans (such as young men, disconnected or out-of-school youth, individuals with disabilities, children identified as gifted and talented, single-parent households, or adults already in the workforce).[3]

”

Establishment and composition of the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans

E.O. 13621 established the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. The commission aimed to address the following:[1]

“ (1) the development, implementation, and coordination of educational programs and initiatives at the Department and other agencies to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for African Americans of all ages;

(2) efforts to increase the participation of the African American community and institutions that serve the African American community in the Department's programs and in education programs at other agencies;

(3) efforts to engage the philanthropic, business, nonprofit, and education communities in a national dialogue on the mission and objectives of this order; and

(4) the establishment of partnerships with public, private, philanthropic, and nonprofit stakeholders to meet the mission and policy objectives of this order.[3]

”

E.O. 13621 mandated that the commission consists of no more than 25 members appointed by the president, with one member being designated as chair. The executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans also served as the commission's executive director and was tasked with administering the work of the commission. The commission also included two members from the President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as designated by the President. The U.S. Department of Education was required to provide funding and administrative support for the commission.[1]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Federal Register, "White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans," accessed March 10, 2023
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The White House, "Obama Administration Record on Education," accessed March 10, 2023
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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