Dr. John Jackson to Speak on Racial Disparities in Public Education, Practical Solutions

Dr. John Jackson, president of the Schott Foundation, will give a keynote address on the future of public education and its impact on the academic achievement of black males on Monday, Feb. 28. Jackson will provide an overview of Minnesota statistics on racial disparities in public education and offer practical solutions for educational equity and reform.

Dr. John Jackson

Dr. John Jackson

Jackson’s presentation will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Schulze Grand Atrium of the University of St. Thomas School of Law on the Minneapolis campus. A reception will follow the lecture, which is free and open to the public.

He will reference statistics from “Yes We Can: The Schott 50-State Report on Public Education and Black Males.” The report notes that 59 percent of black males in Minnesota graduate from high school, and more than two-thirds of Minnesota black male students read below the fourth-grade level.

Jackson's presentation is sponsored by the University of St. Thomas School of  Law (Multicultural Affairs Committee), and co-sponsored by St. Thomas' Community Justice Project, Multicultural Student Services, Black Law Students Association, College of Applied Professional Studies, and Service Learning; the St. Paul NAACP; and St. Paul Youth Services.

For more information call Artika Tyner, (651) 962-4960.