December is Universal Human Rights Month, so we’re placing a focus on education – specifically equitable, high-quality education – as a universal human right.
On December 10th, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations declared their thirty universal human rights, including both education and equality. Unfortunately, 73 years later, our nation is still experiencing inequality in its school systems. Our nation’s reality is that, statistically, low-income students of color are behind their peers academically and drop out earlier. These statistics are a direct result of the disadvantaged students lacking the support, financial and societal, that is commonly provided for moderate to high-income students from more privileged families. Additionally, as stated in Charity Navigator, many people in our nation “face discrimination and persecution because of their race, national origin, sex, gender, religion, age, language, or other status.” Most low-income BIPOC students frequently face racial discrimination, which leads to disproportionate learning losses and affects the students’ mental health.
We want to go beyond celebrating Universal Human Rights Month, go beyond informing ourselves of the current disparities in our world, go beyond simply asking “What can be done about these issues?” – and make actual change happen!
Educate. Radiate. Elevate. believes in surpassing general access to education in support of educational equity with the goal of bridging the achievement gap for underrepresented students. So, what does this mean? E.R.E. defines its attempt at achieving educational equity as going above providing equal schooling opportunities for every student to provide high-quality academic support that is rooted in enrichment and social-emotional learning.
Join E.R.E. in taking action to bridge the achievement gap for underprivileged students. E.R.E. is a non-for-profit that provides personalized tutoring to low-income students of color who have been nominated. We believe in culturally responsive tutoring, uplifting a student’s identity, and incorporating the student’s social community into their learning. Our tutors also continuously reflect on their own backgrounds and current behaviors in an attempt to approach the students with cultural and trauma awareness. Our students are taught hard skills in math and ELA, as well as soft skills, such as planning, organization, and creative problem-solving. Each nominated student will receive personalized tutoring from instructors who approach their tutees with a mindset of focusing on what may be causing their academic struggles. Even as a new nonprofit, we have already seen amazing results from our teaching methods!
If the students know that someone believes they are more than just imperfect test scores, frequent absences, and insufficient class participation – if they are seen – then they will begin to fight for their education. Studies included in the HERTS Blended in Learning publication, an e-journal that informs on the BIPOC achievement gap, indicate that the “sense of belonging that comes through having a through-out support and a reliable point of contact and space where students feel empowered” makes a significant improvement on the student’s educational success.
Because Educate. Radiate. Elevate. is a nonprofit, we run mainly on donations. Donors can choose to provide laptops, wifi, and/or tutors for our local students. We wanted to make donating an individual experience, so you can pick what makes sense for you financially and know exactly where your donation is going. We would greatly appreciate your support! Join the movement to create an environment that hosts an equitable, high-quality education for students in our country’s school system.
