About COSEBOC

Mission

The Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (COSEBOC) is re-imagining and transforming the schooling experience for males of color.

Background

In June of 2007, a Gathering of Leaders dedicated to quality education for boys and young men of color came to Wheelock College in Boston. This group of educators was hosted and supported by:

• Wheelock College
• The Panasonic Foundation
• The Eagle Academy for Young Men
• Delores Walker Johnson Center for Thoughtful Leadership at ATLAS Learning Communities
• The Schott Foundation
• The Barr Foundation
• The Hayden Foundation

In April of 2008, the second Gathering of Leaders was hosted at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. This convening was sponsored by:

• Morehouse College
• The 100 Black Men of Atlanta
• The Panasonic Foundation
• The B.E.S.T Academy at Benjamin Carson
• The 100 Black Men of New York City
• The Eagle Academy for Young Men
• The Schott Foundation
• Urban Prep Academy
• TERC
• Wheelock College

Both Gatherings enabled Principals and Founders to share their promising practices for boys and young men enrolled in their schools. Woven throughout the conversations was the unrelenting belief that this student population must be provided with the highest quality of academic, social, moral and civic opportunities in order to prepare them for positions of leadership at all levels.

For more about this formative history, please also read "A Dream is Born".

Program Description and Goals

COSEBOC intends to develop a collaborative network of schools that nurture success in boys of color.  Working with these schools, COSEBOC is committed to high standards, exemplary instruction, and the building of coalitions within and outside the community.  The intended long-term outcome of this coalition will be boys of color who are fully equipped to achieve academically, socially and emotionally.  These schools will serve as models for the educational community, enabling educators to replicate the promising practices modeled in these schools.  COSEBOC will contribute to the body of research on achievement in Black and Latino boys. 

The long-term goals of COSEBOC are:

1. Define high standards for schools successfully educating boys of color
2. Convene member schools for sharing of promising practices and community-building
3. Establish network of highly respected educators, researchers, policy-makers, and advocates focused on educating boys of color
4. Model promising practices and provide professional development for educators to replicate them widely
5. Support research and policy development related to pertinent issues concerning the education of males of color
6. Conduct advocacy with policy makers and elected officials in keeping with the needs of boys of color and COSEBOC’s adopted standards
7. Establish and promote a career pathway for boys of color to become educators
8. Raise the visibility of COSEBOC research, the defined needs of boys, and successes in successfully addressing those needs.

Strategic alliances and partnerships are a key strategy for implementing all of these goals.  Partnerships with institutions of higher education will enable research, conferences, pre-service and in-service education of teachers and school leaders.  Partnerships with education development and community-building organizations will support the academic and social development of students served. 

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