In 1994, just as he was poised to assume his responsibilities as the president and CEO of the National Urban League, Hugh B. Price read an unsettling article by Ron Suskind in the Wall Street Journal describing how some high-achieving black students felt so intimidated by their classmates, they were reluctant to participate in any type of public recognition of their accomplishments.
In his new book, Mobilizing the Community to Help Students Succeed(ASCD, 2008), Price discusses how the eye-opening, Pulitzer Prize-winning article helped to clarify the direction in which he wanted to take the National Urban League. "I increasingly became convinced that our job was to galvanize communities to create a pervasive culture of achievement that celebrates and, yes, provides protective cover to achievers, that neutralizes negative peer pressures, and that endeavors to motivate youngsters who scorn academic achievement," writes Price.
Price worked with organizers around the nation to develop strategies for mobilizing community members, local leaders, parents, nonprofit organizations, sororities and fraternities, businesses, and other civic groups to provide the necessary support and encouragement for students.
Mobilizing the Community captures the best of the many important projects undertaken both locally and nationally to support students at all levels of achievement.
- Create initiatives such as community-based honor societies, parades, and rallies to motivate students and reward achievement;
- Include parents in motivational efforts;
- Enlist the support of businesses and other community partners for both financial support and volunteer help;
- Maximize use of the media to publicize student accomplishments; and
- Set up programs that honor student achievement year-round.
Price is a leading figure in the effort to bring together communities to support the programs and policies that ensure the success of all learners. He served as the cochair of ASCD's Commission on the Whole Child (2006–07), and he is currently a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
To read a chapter from Mobilizing the Community to Help Students Succeed, visit www.ascd.org/books.