The Black Student Fund
At a time when affirmative action programs are under attack, black children are still likely to be at a social and economic disadvantage compared to whites for various reasons, including having parents with lower average levels of education and experiencing a greater likelihood of living with only one parent. These differences contribute to a greater likelihood of living in poverty. The Black Student Fund, a group based in Washington, DC, is working to change all this by helping low-income minority students enter the economic mainstream through academic achievement.Black Student Fund President Barbara Patterson notes that black parents---like many others---want to send their children to private schools for their small class sizes, challenging curricula and ample resources. This especially is the case in Washington DC, where many say the public school system is the worst in the nation. But minority families are often closed out because they can't afford the high tuition. 70% of Fund grant recipients come from low-income households. The Black Student Fund keeps the door of academic opportunity open to minority children by helping them pay for a private school education.
Executive Director Gwen Thompson says the Fund operates as a safety net to help children from backgrounds with limited resources. The BSF offers not only scholarships, but also acts as a "full service bank." In addition to helping students financially they offer after-school tutoring, counseling, computers, and even help outfit students with braces and appropriate clothing - things most private school students take for granted. The BSF also serves as an advocate for the children, because as Patterson notes, "there are racial issues in these schools and you just can't put black kids in white schools and say 'this is great.'" The BSF works to make the school environment more suitable and comfortable for the children in order for them to flourish. They accomplish that in part by providing multiracial training to teachers, and networking black educators into the independent school system. To date, they have increased the percentage of black faculty within participating schools by 150%.
But does the program work? Patterson and Thompson say the program has been a huge success. The Black Student Fund has assisted more than 2500 students since its inception and has 260 students currently enrolled in 44 area independent schools. The Fund manages a 99% graduation rate, 95% of its students go on to college, and 84% earn undergraduate degrees at some the of the nation's top institutions including Harvard, Yale, Howard and Johns Hopkins Universities.
