During the month of February, which is Black History Month, Tracee Perryman, Ph.D., launched her new book titled Elevating Futures. Elevating Futures offers an after-school model that has a proven track record of generating academic and social-emotional gains among at-risk youth populations.
Black History Month is a time to bring awareness to and celebrate the achievements by African Americans and their central roles in U.S. history. Similarly, Elevating Futures is all about exposing students to those historical and more recent achievements in order to show them a path for overcoming barriers in their lives.
Elevating Futures creates opportunities for culturally responsive learning, exploration and discussion. Through affirmation, engagement, and alignment with Common Core Standards, the model closes achievement gaps for students of color in urban communities, where educational disparities are most common.
“The key to closing achievement gaps is closing opportunity gaps. As a result of the pandemic, Black children experienced nearly double the amount of learning loss when compared to children of other ethnic/cultural groups. The pandemic has illuminated the need for solutions. Elevating Futures equips educators and youth development workers with the skills to ensure that every child receives access to a high quality, loving learning community that truly acknowledges and embraces them. Elevating Futures expands upon traditional tutoring models by not only teaching academic skills but rooting the acquisition of those skills in experiences that engage, touch, and motivate,” said Tracee Perryman, Ph.D. and CEO and cofounder of Center of Hope Family Services.
James L. Moore III, Ph.D., Vice Provost of Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at The Ohio State University notes that the time is right for Elevating Futures.
“This book arrives with our nation in a fragile state,” Moore said. “A global pandemic has lifted the veil from our eyes as society begins to view the gap between the haves and have nots reaching epic proportions. As nearly every educator in America can tell you, the poorest and least equipped students are falling farther behind as they navigate new technological hurdles and uncertain schedules. As society seeks better answers on how to bring greater equity to American classrooms – particularly when it comes to educating vulnerable, Black children – Dr. Perryman has arrived in the nick of time with a child-centered, culturally competent, research-centered program to lift up those in need.”
In Elevating Futures, Perryman guides educators, school administers, and social service program operators through her ELEVATE! Program’s detailed lesson plan, which provide a road map to engage children’s creativity, to teach children how to lift themselves and each other up, and to build community and harmony while providing continual motivation through music and affirmations.
“I believe that those individuals – teachers, school counselors, after-school professionals, etc., who come into daily contact with Black children will find this book useful and enriching. Thanks Dr. Perryman for gifting the education community with this precious resource,” said Moore.