A new school for Black boys is on its way to Washington D.C. Kaya Henderson, D.C.’s schools chancellor, announced plans to invest $20 million toward programs dedicated to the advancement of young men of color, reports The Washington Post.
The initiative, “Empowering Males of Color,” is the brainchild of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, who was just sworn into office this month, and is modeled off of similar programs around the country targeted at assisting underrepresented Black and Latino male students.
The prep school, funded by both private and public sectors, is scheduled to open in 2017, though the city is already seeking volunteers to tutor students in the meantime. The school’s program will seek to boost reading and math scores and attendance and matriculation rates.
“Far too many students are not benefiting from the progress we are making,” said Henderson at a news conference. “It’s a very real, very urgent problem.”