PVAMU Welcomes Students with Aldine ISD, Impact Leadership Academy Partnership
Prairie View A&M University students, faculty and staff were on hand bright and early to help welcome students to the first day of school at Aldine ISD’s Impact Leadership Academy (ILA), the district’s first all-boys school. PVAMU is partnering with the ILA to cultivate learning experiences rooted in identity, leadership, community, and activism, all designed to address academic achievement and support social and emotional needs for young Black and Latino male students.
“The aim and goals of ILA are relevant to and consistent with the overall mission of PVAMU,” said Michael L. McFrazier, Ed.D., professor and dean of the Whitlowe R. Green College of Education. “PVAMU is dedicated to ‘investing in programs and services that address issues and challenges affecting the diverse ethnic and socioeconomic population of Texas and the larger society, including the global arena.’ This partnership’s impact will be far-reaching and inspirational to all involved.”
ILA currently holds students of first, second and sixth grade, with grades scheduled to be added each year until they reach their goal of having students from first through eighth grade, according to an Aldine ISD press release.
“It’s a unique campus,” said Principal Jonathan Kegler. “Most all-boys schools start at middle, and they go through high school. We’re starting when they’re young. We’re catching them and training them up when they’re young.”
PVAMU’s contribution to the ILA consists of
- Selecting young men at PVAMU to serve as mentors for the boys at ILA;
- Placing pre-service teachers (student teachers) at the Academy;
- Providing support for the entrepreneurial component of the Academy’s curriculum; and
- Providing opportunities for the students to tour the PVAMU campus and attend educational, cultural and athletic events.
“This partnership between PVAMU and Aldine ISD will pay dividends for years to come by equipping the students with the tools and resources they will need to be successful and productive citizens,” said Anthony J. Harris, Ed.D., a professor and department head at PVAMU. “Moreover, this partnership is another example of PVAMU’s legacy of supporting communities and schools that have been historically marginalized. By engaging and partnering with the district, we endeavor to do our part in providing the tools the students will need as they matriculate through their grades.”
Click here to view KPRC-TV’s coverage of the event.
Tags: diversity, elementary education, equity, inclusion, revolutionizing education, school-university partnerships
