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Pathways and Economic Mobility

RISE UP Coalition to Address the Compound Inequity Facing Black and Brown Students

Kimberly Smith, Lydia Logan

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The ripple effects of historically inequitable institutions—from education to healthcare to housing and beyond—are resulting in severe and long-lasting impacts on our students and families of color. Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and People of Color (BILPOC) families and students are potentially facing continued compounded inequities.

We have an unprecedented opportunity to take action. School districts and charter networks are facing both tremendous challenges and, simultaneously, opportunities to design and implement effective, culturally-aligned systems to support historically marginalized students.

The time is now—and the moment is urgent—for school districts, charter networks and organizations to join efforts to turn the tide that is having devastating impacts on our students.

Today, we announce the RISE UP Coalition—school districts, charter networks, and organizations led by BILPOC—who will work together and with support of allies to design an Action Agenda to reflect and address the needs of students of color.

The Action Agenda will:

  • Identify challenges, priorities, and solutions to address the needs of Black and Brown students.
  • Represent urban, rural, and suburban geographies across the country as collaboration partners in co-developing the Action Agenda.
  • Capture existing best practices, programs, and models that are currently being employed by school districts and charter networks.
  • Identify practices that embody the perspectives of BILPOC leaders and the know-how and solutions that have been developed by BILPOC-led organizations.
  • Include a research agenda designed to ensure we capture data and learnings from the collaboration.

The RISE UP Coalition will host a series of public-facing webinars starting in April, with the goal of releasing the Action Agenda publicly in June 2021.

To keep abreast of the Action Agenda happenings and confirm your interest in joining us as supporters and advocates, please complete this form.

Below are the education institutions and organizations leading the RISE UP Coalition work. Stay tuned for information regarding the coalition’s new website and first webinar.

Convening Host Organizations

  • Camelback Ventures
  • Digital Promise
  • Education Leaders of Color
  • The Pahara Institute
  • Surge Institute
  • UNIDOS US

Collaborating Organizations (School Districts, Charter Networks, Organizations)

  • 4.0 Schools
  • Everett Public Schools
  • National Association of Charter School Authorizers
  • American Youth Policy Forum
  • EveryoneOn
  • National Indian Education Association
  • Atlanta Public Schools
  • Friendship Public Charter Schools
  • Native American Community Academy
  • Beyond12
  • Gestalt Community Schools
  • Noble Network of Charter Schools
  • Big Picture Learning
  • IDEA Public Schools
  • Oakland REACH
  • BRICK Education Network
  • IMM Schools
  • Richland School District Two
  • CatalystEd
  • Indianapolis Public Schools
  • RISE Colorado
  • Center for Black Educator Development
  • Latinos for Education
  • Rural Opportunity Institute
  • Citizen of the World Schools
  • Lynwood Public Schools
  • STEM Preparatory Schools
  • Compton Unified School District
  • Mater Academy
  • DeSoto Independent School District
  • Middletown City Schools

Authors

Kimberly Smith

Chief Innovation Officer

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Kimberly A. Smith is the co-lead and chief innovation officer of the Digital Promise Center for Learner Pathway Innovations. She works in partnerships with school systems across the country in creating and sustaining Unbounded Pathways—accelerated, future-forward, responsive, co-created, credentialed pathways that enable learners to design their futures to achieve agency, well-being and economic mobility. She is a co-creator of the Digital Promise’s Collaborative Innovation model, a co-research and design methodology centered in students and communities working in partnership with school systems, industry and post-secondary to build innovative pathway solutions. Prior, she was executive director of the League of Innovative Schools, Digital Promise’s flagship network of forward-thinking school systems leaders.

Prior to Digital Promise, Ms. Smith was chief learning and innovation officer with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), leading the innovation strategy for the global leader in youth entrepreneurship education and vice president of education at PBS where she directed the digital education strategy, including launching a national public broadcasting PreK-12 digital curriculum service in partnership with school districts. She also served as vice president of product development for Discovery Education where she led the creation of a portfolio of broadband services for K-12 schools, including Discovery Streaming and curriculum digital products. Ms. Smith began her career in education innovation at the Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting Project where she was on a team pioneering delivering college courses for credit at a distance through online and broadcast.

Ms. Smith is an Aspen-Pahara Institute fellow focused on building sustainable, values-aligned education leadership. She is co-founder of the National Charter Collaborative, a non-profit focused on supporting single-site charter leaders of color in creating quality schools. She has served on the boards and advisories including the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), the Arts and Technology Academy Public Charter School, Catalyst Exchange, Learner Centered Collaborative, Education Reimagined, and Beach House in Washington, DC. She received her M.B.A from Johns Hopkins University and her bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Lydia Logan

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