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Who We Are

Organization

Board of Directors

The Alamance-Burlington Closing the Achievement GAP is comprised of a thirteen member board of directors.  Three major and equal components form the structure of our organization: Academic Intervention, Community Outreach and Honoring Achievement. The Board also meets annually with the Superintendent. Except for the summer months, GAP meets monthly on the 4th Tuesday of each month.

Community Partners

The Board is always interested in developing community partnerships with entities that want to support the mission and goals of the Alamance-Burlington Closing the Achievement GAP, Inc.

Mission Statement

Creating and promoting systemic prevention and intervention activities that support raising the achievement level of all minority-male students of promise.


Bridging the Gap is assisting in the educational needs of our youth.
The achievement gap is closed or at least modified, when all students are being prepared well for future successful endeavors such that they can become fully functioning members of society.

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Our History
Alamance Burlington Closing the Achievement GAP, Inc.
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Information Sharing Session with GAP Retreat Participants

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During the Board of Education meeting in October 2000, a task force was appointed to discuss the significant number of minority children who were not receiving a quality education and make recommendations to help resolve the issues. This task force consisted of educators, students, parents, business leaders, ministers, lawyers, parents, doctors, grandparents, and community activists.


In 2001, several groups were formed across the state due to reports and studies indicating that tens of thousands of minority students were being left behind by the public schools. Lowering the achievement gap became a priority across the nation.
 

Our task force co-chaired by Dr. Terry Farmer and former NC State Senator Tony Foriest spent almost one year researching ways to help close the achievement gaps. A total of 14 recommendations were made by the task force. Four sub-committees were formed and worked hard to submit recommendations to the total committee for their input and approval.


On September 10, 2001, fourteen recommendations were approved by the committee and presented to the Board of Education for approval at one of their monthly meetings. These recommendations became our blueprint for helping to close the achievement gap.


The GAP Committee operated through 2009 under the Alamance Foundation, an organization that took care of the paperwork and budgets. The Alamance Foundation later transferred our paperwork and budgets to the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. This organization assumed responsibility for handling the financial affairs of GAP for almost two years. During the two-year period, we worked through the process of attaining 501c3 non-profit status.


Though this organization is not a part of the Alamance-Burlington School System, we want to continue working with the system to improve student achievement and parent involvement.

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GAP Committee Recommendations for Closing the Achievement GAP

September 10, 2001

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  • Minority Festival of Academic Excellence…. Designed to motivate minority students to achieve higher grades and test scores …..GAP Committee

  • Cross-age and peer tutoring…System-wide

  • Adult or Peer Mentors…System-wide and GAP specifically

  • Play station labs…..Observed, but implemented by one school

  • Involvement of minority community and churches…GAP Committee

  • Adopt-a-School…System-wide

  • Increase parent involvement…System-wide and GAP specifically

  • Emphasis on strong leadership…System-wide

  • Focus on Teachers…System-wide

  • Continued diversity training…System-wide

  • Recruitment of minority teachers…System-wide

  • Development of pilot schools…System-wide

  • Creating a culture of achievement…System-wide

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Addressing the achievement of students of color in elementary, middle, and high school
became the signature project for GAP. Around 2015, issues- nationwide- surrounding the
African American male students’ low academic achievement caused GAP to turn its attention to African American male students. We’ve recently added Hispanic male students as they were having some of the same academic difficulties as Black males. Because of the learning loss caused by COVID 19, GAP presented a proposal to the School Board in August 2021 to establish an expanded mentoring program for both student populations.

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