About Us

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The term "opportunity gap" is defined as the differences between the test scores of minority and/or low-income students and the test scores of their White and Asian peers. 

Differences between the scores of students with different backgrounds (ethnic, racial, gender, disability, and income) are evident on large-scale standardized tests. Test score gaps often lead to longer-term gaps, including high school and college completion, as well as the jobs students secure as adults.

Student groups experiencing opportunity gaps are 

• Racial and ethnic minorities
• English second language learners
• Students with disabilities
• Students from low-income families

Indicators of  Opportunity  Gaps

• Performance on tests (statewide tests, SATs, etc.)
• Access to key opportunities (advanced mathematics, physics, higher education, etc.)
• Attainments (high school diploma, college degree, employment)

As a teacher for 10 years in the Illinois Public School System, one word has become synonymous with success.  Regardless of the activity, if you want to be successful within any endeavor, there was one recurring word, term, phenomena that had to be addressed before success could be achieved.  

Famed author John Gordon stated, “to be your best and live a life of impact, instead of creating endless goals and resolutions, one word should be the driving force.”  In his book, “One Word that Will Change Your Life,” Jon Gordon spoke to how “all six dimensions of life – mental, physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, and financial” should resonate in your life from one word.  TheBlackTeacher.com has been on a journey for our one word, and now that we've found it, we struggle to find a reason for it not to be everyone’s word.  

When discussing the meaning of life, this is the word that defines the life experience.  Whether if its a mentality, physicality, emotional or spiritual state, to understand purpose is to understand this one word.  Especially when discussing education, it is the one word that means the most.  

CARE is the word.  It is the cornerstone of success.  It is the intentionality of learning.   Only when a person cares does the possibility of change exists.  The C.A.R.E Package is the concentrated focus on the learning culture of students.  It is the changing of perceptions, the redefining of “smart” and "intelligence," as well as the integration of proven methodologies to increase academic proficiency.  

It is the historical assessment of the African American educational journey, while establishing a new vision, mission, and core values surrounding future educational success.  Whether its philosophies, understandings or practical application activities, the C.A.R.E Package is a complete curriculum created for teachers and parents to meet their most challenged students where they are, while at the same time assisting them to a heightened sense of self-value.

In short, if you want to help a student perform better academically, you must first get them to care.  Getting them to care is no simple process as it based on your ability to demonstrate how much you care, your ability to recognize and identify different types of trauma, and more importantly finding those special people in the student's life that the student already cares about, and making them a part of the student's education team. 

In summary, the essence of education is a relationship between student and teacher.  A teacher is not a teacher, until the student decides to care.  The student doesn’t care, until they know how much the teacher cares.  The importance of caring is only superseded by the understanding of trauma.  Though its manifested in multiple ways, the solutions to addressing trauma are quite simple.  To help foster a caring relationship with your students, your curriculum should always have some component of the following: physical motion, connectivity, self-regulation, and a mindfulness towards one’s health.  

It is because of these understandings, that the cornerstone of our educational belief is founded on Carol Dwyck’s Growth Mindset.  Our theories on transferring information is an exercise in the intentionality of learning, such as Metacognition.  Our understanding of success is an attempt in having students comfortable with communicating what they have learned.  In short, for education to be the life altering experience we believe it to be, we had to change the way we teach, reassess our educational system, and instill a new methodology, to inspire care for those too traumatized to recognize the value of education.