Welcome Prospective Scholars!

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) which is commonly known as “the Nation’s Report Card”—a congressionally mandated program that has been administered by the National Center for Education Statistics within the U.S. Dept. of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences since 1969—approx. 85 percent of Black eighth graders were not reading proficiently in 2019. In 2022, the percentage of all eighth-grade students performing at or above the NAEP Proficient level decreased from the previous assessment year by three points to thirty-one percent. The Academy serves as an intensive, culturally-responsive literacy intervention in partnership with public school districts on Maryland’s Eastern Shore for students of the Global Majority.

The United States of America is believed to be the only country to pass legislation prohibiting specific persons from reading or writing (p. 402). Although Maryland is one of the few Southern states that did not uphold anti-literacy policy in statute, generations of Tidewater communities of color throughout the Chesapeake have renowned legacies of global reach for resisting and defying such oppression. It is within this rich tradition of embracing risk and seeking freedom that the Academy is grounded. As such, the Academy is designed to harness the power of positive outcomes afforded to scholars in spaces created by, and built for, diverse communities.

During the summer months, scholars will meet two to three times per week from June to August 2023. During those meetings, scholars will read and discuss an anchor text as a vehicle to developing public speaking, writing, and reading comprehension abilities. Scholars will also have the opportunity to engage with place-based primary and secondary source texts. Throughout the remainder of the Cohort programming time, scholars will have hands-on, immersive learning experiences at both the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and Rose O’Neill Literary House at Washington College. Learn more about how the Inaugural Cohort’s leveraged these complementary experiences.

The Academy engages scholars, in various ways, for an entire academic year. Upon matriculation, a Programming Calendar will be shared with scholars and families.

All materials needed to complete the Academy will be provided for free to scholars.

The Academy is a hybrid program which will begin Summer 2023 via Zoom! The first part of programming will run from June to August 2023 and meet two to three times per week. Upon matriculation, scholars and families may refer to the Academy programming calendar for specific dates and times.

There is no cost to apply nor participate.

Academy programming for the 2023 cohort targets current eighth (rising 9th) and ninth grade (rising 10th) Talbot County Public School (MD) students who identify as members of the Global Majority.

In the forthcoming months, the Academy will be announcing a robust array of volunteer opportunities where allies may join in advancing educational equity. Should this resonate, we welcome your interest via email.