[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 148 (Wednesday, August 1, 2012)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 45471-45476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-18868]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 148 / Wednesday, August 1, 2012 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 45471]]


                Executive Order 13621 of July 26, 2012

                
White House Initiative on Educational Excellence 
                for African Americans

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, to restore the country to its role as the 
                global leader in education, to strengthen the Nation by 
                improving educational outcomes for African Americans of 
                all ages, and to help ensure that all African Americans 
                receive an education that properly prepares them for 
                college, productive careers, and satisfying lives, it 
                is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy. Over the course of America's 
                history, African American men and women have 
                strengthened our Nation, including by leading reforms, 
                overcoming obstacles, and breaking down barriers. In 
                the less than 60 years since the Brown v. Board of 
                Education decision put America on a path toward equal 
                educational opportunity, America's educational system 
                has undergone a remarkable transformation, and many 
                African American children who attended the substandard 
                segregated schools of the 1950s have grown up to see 
                their children attend integrated elementary and 
                secondary schools, colleges, and universities.

                However, substantial obstacles to equal educational 
                opportunity still remain in America's educational 
                system. African Americans lack equal access to highly 
                effective teachers and principals, safe schools, and 
                challenging college-preparatory classes, and they 
                disproportionately experience school discipline and 
                referrals to special education. African American 
                student achievement not only lags behind that of their 
                domestic peers by an average of two grade levels, but 
                also behind students in almost every other developed 
                nation. Over a third of African American students do 
                not graduate from high school on time with a regular 
                high school diploma, and only four percent of African 
                American high school graduates interested in college 
                are college-ready across a range of subjects. An even 
                greater number of African American males do not 
                graduate with a regular high school diploma, and 
                African American males also experience disparate rates 
                of incarceration.

                Significantly improving the educational outcomes of 
                African Americans will provide substantial benefits for 
                our country by, among other things, increasing college 
                completion rates, productivity, employment rates, and 
                the number of African American teachers. Enhanced 
                educational outcomes lead to more productive careers, 
                improved economic opportunity, and greater social well-
                being for all Americans. Complementing the role of 
                Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in 
                preparing generations of African American students for 
                successful careers, and the work of my Administration's 
                separate White House Initiative on Historically Black 
                Colleges and Universities, this new Initiative's focus 
                on improving all the sequential levels of education 
                will produce a more effective educational continuum for 
                all African American students.

                To reach the ambitious education goals we have set for 
                our Nation, as well as to ensure equality of access and 
                opportunity for all, we must provide the support that 
                will enable African American students to improve their 
                level of educational achievement through rigorous and 
                well-rounded academic and support services that will 
                prepare them for college, a career, and a lifetime of 
                learning.

[[Page 45472]]

                Sec. 2. White House Initiative on Educational 
                Excellence for African Americans. (a) Establishment. 
                There is hereby established the White House Initiative 
                on Educational Excellence for African Americans 
                (Initiative), to be housed in the Department of 
                Education (Department). There shall be an Executive 
                Director of the Initiative, to be appointed by the 
                Secretary of Education (Secretary). The Initiative 
                shall be supported by the Interagency Working Group 
                established under subsection (c) of this section and 
                advised by the Commission established under section 3 
                of this order.

                    (b) Mission and Functions.

(1) The Initiative will help to restore the United States to its role as 
the global leader in education; strengthen the Nation by improving 
educational outcomes for African Americans of all ages; and help ensure 
that African Americans receive a complete and competitive education that 
prepares them for college, a satisfying career, and productive citizenship.

(2) The Initiative will complement and reinforce the Historically Black 
Colleges and Universities Initiative established by Executive Order 13532 
of February 26, 2010, and together, they both will support enhanced 
educational outcomes for African Americans at every level of the American 
education system, including early childhood education; elementary, 
secondary, and postsecondary education; career and technical education; and 
adult education.

(3) To help expand educational opportunities, improve educational outcomes, 
and deliver a complete and competitive education for all African Americans, 
the Initiative shall, consistent with applicable law, promote, encourage, 
and undertake efforts designed to meet the following objectives:

(i) increasing general understanding of the causes of the educational 
challenges faced by African American students, whether they are in urban, 
suburban, or rural learning environments;

(ii) increasing the percentage of African American children who enter 
kindergarten ready for success by improving their access to high-quality 
programs and services that enable early learning and development of 
children from birth through age 5;

(iii) decreasing the disproportionate number of referrals of African 
American children from general education to special education by addressing 
the root causes of the referrals and eradicating discriminatory referrals;

(iv) implementing successful and innovative education reform strategies and 
practices in America's public schools to ensure that African American 
students receive a rigorous and well-rounded education in safe and healthy 
environments, and have access to high-level, rigorous course work and 
support services that will prepare them for college, a career, and civic 
participation;

(v) ensuring that all African American students have comparable access to 
the resources necessary to obtain a high-quality education, including 
effective teachers and school leaders, in part by supporting efforts to 
improve the recruitment, preparation, development, and retention of 
successful African American teachers and school leaders and other effective 
teachers and school leaders responsible for the education of African 
American students;

(vi) reducing the dropout rate of African American students and helping 
African American students graduate from high school prepared for college 
and a career, in part by promoting a positive school climate that does not 
rely on methods that result in disparate use of disciplinary tools, and by 
supporting successful and innovative dropout prevention and recovery 
strategies that better engage African American youths in their learning, 
help them catch up academically, and provide those who have left the 
educational system with pathways to reentry;

(vii) increasing college access and success for African American students 
and providing support to help ensure that a greater percentage

[[Page 45473]]

of African Americans complete college and contribute to the goal of having 
America again lead the world in the proportion of adults who are college 
graduates by 2020, in part through strategies to strengthen the capacity of 
institutions of higher education that serve large numbers of African 
American students, including community colleges, HBCUs, Predominantly Black 
Institutions (PBIs), and other institutions; and

(viii) enhancing the educational and life opportunities of African 
Americans by fostering positive family and community engagement in 
education; reducing racial isolation and resegregation of elementary and 
secondary schools to promote understanding and tolerance among all 
Americans; improving the quality of, and expanding access to, adult 
education, literacy, and career and technical education; and increasing 
opportunities for education and career advancement in the fields of 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

(4) In working to fulfill its mission and objectives, the Initiative shall, 
consistent with applicable law:

(i) identify evidence-based best practices that can provide African 
American students a rigorous and well-rounded education in safe and healthy 
environments, as well as access to support services, which will prepare 
them for college, a career, and civic participation;

(ii) develop a national network of individuals, organizations, and 
communities to share and implement best practices related to the education 
of African Americans, including those identified as most at risk;

(iii) help ensure that Federal programs and initiatives administered by the 
Department and other agencies are serving and meeting the educational needs 
of African Americans, including by encouraging agencies to incorporate best 
practices into appropriate discretionary programs where permitted by law;

(iv) work closely with the Executive Office of the President on key 
Administration priorities related to the education of African Americans;

(v) increase the participation of the African American community, including 
institutions that serve that community, in the Department's programs and in 
education-related programs at other agencies;

(vi) advise the officials of the Department and other agencies on issues 
related to the educational attainment of African Americans;

(vii) advise the Secretary on the development, implementation, and 
coordination of educational programs and initiatives at the Department and 
other agencies that are designed to improve educational opportunities and 
outcomes for African Americans of all ages; and

(viii) encourage and develop partnerships with public, private, 
philanthropic, and nonprofit stakeholders to improve African Americans' 
readiness for school, college, and career, as well as their college 
persistence and completion.

(5) The Initiative shall periodically publish reports on its activities. 
The Secretary and the Executive Director of the Initiative, in consultation 
with the Working Group and the Chair of the Commission established under 
subsection (c) of this section and section 3 of this order, respectively, 
may develop and submit to the President recommendations designed to advance 
and promote educational opportunities and attainment for African Americans.

                    (c) Interagency Working Group.

(1) There is established the Federal Interagency Working Group on 
Educational Excellence for African Americans (Working Group), which shall 
be convened and chaired by the Initiative's Executive Director and that 
shall support the efforts of the Initiative described in subsection (b) of 
this section.

(2) The Working Group shall consist of senior officials from the 
Department, the White House Domestic Policy Council, the Department of 
Justice,

[[Page 45474]]

the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the 
National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, and such additional 
agencies and offices as the President may subsequently designate. Senior 
officials shall be designated by the heads of their respective agencies and 
offices.

(3) The Initiative's Executive Director may establish subgroups of the 
Working Group to focus on different aspects of the educational system (such 
as early childhood education, K-12 education, higher education (including 
HBCUs and PBIs), career and technical education, adult education, or 
correctional education and reengagement) or educational challenges facing 
particular populations of African Americans (such as young men, 
disconnected or out-of-school youth, individuals with disabilities, 
children identified as gifted and talented, single-parent households, or 
adults already in the workforce).

                    (d) Administration. The Department shall provide 
                funding and administrative support for the Initiative 
                and the Working Group, to the extent permitted by law 
                and within existing appropriations. To the extent 
                permitted by law, other agencies and offices 
                represented on the Working Group may detail personnel 
                to the Initiative, to assist the Department in meeting 
                the objectives of this order.
                    (e) Collaboration Among White House Initiatives. 
                The Initiative may collaborate with the White House 
                Initiatives on American Indian and Alaska Native 
                Education, Educational Excellence for Hispanics, Asian-
                American and Pacific Islanders, and (consistent with 
                section 3(c) of this order) Historically Black Colleges 
                and Universities, whenever appropriate in light of 
                their shared objectives.

                Sec. 3.  President's Advisory Commission on Educational 
                Excellence for African Americans. (a) Establishment. 
                There is established in the Department the President's 
                Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for 
                African Americans (Commission).

                    (b) Commission Mission and Scope. The Commission 
                shall advise the President and the Secretary on matters 
                pertaining to the educational attainment of the African 
                American community, including:

(1) the development, implementation, and coordination of educational 
programs and initiatives at the Department and other agencies to improve 
educational opportunities and outcomes for African Americans of all ages;

(2) efforts to increase the participation of the African American community 
and institutions that serve the African American community in the 
Department's programs and in education programs at other agencies;

(3) efforts to engage the philanthropic, business, nonprofit, and education 
communities in a national dialogue on the mission and objectives of this 
order; and

(4) the establishment of partnerships with public, private, philanthropic, 
and nonprofit stakeholders to meet the mission and policy objectives of 
this order.

                The Commission shall meet periodically, but at least 
                twice a year.

                    (c) Commission Membership and Chair.

(1) The Commission shall consist of not more than 25 members appointed by 
the President. The President shall designate one member of the Commission 
to serve as Chair. The Executive Director of the Initiative shall also 
serve as the Executive Director of the Commission and administer the work 
of the Commission. The Chair of the Commission shall work with the 
Executive Director to convene regular meetings of the Commission, determine 
its agenda, and direct its work, consistent with this order.

(2) The Commission may include individuals with relevant experience or 
subject-matter expertise that the President deems appropriate, as well as 
individuals who may serve as representatives of a variety of sectors, 
including the education sector (early childhood education, elementary

[[Page 45475]]

and secondary education, higher education (including HBCUs and PBIs), 
career and technical education, and adult education), labor organizations, 
research institutions, the military, corporate and financial institutions, 
public and private philanthropic organizations, and nonprofit and 
community-based organizations at the national, State, regional, or local 
levels.

(3) In addition to the 25 members appointed by the President, the 
Commission shall also include two members from the President's Board of 
Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Board), 
designated by the President. In turn, the Board will henceforth include two 
members from the Commission, designated by the President. This reciprocal 
arrangement will foster direct communication and vital consultations that 
will benefit both bodies.

(4) The Executive Director of the Commission and the Executive Director of 
the Board shall convene at least one annual joint meeting between the 
Commission and the Board for the purpose of sharing information and forging 
collaborative courses of action designed to fulfill their respective 
missions. Such meetings shall be in addition to other prescribed meetings 
of the Commission or Board.

(5) The Executive Director of the Commission shall be a non-voting, ex 
officio member of the Board and shall be the Commission's liaison to the 
Board; and the Executive Director of the Board shall be a non-voting, ex 
officio member of the Commission and shall be the Board's liaison to the 
Commission.

                    (d) Commission Administration. The Department shall 
                provide funding and administrative support for the 
                Commission, to the extent permitted by law and within 
                existing appropriations. Members of the Commission 
                shall serve without compensation but shall be allowed 
                travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
                subsistence, as authorized by law for persons serving 
                intermittently in the Government service (5 U.S.C. 
                5701-5707). Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee 
                Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.) (the ``Act''), may 
                apply to the administration of the Commission, any 
                functions of the President under the Act, except that 
                of reporting to the Congress, shall be performed by the 
                Secretary, in accordance with the guidelines issued by 
                the Administrator of General Services.

                Sec. 4.  General Provisions. (a) The heads of agencies 
                shall assist and provide information to the Initiative 
                as may be necessary to carry out the functions of the 
                Initiative, consistent with applicable law.

                    (b) Nothing in this order shall be construed to 
                impair or otherwise affect:

(1) the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the 
head thereof; or

(2) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (c) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.

[[Page 45476]]

                    (d) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    Washington, July 26, 2012.

[FR Doc. 2012-18868
Filed 7-31-12; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F2-P