Black History Month Teaching resources

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today issued the following statement, recognizing the celebration of Black History Month:

This month we celebrate the achievements of generations of African Americans and honor their contributions in every corner of our national life, from public service to business, the arts, and education. We also strengthen our dedication to ensuring that the promise of America is available to every citizen.

Education is the key to recognizing this promise. Great African-American educators from Booker T. Washington to Dr. Frederick Patterson led the way to promote opportunity and equality in the classroom. Today, African-American teachers and administrators follow in their footsteps. Education, as President Bush says, is the new civil right. And we all share the responsibility of extending educational opportunities to students, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or background.

In this spirit, the No Child Left Behind Act demonstrated our national commitment to having every child learning on grade level by 2014. We are seeing real progress and the achievement gap is beginning to close. Hard work remains to be done, and we look to generations of African-American leaders for continued inspiration. By following their example, we can give all our children the tools they need to succeed.

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