About the Book
Black churches, once a mainstay of the African-American community, have faded far into the backdrop
of American society and are not strongly supporting the education of their congregations’ youngest members.

“With education at a premium, it’s time for black churches to rise to the occasion,” says author
Dr. Temeca L. Richardson, author of the new book Can the Black Church Save Young Black America?
Closing the Educational Achievement Gap.

Like President George W. Bush, who has allocated over a billion dollars in competitive grants to
religious organizations during his administration, Dr. Richardson believes that the church needs to take a more active role in educating today’s youth.

“The black community relies too heavily on schools as the only means to educating our children,” says Dr. Richardson, “and that is the main reason why the achievement gap is widening between black and white students.”

Since the No Child Left Behind Act was put in place, the reading proficiency of black eighth graders actually dropped. “As a formal principal, I was on the front lines of educating black students,” Richardson notes. “Schools cannot educate alone. We need support from parents, schools, and the church.”

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www.saveyoungblackamerica.com

Education experts are dismayed that although fourth-grade national math proficiency rose from 5 to 13 percent for black students, it was still far short of the figure for white students, which rose to nearly 50 percent in 2005.

“Religious organizations need to step up to the plate and offer real help in the form of after-school programs, tutoring for passage of the various high school exit exams and other state mandated tests, and real college scholarships,” says Dr. Richardson.

The author has this advice to offer parents who want to enrich their children’s education:
· Advocate for your church to offer educational support programs
· Enroll them in your church’s youth ministry
· Learn how to really interpret your child’s grades and standardized test scores
· Seek to understand current educational legislation
· Volunteer at your children’s school
· Attend parent–teacher conferences
· Join your school’s parent organization

About the author:
Dr. Temeca L. Richardson, a public school principal, currently lives in Elk Grove, California, and is a consultant and trainer for public school administrative and leadership teams, educational staffs, as well as parent and student groups. She holds a doctorate in education administration and serves as the executive director of Much Lov 2 Give Foundation, an organization that serves pregnant women with chemical dependencies.

Dr. Temeca L. Richardson
Phone: (916) 607-1913
Fax: (916) 686-0409
Book@muchlov2give.org