Data reveals that the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD)’s Black/African American students face a persistent achievement gap, with 1 in 5 and 1 in 4 Black students at the benchmark level in math and reading, respectively, and three to seven times more likely to face suspension.

Though BUSD had previously allocated resources and implemented programs to address the achievement gap, the district chose to contract R.T. Fisher to implement a thorough intervention, and ultimately, drive equitable outcomes for the district’s Black/African American students.

R.T. Fisher conducted in-depth data analyses to identify root causes and formulate recommendations; provided extensive research informing best practices to raise Black/African American student achievement; facilitated stakeholder and community engagement/listening campaigns; created asset maps and framework strategies; and developed capacity for district leaders and site teams. As a result of this work, the District now possesses a comprehensive African American Success Framework of strategies and resources to sustain the intervention until 2025, and has developed dedicated Oversight Monitoring Groups to oversee the initiative.