FOR Parents
All children can work hard, achieve in school, and become anything they want to become - even President of the United States. If you believe this and want to help your child to become the best he or she can be, we can help.
The W.E.B. Du Bois Society is a non-profit organization that aims to increase African American student achievement by transforming the underlying ethos of what it means and what it takes to be a successful student:
We do this by involving the entire community in celebrating academic achievement, engaging successful students as catalysts and leaders, incentivizing and motivating the behaviors and attitudes necessary for student success, promulgating images of African Americans whose success in life is a result of their success in the classroom; and by communicating the competitive advantage of academic success to students and parents alike.
We have programs that publicly recognize and reward academic achievement, academic progress and the behaviors needed to compete in the classroom, prepare students for leadership and college, offer a book scholarship, facilitate the acquisition of community service hours, and more. We invite you to check out our programs.
Your student can achieve his or her dreams if they put their minds to it. Tell them it's ok to "put their books first."
7 Things You Can Do to Arm Your Student to Compete in the Classroom
Arm Your Student to Compete in the Classroom
- Influence who is in your children's peer group
- Recognize and reinforce positive behaviors that your student demonstrates such as hard work, determination, perseverance, and dedication that can lead to academic achievement
- Establish family celebrations and traditions for academic achievement and academic progress
- Talk with your children about what it means to be an African American man or woman; what education and career plans they have
- Make sure your children have other heroes in addition to sports and entertainment personalities
- Encourage your student to participate in study groups (groups of students who study together) - an effective technique to help students learn more than what is possible by studying alone
- Choose academically enriching experiences for your children outside of school at least as much as you choose athletic pursuits
The WEB
The WEB celebrates highly motivated, high-achieving African American high school students who attend metro Atlanta schools for their success in the classroom. These students are selected to participate in a year-long program during which they will:
- Hone essential personal habits to assure success throughout their high school and college careers
- Engage with accomplished African American undergraduates who intern with us and are called W.E.B. Du Bois Fellows, executives, academics, and public figures to receive firsthand insights and motivation, and
- Actively engage and motivate their peers and younger students' to become stronger students.
The program consists of field trips, a lecture series, interactive activities, community service and leadership training. Through these activities, students cultivate multiple values and skills to assist with their academic development and their successful transition to college, including personal responsibility; financial and information literacy; writing; college selection and application; support networking; leadership preparation; critical thinking; and community service. Scholars who graduate high school receive a book scholarship.
Du Bois Scholars are selected based on their academic track record and willingness learn about our nations most urgent problem - the education of our children and to join a movement to inspire their peers to "put their books first". Scholars are an economically and geographically diverse group of students who, in addition to excelling in the classroom, are musicians, scientists, athletes, artists, dancers, writers, actors, and more.
StepUP Forum
The Step UP Forum empowers African American 8th grade students with information, motivation, and practical skills important to their transition to high school and success once there. The insights, encouragement and practical skills these students receive from students who look like them and who are not much older, fuel their success in high school and beyond.
An annual event, the StepUP Forum engages hundreds of black middle school students to discover the direct connection between academic excellence and success in life. Realizing the long-term impact of mentoring and power of real-life examples, the W.E.B. Du Bois Society connects highly motivated, top performing high school and college students with still-impressionable 8th graders. Through these connections, the soon-to-be high school students are educated about the "ins and outs" of success in high school and empowered to make better choices in their academic pursuits.
The Step UP Forum uses educational theater to communicate:
- Effective study and test-taking strategies and skills;
- Organizational and time management skills;
- The impact of building supportive academic peer groups;
- The importance of challenging coursework;
- The benefits of engaging in their school community;
- And more.
90+ Celebration Program
A school-wide assembly program to publicly recognize, reward, and celebrate students who have achieved academically at the highest level, increased proficiency in math or science-based subjects by at least one letter grade, and who have exhibited the behaviors and work ethic necessary to compete in the classroom. Students receive youth-appropriate rewards and recognition for their efforts. Assemblies occur as many as four times during the school year.