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About a year ago, several of us began meeting to discuss how we might bring together individuals from public schools, from colleges and universities, and from community organizations to discuss how we might promote high academic achievement for Boston's multiracial and multiethnic student population. We wanted to create an opportunity for representatives from all of these institutions to talk together, to learn together, and, most importantly, to think together about what we might do as a community to help all of our children reach their highest potential. It became clear to us that this conversation would be greatly enhanced if it were informed by the knowledge of some of the leading scholars in the field. We therefore decided to convene the 2004-2005 Race, Culture, Identity and Achievement lecture series. This is a modest effort designed to begin to create a common knowledge base among a group of concerned citizens.

The co-conveners of the Race, Culture, Identity and Achievement seminar series are:

George Cox
Director
Center for Leadership Development
Boston Public Schools
Boston , Massachusetts

William Dandridge
Vice President for Urban Initiatives
Lesley University
Cambridge , Massachusetts

Theresa Perry
Associate Professor of Education
Vice President for Community Relations
Wheelock College
Boston , Massachusetts

Janet Helms
Professor of Counseling Psychology
Director of the Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture
Boston College
Chestnut Hill , Massachusetts

Valora Washington
Director, Center for Children, Families & Public Policy
Lesley University and
Director, Schott Fellowship in Early Education
Cambridge , Massachusetts