Black Learner Excellence Learning Community

Studies show that Black learners are pursuing, persisting, and completing college degrees at lower rates than any other ethnic groups. Based on the level of engagement at City Colleges of Chicago’s (CCC’s) Spring 2024 Black Learner Excellence Summit (BLES), we know there is commitment across our city to support the success of this historically marginalized group of students. ​

To continue the conversation from the BLES in a space for learning and practice sharing, CCC is facilitating a virtual synchronous bi-monthly Black Learner Excellence Learning Community, launching in Fall 2024. This professional learning community will include stakeholders across CCC as well as BLES external partner attendees who expressed interest in continued engagement. ​

To frame this work and inform the topical focus areas of each session, we are referencing three conceptual frameworks (details on each framework enclosed in later slides): ​ 

• Dr. Keith Curry’s Black Learner Excellence framework​

• Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory​

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs