Vision and Mission

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Our Vision
AAERO envisions a nation in which all Americans have equal access to lifelong learning opportunities that enable them to make enlightened choices in the interest of their own quality of life, with respect for the interdependence of the community, the larger society and the world.
 
Our Mission
Guided by our commitment to self-empowerment, the mission of AAERO is to conduct, compile and disseminate research that improves access of African Americans to education and information about teaching and learning.

Our Philosophy
AAERO aims to stimulate change from within African American communities.  We believe that parents and students, individually and collectively, are potentially the most effective instruments of their own empowerment.  We believe, further, that among African Americans, class-based differences have exac­erbated problems and impeded our progress, individually and as a major segment of the U.S. population.  We propose to bring clarity to the issues that confuse and divide us, and facilitate the sharing of information.  Education is NOT a limited resource, which must be rationed competitively.  We all benefit from the edu­cation of other members of the soci­ety, and ultimately, the world.

Reasons Why We Need AAERO

  • African American students have been disproportionately labeled mentally handicapped and placed in special education classes.
  • Gifted African American students have been less often identified and, consequently, have been denied the opportunities and status accorded other gifted students.
  • African American students have been disproportionately subjected to expulsion, suspension and corporal punishment, for alleged violation of school rules.
  • African American students are less likely than others to participate in academic enrichment activities in informal education settings, such as science centers, museums, zoos, and technology centers.
  • Although there is a wide range of options for college, with considerable variation in the ways in which teaching and learning take place, African American students attend a narrow range of higher education institutions, and have comparatively high drop out rates.