COSEBOC was founded in 2006 in direct response to a call from educators to form a national coalition to focus on improving educational outcomes for young black men. The only national organization of educators focused solely on black boys' education, COSEBOC's core mission is to convene regular meetings, conduct research, provide technical assistance, and advocate for policies and practices that improve educational success for boys and young men of color. Its activities also include identifying, supporting, and replicating schools that demonstrate success in educating boys of color aged 3-18, largely from low- to moderate-income families. COSEBOC provides platforms for under-performing schools to learn from the promising practices of successful schools by providing information on the latest research, policies, and practices designed to close America's achievement gap.
With CBMA support over the course of the next two years, COSEBOC will build upon its record of achievement by continuing to (1) develop a network and membership base of national and local educational leaders working to improve the academic outcomes of black boys; (2) identify and reward schools successfully educating boys of color; (3) promote the replication of promising practices focused on this constituency; and (4) advance a policy agenda at the district, state, and federal levels aimed at improving the academic achievement of black males and youth of color generally.