Academic success, Black history and college access are the top three priorities for Black students and their parents in the Inland Empire, according to a first-of-its-kind report focused on local communities and their perspectives on education.

The report, “The Inland Empire Black Education Agenda,” released Friday, Feb. 19, was led by BLU Educational foundation in San Bernardino, which provides educational services and resources for area youth and adults, in collaboration with Center for Social Innovation at UC Riverside and the Inland Empire Black Equity Initiative.

A report published October by the UC Riverside’s Center for Social Innovation found disproportionately high discipline for Black and Native American students in Inland Empire schools. In 2001, the suspension rate for Black students in the Inland Empire was 14.8 for every 100 students. In 2018, the rate was 10.9 suspensions for every 100 students. That rate is much higher than the rate of four suspensions per 100 white or Latino students, and one suspension per 100 for Asian students, the report stated.

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