THE NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE AND ONE SOLUTION LAUNCH AN ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE CAMPAIGN – NO CEILINGS ON SUCCESS

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NEW YORK, NY…January 23, 2017 – The nation’s premiere civil rights and social services organization has partnered with One Solution, the cross-platform branded content agency of Urban One, the nation’s largest Black-owned multi-media company to identify and remove barriers to academic excellence for students in every community so that all students can succeed.

The National Urban League and One Solution today announced the launch of No Ceilings on Success, a national campaign to hold states accountable to their plans for achieving educational equity under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Derived from the concept of breaking glass ceilings that prevent individuals from reaching their highest potential, No Ceilings on Success builds on the work of the League’s Excellence and Equity Project by equipping parents, teachers, students and communities with the knowledge to remove the barriers that prevent every student from achieving academic excellence.

“From the very founding of our nation, a quality public education has been seen as a fundamental right. But America hasn’t always lived up to that ideal,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said. “The Founding Fathers envisioned an “aristocracy of virtue and talent,” but unless we remove the ceilings for everyone, much of our nation’s best talent will remain held down. Through No Ceilings on Success, every student can soar to great heights.”

Students of color are much more likely to attend schools where three-quarters of the students or more are low-income, and low-income districts with a higher proportion of students of color have been shown to receive substantially less state funding than comparably poor districts that have more white and affluent students.

“More than six decades after the Supreme Court declared that segregation has no place in public education, America still fails to provide an equal opportunity for all students,” Morial said. “The Every Student Succeeds Act requires states and districts to create a plan to address inequity. No Ceilings on Success provides parents and communities with the tools to hold states and districts accountable to those plans and to provide every American child with a high-quality education that prepares them for college, work and life.”

Urban One, the parent company of One Solution reaches 82% of Black America and is uniquely positioned as a creative and media partner to help the National Urban League empower parents, students and schools.

“Access and information are paramount for parents and advocates who want to effect change in America’s underserved schools,” One Solution and iOne Digital President Detavio Samuels said. “This campaign addresses the heart of why our company was founded and the passion that fuels our work to be a voice for and a connector to our often underserved urban audiences.”

Urban One will keep the information flowing and the conversation going through its various media properties including TV One, Radio One, Reach Media and iOne Digital.

About National Urban League

The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. The National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its 90 local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people annually nationwide. Visit www.nul.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

@NatUrbanLeague.