Our Initiatives

While the Office of African American Academic Acceleration (A4) was established to address systemic disparities impacting African American and Black students, our initiatives are designed to provide academic and social emotional support to all students across Fresno Unified School District.

Education is the key to unlocking the boundless potential of our students, and A4 proudly leads the charge in advancing academic excellence and equity for Black students through our innovative initiatives.

As a trailblazer in education, A4 delivers impactful literacy, math, and leadership initiatives that produce measurable outcomes, effectively closing the academic achievement gap for African American and Black students. Our initiatives cultivate a supportive and empowering environment where students not only thrive academically but also build the confidence and skills necessary for lifelong success within Fresno Unified and beyond.

Below is an overview of our current initiatives, each designed to enrich the educational experiences and outcomes of African American students.

Early Literacy: Waterford Reading Academy (PK-2 Grade)

Waterford Reading Academy, an early childhood education nonprofit, collaborates with communities, schools, and families to improve literacy achievement. To enhance literacy support during the instructional day, A4 partnered with Waterford in 2022. This program focuses on helping transitional kindergarten through second-grade students, providing tailored resources and assistance to strengthen their literacy skills during school hours.

Literacy Intervention (3-6th Grade)

We provide targeted, skill-based small-group literacy intervention during the school day, aligned to grade-level standards and focused on building strong foundational reading skills. This intervention is implemented at high-need school sites. 

Student Success Advisory (7-12th Grade)

We equip students with the tools to succeed beyond the classroom by providing academic support, mentorship, and access to college-level learning experiences. The support is offered at all 7th-12th grade school sites. We provide in depth, consistent and rigorous monitoring of academics for  middle and high school students who would benefit and excel even more with heightened support. We also identify college-bound 8th grade African American students throughout Fresno Unified and provides them support and mentorship to ensure they are UC ready upon graduation. The purpose is to help students remain on track for a successful high school graduation and post-secondary career. 

HBCU Step Up (11-12th Grade)

A4’s HBCU Step Up initiative allows African American students to earn college credit while in high school from Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, one of the 100+ Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the US. Fresno Unified is the first district in California to partner with an HBCU for a dual enrollment program of this kind. Students accepted into this program have the opportunity to earn up to 12 free college units through live, virtual classes with Benedict professors.

Afterschool Reading (K-4th Grade)

The Afterschool Reading initiative is a 10-week long extension of our Summer Literacy initiative for K through 4th grade African American students. It allows students to receive one-on-one reading mentorship and support during the academic school year.

Summer Reading (K-4th Grade)

The A4 Summer Reading initiative in partnership with Springboard Collaborative is a 3-week literacy initiative for K through 4th grade African American students. It was established to replace the typical 3-month reading loss during summer months and accelerate our students that are below grade level to proficiency and above. It’s comprised of daily independent reading with a teacher, targeted small group lessons, writing, and family workshops to coach parents and guardians how to teach reading at home.

Black Student Union-BSU (K-12th Grade)

A4’s Black Student Union offers campus and community leadership, college/career readiness, student empowerment, and mentorship to foster an environment where African American students can proudly exemplify the best of their culture. This club empowers students to be leaders both socially and academically on their campus and beyond. Its mission is to provide a positive and productive representation of the African American community on and off each Fresno Unified campus. There are 35 BSU clubs throughout the District: 6 elementary, 17 middle school and 12 high school.

Figures (5-11th Grade)

A4 Figures, piloted in 2024, is a project-based coding and robotics enrichment initiative designed to provide academic support and mentoring to African American and black girls in grades 5th through 11th, empowering them to confidently pursue college majors and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).