Since 2017, the A4 Office with the support of Fresno Unified and the community has launched numerous programs, initiatives and events to serve and meet the needs of our students and families. Here are some highlights of what we’ve accomplished so far.

Academic Advisors 

The A4 Academic Advisor Program served over 400 middle and high school students in 2021-22.

“My grades improved because I knew I had help. Sometimes I would forget some assignments and my advisor would help me. My advisor taught me how to be responsible.” 

-Deavion Fields, 8th Grade Student at Tehipite Middle School

​​Academic Center for Suspended Students

​​First center dedicated to assisting suspended students academically in the Central Valley.

African American Males Achievement Course

​93% attendance rate and a 50% decrease in suspensions from the 29 students who participated in the course with notable increase in overall student GPA. ​​

“African-American children are our wealth, our joy and our future. Their academic and cultural survival is in our hands.”

-Kehinde Solwazi, President of United Black Men 

African American Student Leadership Academy (AASLA)

This academy has worked with over 300 African American students providing academic support and mentoring.

Black Student Union

Black Student Union clubs have expanded to 35 school sites throughout the District: 6 elementary, 17 middle school and 12 high school.

College Mentoring Program 

​First ever college mentoring program focused on African American student college enrollment and persistence for 11th and 12th grade students. 95% of mentors are African American.​​​​​​

“Inclusive practices and empowering the community to be a true partner in the work is vital and necessary to change the direction of historical trends and institutional apathy. Our students are more active and bring urgency to this work through their own awareness that it must be done; their voices and involvement give me hope and joy.”

​-Kristie Leyba, Teacher at Edison High School and Task Force Member ​

Early Learning 1st Grade Transition Program

​​First ever program centered on assisting African American first graders with a smooth transition into their new school year. Emphasis on literacy and school readiness.

“A4 is working extremely hard to achieve what others have not even attempted to do. I know if we give it our best effort to work together and trust each other’s expertise and ideas, we are stronger together as a team than working alone. I am hopeful that we can work together as partners because it is necessary right now and time is running out.”​

-Mona Tatum, Teacher at King Elementary School and A4 Summer Literacy Program​​

Father’s Day

1,000 fathers of all ethnicities in attendance at 18 elementary and 10 middle schools.

HBCU Expo 

Over 200 offers of admission and nearly $1 million in scholarships awarded at Fresno Unified’s Black College Expo.

i-Ready

A4’s emergent work with the i-Ready tool for African American students laid the groundwork for a District wide adoption initiative.

Reading Programs 

Ranked #1 in the nation out of all districts participating in the program with students experiencing an average of 4.9 months of reading growth in five weeks in 2018. Since then, A4 expanded their summer offerings and launched an Afterschool Reading Program in 2019. Over 2,400 kindergarten through 4th grade students have completed at least 1 session of A4’s Reading Programs.

“I am hopeful because of what the A4 department has been able to accomplish in this short amount of time. The Summer Literacy program showed growth that has never been seen before.”

-Cal Johnson, Former Fresno Unified School Board Trustee and A4 Task Force Member​

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