Guilford County Schools Superintendent Maurice O. “Mo” Green received North Carolina A&T State University’s Human Rights Medal for his work to prepare all students for college and their careers.
Green received the medal during N.C. A&T’s annual Sit-In Breakfast marking the anniversary of the N.C. A&T Sit-In Movement. The Human Rights Medal honors individuals with a proven track record of contributing significantly to the uplifting of humanity.
In his letter of nomination, Dr. Anthony Graham, interim dean of the School of Education at N.C. A&T, wrote, “(Green) masterfully and skillfully connected the dots between the business world, faith-based organizations, non-profit organizations, four-year universities, two-year institutions, communities, families, schools, and students. In a very laser-like way, he has used his message of an equitable education for all children to tap into the very essence of what is good about people, challenging us to look beyond our own personal agendas to see a much larger picture – the well-being, growth, and development of our most precious resource – our children.”
During his acceptance speech, Green said he agreed with those who say the education of our youth is the most important civil rights issue of the day. He accepted the award on behalf of educators, employees and board of education for Guilford County Schools.
“I accept it on their behalf because it validates the infinite amount of time, resources and passion they have poured into and continue to put towards transforming our district’s vision of achieving educational excellence—the successful combination of high academic achievement, strength of character, service to others and excellence in all we do — into reality each day for our approximately 72,000 remarkable, intelligent students,” said Green.
In the seven-plus years of Green’s leadership, the district has raised its graduation rate and narrowed the graduation gap between students based on race and socioeconomic status. For example, only 4.7 percentage points now separate graduation rates of white and African American students, while graduation rates for Asian and Hispanic/Latino students also continue to climb.
Along with the uptick in high school graduation rates, GCS has also seen increases in the percentage of high school students who are taking more challenging academic courses, and more than one third (about 37 percent) of all GCS grads in 2015 passed college-level courses and exams, meaning they have a greater chance of success as they move from the classroom to college and careers.
GCS’ success in these areas have been recognized nationally by the Council of the Great City Schools with the “Profiles in Courage Award,” and five GCS schools made Newsweek’s “Beating the Odds” list of the nation’s top high schools. The list identifies schools that do an excellent job of preparing students for college while also serving a high percentage of students who live in poverty.
Green has received numerous accolades for his work. Last year, he received the Thurgood Marshall Award from the Welfare Reform Liaison Project for being a “champion of change,” and being committed to building up the city and community. In 2014, he was named the Distinguished Educator by the NCASCD (North Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development). He was also recognized by two community organizations in 2013, including the Education Award presented by the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and the Public Service Award from the Greensboro Regional Realtors Association.
Press release from Guilford County Schools
