Support African American Female Excellence
Join us in fostering excellence and leadership.
Support Black Girls' Futures
The African American Female Excellence initiative was created to inspire excellence and accelerate academic achievement amongst African American female students and their families through institutionalizing systemic change in Oakland Unified School District.
Launched in 2017, African American Female Excellence (AAFE) is the first district-wide initiative of its kind in the nation, currently serves over 350 girls in K-12 schools across Oakland. AAFE provides daily classes and weekly groups that empower Black girls and young women, fostering a sense of belonging, pride, and leadership. Integrated into the core school day, these programs are designed to nurture academic achievement, social-emotional development, and cultural identity. AAFE is actively revolutionizing how public educational institutions serve Black students in Oakland.
Impact
Increased Attendance/Reduced Chronic Absence
Black girls participating in AAFE programming attend school more regularly than those who do not. AAFE students saw an 11% decrease in chronic absence rates compared to the average for Black girls in OUSD. AAFE emphasizes building meaningful relationships between students and adults, which education research shows encourages better attendance. At midyear, 73% of AAFE students had positive attendance (95% or more), compared to just 35% of African American girls district-wide.
Increased Cultural Awareness/Life Skills
AAFE middle school students showed a 6% improvement in their ability to "perspective take" when faced with conflicting points of view. *Perspective-taking—understanding someone else’s viewpoint—is connected to greater empathy and better communication.