1. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc The Mighty Eastern Region
12 Blue Guide Stones to Successful Educational Programming 2016

2. The Mission
The Education Initiatives of the Eastern Region support the basic belief that all students ranging from K-12 and extending through both undergraduate and graduate schools should be fully supported by meaningful fraternal programs so that everyone can reach their fullest potential.
The Eastern Region will focus on programming and services to graduate and undergraduates in the fraternity; moreover to serve as a change agent within Sigma Communities through programs such as scholarships, lectures, college fairs, mentoring, and tutoring at the Regional and Local spheres of influence to lift up the name of Sigma and make it synonymous with supporting educational excellence.
Vision Statement- The support and pursuit of educational excellence through our local, state and regional initiatives is not only a worthy goal but the key to unlocking the doors of opportunity for the underserved, marginalized and the oppressed; it is our mission and duty as men of Sigma.

3. Guide Stone #1-Communication
STATE DIRECTORS OF EDUCATION
AS STATE DIRECTORS OF EDUCATION YOU HAVE THE AWESOME AND MOST IMPORTANT TASK OF SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF OUR WONDROUS BAND IN THEIR EFFORTS IMPACTING EDUCATION IN THREE CRITICAL WAYS:
1. ENSURE THAT THE CHAPTERS ARE AWARE OF OUR INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL INITIATIVES OUTLINED IN THIS COMMUNICATION, AND TO BRING CHAPTER LEVEL CONCERNS, CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES BACK TO THE REGIONAL LEADERSHIP FOR MITIGATION AND/OR CELEBRATION AS NEEDED.
2. SUPPORT THE (ALUMNI AND COLLEGIATE) CHAPTERS IN YOUR RESPECTIVE STATES EFFORTS TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES OF THE REGION BY
3. ASSIST CHAPTERS WITH DATA COLLECTION AND SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
CHAPTER LEVEL EDUCATION CHAIRS AND COMMITTEE STAKEHOLDERS
IN ORDER TO CREATE BADLY NEEDED SUBSTANTIVE PROGRESS WITH OUR EDUCATION INITIATIVES THE CHAPTER LEVEL STAKEHOLDERS AND CHAIRPERSONS MUST STRIVE TO IMPLEMENT OUR EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES WITH EFFICACY.
READ THE COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION COMING FROM OUR STATE DIRECTORS OF EDUCATION AND ACT ACCORDINGLY. THE STRENGTH OF OUR MISSION IS IN OUR ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND ZEAL TO UPLIFT THE COMMUNITY.
CHRONICLE SUCCESSFUL EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS WITH PICTURES AND NARRATIVES WHICH ALLOW FOR SEAMLESS TRANSFER IN CHAPTER REPORTS.
UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA TO PUBLICIZE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. DOING PROGRAMS WITHOUT ADVERTISING ?

4. A CALL TO ARMS-Abysmal HS Graduation Rates in the Eastern Region
Delaware
Black Males 61%
White Males 75.8%
District of Columbia
Black Males 56.3%
White Males 67.8%
Virginia/WV
VA 61.7%- WV 68.1
VA 80.4%- WV 75.1
Pennsylvania
61.3%
84.9%
New York
57.4%
84.8%
New Jersey
75.8%
92.3%
Connecticut
58.3%
79.1%
Maryland
66.3%
84.2%

5. Why Should We Act Now?
“The educational system of a country is worthless unless it revolutionizes the social order. Men of Scholarship and prophetic insight must show us the right way and lead us into light which is shining brighter and brighter…” Carter G. Woodson

6. NAEP Reading Proficiency
Delaware
Black Males-15.3%
White Males-35.8%
District of Columbia
7.4%
69.1%
Virginia
10.9%
39.4%
Pennsylvania
12.8%
45.2%
New York
13.3%
40.2%
New Jersey
19.6%
47.5%
Connecticut
15.5%
47.9%
Maryland
17.8%
48.5%
West Virginia
18.7%
19.7%
“MEN OF SIGMA MUST PROMOTE LITERACY!”

7. Mandate #1 ADOPT A SCHOOL/Men of Sigma Promoting Literacy
Adopt A School- Flagship Program- I have included the link that explains the Adopt A School Initiative which includes all of the logistics for establishing an Adopt A School Program for your chapter
Spelling Bee –The Eastern Region mandate is to ensure that every able chapter both graduate and undergraduate either raise money for a prize ($ award minimum range for collegiate chapters, and $ for alumni chapters) for a Spelling Bee at an elementary school and/or conduct a Spelling Bee in the name of Sigma within the Academic Year within each chapters sphere of influence. Detailed instructions on how to plan and conduct a Spelling Bee can be found by selecting this link

8. Adopt A School-Men of Sigma Promoting Literacy Cont.
Reading Contests- All chapters should endeavor to participate in either working with the school that the chapters adopted or volunteering at a local school to go and implement reading contests which are designed to encourage dramatic and humorous interpretations of approved literature and/or read culturally competent stories to model reading fluency to students in schools that fall within the chapter’s sphere of influence. Accurate logs should be kept for reporting purposes so that recognition can be bestowed on the graduate and undergraduate chapter that has logged the most man hours working with this initiative. (ADOPT A SCHOOL)
Essay Contest- Every chapter should sponsor a minimum of one Essay Contest with an education related/social action theme that is current and relevant to the current headlines to encourage students to stay aware of current events. A 3 tier prize award for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place should be established (i.e. $150, $75, $50) prior to conducting the contest. Optimally, this could be a program that chapters conduct at the school that was adopted by the chapter and/or a local school within the sphere of influence of the participating chapter. (Adopt A School)
REQUESTING CHAPTERS WHO ARE COORDINATING AND IMPLEMENTING EDUCATION PROGRAMS THAT ARE ALIGNED WITH OUR NATIONAL GOALS (SCHOLARSHIPS AND “ADOPT A SCHOOL”) TO FORWARD DOCUMENTATION (Brief narratives and a picture) to me at or at by December 1, 2016 for highlight in our Eastern Region Newsletter for Fall Programming, and by May 1, 2017 for Spring Programming.

9. “Men of Sigma Promoting Literacy”
TUTORMATE- TutorMate is the nation’s preeminent online volunteer tutoring program, helping tens of thousands of first grade students in low income communities learn to read.
Nearly 125 of the country’s most prominent corporations and organizations partner with Innovations for Learning to recruit an army of volunteers to help young students in their disadvantaged communities. The Alumni Chapter in Montgomery County Maryland has successfully implemented this program with magnificent results and the Eastern Region is looking to replicate the results in participating schools throughout the region. The program is relatively easy to manage and implement. Volunteers are paired with a first grade student for a 30 minute tutoring session once a week throughout the school year. The volunteer can tutor from the office, at home, or wherever there is Internet access. During the session the tutor and student read stories together online and play games that build student word knowledge.
Why is learning to read so pivotal? Repeated research shows that students who can’t read proficiently by third grade become highly susceptible to larger setbacks as they grow older. Without the basic skill of reading, they are more likely to struggle throughout their school years, drop out of school and become enmeshed in the criminal justice system.
I encourage you to take the tour of their website which gives a thorough explanation of the logistics of the program and sign up information
Corporations and Organizations interested in TutorMate contact: For general information:

10. SIGMAS PROMOTING SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Program Strands that support Providing Scholarship Opportunities
Scholarships- All able chapters should donate scholarships. The Scholarship component is designed to have Sigma grow its impact in the area of assisting (preferably) African American men to cover or help defray the cost of education at both the high school and college levels through the awarding of scholarships at both levels. Chapters are being tasked to raise money in various ways, as per chapter decision, to award these scholarships. Graduate Chapters are charged with raising and disseminating $1, a year and Collegiate Chapters are tasked to raise and distribute $ a year. The local scholarships will go to high school and/or college students using criteria set by the chapter, and it is requested that Graduate Chapters target high school seniors and college students, and Collegiate Chapters target middle school and high school students (secondary).
External Scholarships:
  (Extensive List of external scholarship opportunities
One acceptable alternative is for collegiate chapters to give worth of “Supply Scholarships” broken into six $50 increments or 3 $ increments and award gift cards to Staples or some other equivalent store for the student to obtain school supplies at the elementary or middle school level.
Internal Scholarships- Ensure that each graduate advisor be directly involved in encouraging each undergraduate chapter under their charge to submit at least 1 application for the Phi Beta Sigma scholarship program. We have a 3.0 and a 3.5 Scholarship initiative in the Eastern Region. The window for applying has been set for August 30th –October 30th Collegiate and Alumni are both encouraged to apply. The scholarship winners will be announced the 1st week of November Applications can be found and submitted via the Sigma Blueprint.

11. S.T.E.A.M. Educational Initiatives
NSBE Jr.

12. SIGMAS PROMOTING STEM/S.T.E.A.M. EDUCATION
Steam/S.T.E.M. Education- The focus is to increase awareness of the importance of getting the youth involved and interested in S.T.E.A.M. related careers; each and every chapter should research and volunteer to participate in local career days or sponsor a Sigma Steam Career Day and have brothers who are either working in those fields or majoring in those areas to take advantage of informing and teaching prospective students about the rewards and benefits of making the S.T.E.A.M. career choice. Additionally, chapters should work with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE Jr.) and assist and support their efforts to recruit and maintain interest in the cutting edge careers connected to STEAM. If your chapter is interested in starting or co-sponsoring a NSBE Jr. Chapter I have included the contact information for the National Society of Black Engineers Junior program.
NSBE Jr.
205 Daingerfield Road Alexandria, Virginia
Phone Contact: Contact:
Note: I have provided the link that explains the importance and logistics of supporting STEAM Education in the Eastern Region

13. Oratorical and Debate ORATORICAL DEBATE COMPETITONS
The region is expecting all Graduate Chapters that advise our beloved undergraduate chapters to select, mentor and coach candidates to participate in an oratorical and debate competition at the local level in order to increase the level of participation in our regional and international competitions.
Any collegians interested in competing in the Mighty Eastern Region local debate competition please me your contact information at or there will be a training module posted on our Eastern Region Website by December 1, 2016 along with the new Eastern Region Debate Topic.
The vision moving forward is that the Eastern Region will conduct preliminary rounds for our oratorical debate competitions during State Meeting season (2017) so that we can ensure that our teams are well prepared to represent the Mighty Eastern Region at all subsequent Conclaves. The objective during State Meeting Season will be to identify talented individuals to participate in state competitions. The first trial run for this new process will begin in Fall of 2017 since the representative for the Detroit Conclave has already been selected from the University of the District of Columbia.

14. Collegians: Grades All The Way Up Initiative
Pursuant to rewarding our Collegiate Chapters striving for academic excellence their will also be three tiers of prizes for chapters experiencing the greatest growth in the collective Chapter GPA over the previous academic year.
1st PLACE =$300.00
2nd PLACE = $200.00
3rd Place =$100.00
The “All The Way Up” Chapter GPA Monetary Award and Plaque will be issued during Eastern Regional Conferences.
*Additionally, academic and occupational mentors should be assigned to each member of undergraduate chapters from the advising chapter; preferably someone who is in a related field who can help to contextualize the importance of grades and job readiness and overall support for the undergraduate brethren.
List of mentors and mentees should be forwarded to State Directors of Education by December 1, 2016

15. Questions and Answers

16. Thank You Brothers for the Opportunity to Serve