Learning center receives activity packs designed to help bridge the achievement gap

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — UNC Asheville faculty members have put together nearly 300 grade-based activity packs that will be used to help bridge the achievement gap between Black and white students.

Each STEM fun pack contains culturally relevant and engaging literacy STEM books, activity guides and other materials. The activity packs are being given to students at the Christine W. Avery Learning Center at Hill Street Baptist Church.

"We're going to use them in the learning center, and we're going to send them home and, hopefully, we'll have some parent workshops throughout the year engaging these pieces," Avery Learning Center Executive Director Cici Weston said.

"We tried to have representation of both male and female African-American scientists," UNCA environmental scientist Landon Ward said. "I'm hoping that when they see that image they will see that they can be anything they want to be, they can see their dreams can be anything they want them to be."

The initiative was led by three UNCA faculty members with support by the Colorful Pages Coalition. The program was made possible with a $25,000 grant from the Dogwood Health Trust.