Long Beach Unified has opened a new center aimed at affirming Black students’ identities and enriching their academic lives.
The center, housed at Lindbergh Middle School’s campus, is offering its first semester of programming: extracurriculars, social and emotional learning and academic support.
For years, students, families and district staff have raised concern about Black students needing more support: Across all racial and ethnic groups in the district, they score the lowest on standardized tests and report the lowest sense of belonging. The center aims to help change that as the latest LBUSD effort to prioritize Black student success.
During a tour this week, Norma Spencer, director of the Center of Black Student Excellence, spoke to the power of a space built by and for the Black community: “There are people who walk through the door and get goosebumps,” she said. Now the district is focused on drawing more people into that experience.
The opening has elicited community excitement, though some would like to see a clearer plan.
Since programming began on Sept. 15, the center has hosted about 200 of the district’s 7,000 Black students.
Anaiah Younger, an active LBUSD parent, said it’s hard to fit the center’s programming into her kids’ already busy schedules. She hopes to see more programming and reach at school sites.
Deputy Superintendent Tiffany Brown said that is the goal: “to have the practices that are alive and well here be present in our buildings.”
The center is an outgrowth of work that began in 2020, Brown said, when the school board commissioned a team to write an equity and excellence policy that laid the groundwork.
Brown said that through listening sessions, “300 people — families, staff members, students — really framed the creation of the space,” which is filled with art and literature celebrating the richness of Black history and creativity.
The center has a robust staff and includes more than seven former Lindbergh classrooms, now home to academic programs, a Black literary society, Sankofa Parent Village, empowerment circles and career counseling.
In one room, pennants honoring historically Black colleges and universities adorn the walls. The center offers students the chance to tour HBCUs, Spencer said, many “led by former Long Beach students.”
In another room, math problems cover the whiteboards, evidence of the center’s supplemental algebra instruction, a district focus. In workshops, students integrate music and abacuses into their problem-solving and learn from a Black math teacher — a culturally responsive approach Spencer hopes will help improve students’ understanding and performance.
The district is heavily invested in these outcomes, too. In 2024, 34% of Black LBUSD students met English and Language Arts standards, and 20% met math standards, compared to 50% and 36% of students overall, according to data aggregated by EdSource.
The district released a recent update showing modest progress in closing some performance gaps. “Continued focus is needed to reach the 2028 goals” of eliminating the disparities entirely, the report said.
While the center offers some academic support, many programs focus on celebrating and empowering Black students as a pathway to academic achievement. “When we feel that we have representation and a sense of belonging, then we act and learn as our best selves,” Brown said. “That’s what we hear reflected from students.”
Former school board president Felton Williams, a driving force behind the district’s equity policy, said his efforts “changed the perceptions of people in the district regarding the ability of students of color to do well.” That work must continue, he said, suggesting a board could help guide the center.
Jerlene Tatum, an LBUSD parent instrumental in advocating for the needs of Black students, wants to see a clearer plan and more targeted academic tutoring. “I thought it was premature,” she said of the center’s opening, “but now that it’s here, I want to see it work.”