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WERE IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS IN WASHINGTON STATE Three areas of focus. By working on three specific areas BESR is strengthening its ability to more effectively realize its vision and mission of advocating for systemic change in public education that closes the achievement and opportunity gaps for Black students at all levels. 1 COLLABORATING WITH EDUCATORS With the advent of standardized testing and the practice of disaggregating data the systemic failures of public education systems have become apparent. This data has also resulted in new research into the practices employed by teachers and administrators who have had success serving their African American and other students of color.