Omari S. Simmons of Wake Forest University Law School was interviewed on WBOC 16 about his work as executive director of the Simmons Memorial Foundation (SMF), a nonprofit organization that aims to prepare “vulnerable students for college admission and nurture habits of mind that are essential for high achievement in diverse and complex learning communities.”
Professor Simmons also discussed his new book, Potential on the Periphery, which profiles the ways in which SMF “has helped students secure admission and succeed in college, using this example to contextualize the broader realm of existing education practice, academic theory, and public policy.”
The book uses data gleaned from interviews with past student participants to illuminate the underlying factors thwarting student achievement, while identifying policy solutions and pragmatic strategies that college access organizations can adopt to address them.
Watch the full interview here.