The Obama administration is expanding My Brother’s Keeper, it announced today. Sixty of the nation’s largest school districts are joining the federal initiative aimed at lifting up boys and young men of color. 

The New York Times‘ Motoko Rich reports that the school districts have pledged to do five separate things: 

"Expand quality preschool access; track data on black and Hispanic boys so educators can intervene as soon as signs of struggle emerge; increase the number of boys of color who take gifted, honors or Advanced Placement courses and exams; work to reduce the number of minority boys who are suspended or expelled; and increase graduation rates among African-American and Hispanic boys."

Also today, private companies who’ve signed on to My Brother’s Keeper, which was launched in February, announced their own initiatives. The NBA, AT&T and other groups have announced mentoring and education programs of their own.

The Obama administration has worked to address the school-to-prison pipeline elsewhere. The Departments of Justice and Education have taken a particularly proactive approach to the issue, by educating school districts about the racially disparate application of punitive school discipline measures and going after school districts with extreme school-to-prison pipelines in place.