President Obama's Executive Order on White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans

It’s interesting what makes news or what makes an event news. If it’s not picked up the main stream presss it doesn’t make it very far.

It’s now almost two months since the President issued his Executive order - White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans - but there are few out there who are aware of it or who know what it says.

It is news and very important news. While most educators know the education of young men of color is the weakest area of our public educational system, there have only been scattered efforts to confront it, and not enough sharing of successes in dealing with it.

The new initiative will bring focus to the issue as well as publicity and resources, both material and intellectual, and most importantly the recognition of this most pressing problem.

Here’s just a part of what the new director of the Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans will be addressing:

1. identify evidence-based best practices that can provide African American students a rigorous and well-rounded education in safe and healthy environments, as well as access to support services, which will prepare them for college, a career, and civic participation;
2. develop a national network of individuals, organizations, and communities to share and implement best practices related to the education of African Americans, including those identified as most at risk;
3. help ensure that Federal programs and initiatives administered by the Department and other agencies are serving and meeting the educational needs of African Americans, including by encouraging agencies to incorporate best practices into appropriate discretionary programs where permitted by law;

Item (2) above is also one of the goals of COSEBOC and this site will continue to update everyone on the progress of the initiative and to help create its own network of school leaders of schools educating young men of color.

Join us and the initiative in the pursuit of this most important and attainable goal.