President Obama launches African-American education initiative

According to CNN and MSNBC, President Obama will issue an executive order for the establishment of an African-American higher education initiative. My academic background is improving access and retention to higher education for African-American students. Thus, I support the President's initiative wholeheartedly because education in this country should address the social, emotional and economic needs of African-American youth.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced an initiative he said will give African-American students greater access "to a complete and competitive education from the time they're born all through the time they get a career."

Speaking Wednesday night at a National Urban League gathering in New Orleans, Obama said he has issued an executive order establishing the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, saying, "A higher education in a 21st century cannot be a luxury. It is a vital necessity that every American should be able to afford," he said.

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The official added that the initiative would be housed in the Education Department, which will work with the Executive Office and other Cabinet agencies to identify practices that will improve African Americans’ achievement in schools and colleges. The administration official did not yet know how much funding the program would receive but said more information would be released Thursday when the president signs the executive order.

Click here, here, and here for more information about the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans.