How to Solve the Education Gap Among African Americans

First off, what is a "more effective continuum"?

And what is this except another Federal jobs bank - they're not going to be educating anyone, they're just going to "coordinate the work of communities and federal agencies" (which already exist?) to "ensure that African-American youngsters are better prepared for high school, college and career."

How are they going to do this, that is what I want to know! It is time that this country does have a serious talk about race, as Eric Holder said - well, kind of said - when he took office three years ago. We need to be able to discuss the reasons behind African American education failures without the fear of being called racist!

Why do most African Americans drop out of high school? And how is this new African-American education office going to help them stay in school? We've already had a few advertising programs... comedian Sinbad appeared on posters in malls ten years ago saying, "Math is power, stay in school." How did that work out? (I also seem to remember some other posters, that were a bit more pejorative, making it seem like white folks didn't want to teach black kids how to do math, but the black kids should insist on their right to be taught math.)

So one wonders exactly what the approach will be for this "continuum."

[And don't get me wrong, obviously something has to be done. But until we get into a dialog where Presidential candidates can tell the leaders of the Arican American community that they should get kids to stop talking Ebonics, to start dressing properly, and to have respect for the education process, (as well as stop being baby mamas and baby daddies and start being husband and wife) and be seen not as talking adult to adult, nothing will change. (Remember the guy who castigated Romney because Romney dared, during his speech to the NAACP, to talk about the black family?

RUSH: We have another one: Amos Brown. Amos Brown, an NAACP board member, is criticizing Romney for "his references to the importance of family. 'For him to come here and lecture us about the family -- he doesn't need to be talking to Negros about that,' Brown said. 'Who tore up the family?'" Amos Brown said that, implying that Romney and the Republicans tore up the black family.

And of course, something has to be done about the Latino education gap as well. Blacks drop out of school at the highest rate, but Latinos are right up there. What about them, President Obama? Shouldn't this new education inititive be to help every student who for some reason drops out of school, not just those of one single minority?

From AP.com: Obama creating African-American education office

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is creating a new office to bolster education of African-American students.

The White House says the office will coordinate the work of communities and federal agencies to ensure that African-American youngsters are better prepared for high school, college and career.

Obama is announcing his election-year initiative Wednesday night in a speech to the civil rights group the National Urban League as he seeks to rally black voters. Aides say his executive order, to be signed Thursday, will set a goal of producing "a more effective continuum" of programs for African-American students.