Financial Stability is not the solution to the Education Crisis in America!

For the past few years, I have followed the steps of my father and have served as a part-time educator when I am not traveling across the country as a guest speaker or appearing on various television or radio shows as a guest expert on Generation Y. During this experience as an educator, I have been given the opportunity to teach at many different schools in Southern California. Most of these schools have been inner city high schools and middle schools, but a few have been suburban schools in some affluent areas within Southern California.

Like most people would probably expect, I witnessed more problems with inner city schools than the suburban schools, but I must say that money and resource was not the determining factor on why most suburban schools seem to be better than most inner city schools. I also must say that students and teachers were not the main reason why most suburban schools were better, but rather it was many other factors that go far beyond the money, teachers, and students of an inner city high school.

For instance, I found that most schools that were successful in the inner city and affluent areas of Southern California strong community support, strict discipline from administration, strong leadership from the principles that did irritate some teachers, and high standards and expectations for the students and faculty on campus. I also found that most successful schools had amazing organizations on their campus, tremendous student activities and programs that empowered their students for success, and of course, strong parental support.

As a young man that strongly believes in the educational future of our youth and is very concerned about current state of education in America, instead of focusing on how you can choose the best local school for your child, I want to deliver five key solutions that can be done by parents, teachers, administrators, or organizations to help strengthen the education of your students that attend a local high school nearby.

Set High Standards for the Students

Setting high standards for your student’s means that as a parent, teacher, or administrator, you are setting high goals for the student and you are refusing for the student to do anything less than excellence in their classwork, extra curricular activities, and discipline as a student. When I deal with excellence, I am not saying that everyone must be perfect, but I am saying that you are challenging the student to do his/her best and become the best possible on a daily basis. I do not believe that this principle will save all children, but I can guarantee that several more students will be impacted by this one solution to the education crisis in America.

Go the Extra Mile For Students

For years I have watched several movies and saw many teachers from different economical backgrounds do extremely well with their students in the classroom. I have found that one of the reasons that these teachers have been so effective with their student or child is because they have made it a point to go the extra mile with their student, which means that you are doing more as a teacher for the student than what is required. This is the one solution that I believe is key for teachers to transform the education system and key to know whether or not you are truly called to be a teacher.

Develop Programs that are Fun and Educational

I specifically stated this solution third because in order to be effective with programs that are fun and educational, you must first set high standards and be willing to go the extra mile for your students. Developing these fun and educational programs for students may cost some money, but can be done for very economical prices. For instance, take students to a specific business or organization that’s outside your local area to learn about the real world, challenge students to participate in community service projects that help build your community, bring in guest speakers that are willing to give there time for the local high school, create leadership programs on campus that are fun, educational, and enjoyable, and most importantly, make sure the programs are something that really interests the students on your campus. One of the greatest problems I see with educational leaders is that they create fun and educational programs, and the programs created may seem fun to the leader, but not the students, and because of that, there is no impact that occurs which makes the program a waste of time. Make sure the program interests your students before you decide to do something special.

Involve yourself with Education Decisions from District Leaders

I wanted to conclude with this solution as my final point to the problems within our public school system because its probably the biggest problem that’s rarely addressed. Although I believe there are many intelligent people running school districts, the decisions that come down from various school districts are sometimes decided upon with no true understanding of the campus culture. A perfect example of this concept from the highest level in Washington was the No Child Left Behind law that has done much more bad than good for several schools. At times, many people blame leaders of various school districts or political officers, but at times I believe it occurs because various people from the school do not take the time to learn about the issues and have their voice heard on certain situations. If there is going to be positive change within our public education system, involvement with educational decisions from highest officials will be extremely important.

I understand that there are many more solutions to the education crisis in America, but these four key solutions applied by various parents, teachers, and administrators can be key to transforming our public school system in a positive way and making sure that every child is given a great education.

Black Leadership in America from a Young Man's Perspective!

A couple of weeks ago, like many others, I had the opportunity to watch an amazing documentary about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Soledad O’Brien on CNN. Following this incredible news story, I began to not only think about the events that transpired in Memphis, Tennessee the night of Dr. King’s assassination, but I began to think about the impact that this amazing leader along with many other famous African American leaders had on America. For instance, because of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and all the other leaders of their day, we are now able to be in the same classroom as another, we are now able to sit anywhere on a bus, we are now able to attend any college of our choice, and we are now able to do things that others may have not been able to do less than 100 years ago. In addition to these great opportunities their have been higher voter participation from African Americans, more ownership among African Americans, educational achievement among African Americans, and higher incomes among African Americans according to a 2004 study done by the Urban League.

Although these experiences along with many others have been great for several African Americans over the past forty years following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., there is a reason why a 2004 study done by the Urban League revealed that 40% of blacks feel that little progress has been done since the civil rights movement led Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many other amazing leaders forty years ago. According to the Center for Disease Control Preventions, in 2005, 49% of new HIV/AIDS cases were African American men and women. In 2006, a Henry Kaiser Foundation study on African Americans found that unemployment amongst African American 16-29 year olds was higher than any other ethnic group. In addition to these two amazing studies, the same Henry Kaiser Foundation study found that less than 45% of African Americans are enrolled in college, 40% of the prison population is African Americans, which is 3 times more than Latinos and 7 times more than whites in America. Added to these numbers are 9 million African Americans in poverty and 65% of black children in single parent households according to a study done by the Annie Casey Foundation in 2006. Unfortunately, these shocking studies do not include racial injustices in America, negative media portrayals in media, and all the other issues that seem to affect the African American culture as well. After reviewing these few negative issues in the African American culture, it does not surprise me at all why do many people have a negative view about Black America following the civil rights movement 40 years ago.

Personally, I believe the history of Black America shows that we will be able to overcome these issues facing our culture, but if it’s going to happen, we must have exceptionally leadership within the black community. These exceptional leaders are not going to just be the preachers, civil rights activists, millionaires, or corporate America executives, but it’s going to be the family, community, and national leaders that are able to develop solutions to some of the major issues facing Black America today. In order to actually execute some of these solutions that I believe many emerging leaders within Black America possess, its going to take effective leadership on all levels, and listed below are seven key leadership principles that I believe all leaders of Black America must possess in order to be effective at combating some of these major issues affecting our communities all across the country.

Integrity

I believe this is a key leadership principle for Black America because without it, how can any person put there trust into you as a leader. In the 2004 presidential elections, it amazed me to see certain individuals within Black America tell others to vote and then failed to vote themselves on the day of the elections. If we are going to see positive change in Black America, it’s going to take leaders who actually live what they preach and do exactly what they say they plan to do in addressing some of the major issues facing Black America today. Without this one leadership principle, things will only get worse and worse in the black communities across the country.

Servant Leadership Model

I believe the second key leadership principle that leaders within Black America must possess is the servant leadership model which deals with the leader focusing on the well being of the people verses themselves. Out of all the negative attributes of leadership affecting various leaders of Black America, one of key problems that exist is the fact that certain leaders are putting money, fame, and power before the well-being of the people they have been fortunate lead in their position of power. For example, a powerful leader of Black America will continue to allow the image of Black America to be tarnished nationally because it makes them lots of money to do it, but ultimately affects the well being of African Americans nationally. If we are going to see positive change within Black America, its going to take leaders who not only put the interests of the people first, but makes sure there is a legacy that follows them in the future.

Courage

I believe the third key leadership principle that various leaders of Black America must possess is courage. Courage to stand for truth, courage to make tough decisions when its not popular to everyone else, courage to step out in faith and pursue their visions and dreams for America, and courage to address those within our community that need to be addressed for tarnishing the image of Black America even if its not the popular thing to address at the time. Thankfully, I have seen many leaders within Black America who have possessed this leadership characteristic, but in order for us to see greater change in Black America, its going to take more leaders with courage.

Vision

I believe the fourth key leadership principle that various leaders of Black America must possess is vision. Vision for the well-being of the people, vision that brings hope to many individuals that feel afflicted and depressed in Black America, and vision that inspires others to want to join the fight in making everyone’s life better in Black America. When I think about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he not only had a dream, but he had a BIG DREAM that was clear to understand, concise and to the point, and captivating and inspiring to the people who joined with him to makes his dream a reality. If we are going to see positive change within Black America, it’s going to take leaders with visions that are big, clear, concise, and inspiring to the members of that vision.

Solutions to the problems facing Black America

I believe the fifth key leadership principle that various leaders of Black America must possess is solutions to the problems facing Black America. When you think of the great leaders of our past, they were not just great because they identified the problems, but they were great because they developed solutions to the problems facing their communities or nation. If we are going to see change within Black America, we do not only need leaders who can speak out on the negative issues affecting our communities across the country, but we need leaders within the black community who can develop viable solutions to ending some of the great problems facing Black America. Dr. King was not great because he was an excellent speaker, he was great because he developed viable solutions to the problems facing Black America during his time.

Strategy and Execution

The sixth leadership principle that I believe various leaders within Black America must possess is an effective strategy and execution process to the problems facing Black America. When I learn about the amazing companies across America, one of the keys to their success is an effective strategy and execution process to making their vision of the company a reality. If we are going to see positive change within Black America, its going to take leaders within our communities across the country who are able to develop effective strategies that can executed easily in order to make a positive impact within Black America.

Intergenerational Collaboration

The seventh and final key leadership principle that I believe various leaders within Black America must posses is intergeneration collaboration, which is basically being able to bring the younger and older generations together to address some of the issues facing Black America. One of the key problems that I see within Black America is the disconnect between older and younger African Americans in various communities throughout America. For instance, on popular radio show in Los Angeles, California, I actually heard the radio disk jockey say that he was afraid of young people, which to me is a perfect example of the disconnect between older and younger people within Black America. If we are going to see positive change within Black America, leaders must be able to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations of Black America.

There are definitely more leadership principles that need to be addressed within Black America, but these are seven key things that I believe all leaders must possess within Black America if we are going to see things change. I also believe that we should put more emphasis on highlighting the positive leaders of Black America verses the people who promote things that destroy the image of all African Americans in America.

Who wins the young vote in November between Sen. Obama vs Sen. McCain or Sen. McCain vs. Sen. Clinton?

It was just eight years ago when young voters between the ages of 18-29 years of age had the lowest voter turnout since 18 year olds were given the opportunity to vote in 1972. Since this lack of political engagement amongst young voters between the ages of 18-29 years of age, the young voter in this age bracket has increased every year and primary election numbers are already showing the great enthusiasm and increase among many young voters in America. With one study showing that 6 in 10 young voters are paying close attention to the 2008 presidential elections, it’s quite obvious to many young voter experts that 43 million young people from Generation Y between the ages of 18-29 years of age will play a key role in the upcoming general election. The question that I have yet to see many media professionals address concerning the young voter in reference to the possible general elections is, who are young voters more likely to vote for between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain or Senator John McCain and Senator Hillary Clinton?

Senator Barack Obama verses Senator John McCain

Based on the current political numbers, it looks like the general election will feature Senator Barack Obama verses Senator John McCain. If this was to happen, we can expect Senator Barack Obama to dominate Senator John McCain with young vote in America. According to futuremajority.com, trial ballots have already shown that Senator Barack Obama has a 30 point advantage 57% to 27% with young voters over Senator John McCain. This is not really surprising to me because numbers have already shown that Senator Barack Obama has caught the attention of the young voters in America and Democrats have seen 65% of young voters voting as democrats verses 34% republicans. Added to these staggering numbers is Barack Obama’s desire for a new generation of politics mixed in with a focus on Generation Y and a campaign that revolves around positive change makes him look very well with young voters. Then, when you include the fact that 63% of young voters disagree with the War In Iraq, I personally would not be surprised if we saw the biggest domination of one candidate in the general election amongst young voters ever in American History.

Senator Hillary Clinton verses Senator John McCain

Although this past political match up between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain looks very bad for republicans amongst young voters, there is some hope if Senator Hillary Clinton can come back to obtain the nomination from Senator Barack Obama and face Senator John McCain in general election. The reason for this hope amongst republicans is because according to futuremajority.com, Senator John McCain has a 12 point disadvantage to Hillary Clinton (35%-47%) which poses much better than a 30 point disadvantage with the young voter. Also, according futuremajority.com, Senator John McCain has a 2 point advantage (35%-33%) over Senator Hillary Clinton as far as being honest and trustworthy. Although the numbers do look great for democrats among young voters, this lack of trustworthiness and honesty from a potential candidate can be one of the greatest set backs for any candidate attempting to win the young vote in America. Now, based on the numbers, many may say there is no way that a republican can beat a democrat with the young voter in America, but with the importance of integrity and honesty amongst young voters in America, I believe this is the one thing that can either cause young voters to vote for Senator John McCain or just stay at home and not vote at all, which ultimately affects the democrats and Senator Hillary Clinton.

As we move closer toward the general elections and watch the ongoing battle between Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton for the democratic nomination, it’s clear who democrats and republicans should be rooting for in the primary election process as far as young voters are concerned.

A KEY ISSUE WITH YOUNG VOTERS THAT COULD IMPACT THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY ELECTIONS

Over the past few weeks I have been watching various news stories on television that feature former presidential candidate Al Gore and his possible impact on the Democratic primary elections between Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton. Like most political experts, I strongly believe that his endorsement could have a great impact on the future landscape of this political contest between the two senators. At this point, I am not sure which candidate former President Al Gore would choose to support because neither candidate has really talked much about their stance on global warming and climate change. In the future, I would expect these two candidates to talk more about it on the campaign trail, and personally, I not only believe that this platform will be huge in obtaining former presidential candidate Al Gore’s endorsement, but it will be huge in reaching more young voters as well.

According to various studies, many young men and women of this younger generation have been considered very socially conscious about issues affecting our communities, nation, and world. One consumer study on Generation Y showed that 91% of young people from this generation support companies with good causes and 89% of individuals from this generation would switch brands based on a good cause offered by another brand, which shows that the right social platform could be very instrumental in obtaining the young vote. As far as climate change is concerned, there are several campus organizations on several different college campuses across the country and according to a recent article that I read on the league of young voter’s website, they have a climate change challenge that is being done on 250 college campuses across the country, which ultimately amounts to several different young voters on these different campuses. Ironically, one of their major goals in the upcoming elections is to push the importance of climate change to the forefront with a special campaign entitled, “No New Coal, Green Jobs, and Power Vote 2008”.

As the primary elections for the Democratic Party moves forward, if Senator Clinton wants to gain a major endorsement from Former President Al Gore and attack the thousands of young voters who are supporting Senator Barack Obama, she must develop a much stronger stance on Climate Change than Senator Barack Obama. And, if Senator Obama wants to extend his lead with young voters and possible gain the endorsement of former president Al Gore, his stance on Climate Change could be very important in making these stronger endorsements a reality.