Dr Stephen Jones  

Barack Obama presidency must captivate the attention of the Millennium Generation.  It’s hard to believe that the next generation of young adults are about to turn eighteen.  They are entering a world that is rapidly changing everyday.  Too many students are not prepared to work and they are fearful about paying for college education.  The next generation needs more access to money to pay for college.  At the same time they must understand the employment trends and how to prepare for future job opportunities.  

Each year thousands of senior high school students graduate and they hear speeches were they are encouraged to do something positive with their lives. They are told how fortunate they are to live in a country where they are free to express their creativity.  It is a country where entrepreneurship is encouraged.  The Millennium Generation needs to master new skills that will make them competitive around the globe.  The must know that graduation from high school is just the beginning of their education.

Obama must take bold steps to reassure the Millennium Generation that they are prepared to lead families, small businesses and fortune 500 companies.  As a significantly large number of individuals retire fresh ideas and energy will be needed.  Know is the time to prepare students of all ages to participate in the political process that will yield policies that bring about a prosperous business culture.  Students do not need to feel they will be the last hired and the first fired.

For the last 18 years many students have seen their parents reinventing themselves just to maintain employment.  This instability has moved the next generation to be less confident in American companies.  They do not know the requirements for an employee to move up the corporate advancement ladder. The management structures of many companies are unstable.  Employees are competing for positions in the United States and in other countries like China, India and Japan. Most students in America are not learning another language until they attend high school.

Obama must increase financial resources that enable students to pursue education in K12 schools and in college.  American students must have a thirst for staying on the cutting edge of technology. More engineering and science must be stressed in local high schools and in college. If the country does not produce more students who can innovate in the area of education, energy, engineering and medicine we will be left behind by the rest of the world.

It is also time for the next generation to sow into the lives of others.  It has always been an American tradition for college students to volunteer in the community, schools and with those who are our older citizens. Obama has the right idea with regard to encouraging volunteerism.  The desire to give back has made each generation prosper.  Responding to the needs of others has benefits for the giver and the receiver of an individual’s time.  Volunteerism must be core expectation of high school and college students.

The ability to measure the accomplishments of the Millennium generation will be written in their own history books.  They will take on new responsibilities to maintain our position as a global leader.  Each individual must have a stake in making our society a better place to live.  In a country where everyone can prosper and firmly believe that they are a person of worth.  The hope that Barack Obama talks about must infiltrate the hearts and minds of the American people to elevate their expectations for a bright future.

Annually, over 10 million high school students begin the process of applying to college.  Their expectation is that college will be the same as high school.  They remember getting 15 minutes of homework and studying on the bus on their way to the first class of the day.  Everything seemed so easy and studying sufficiently was not a big deal.  Unfortunately many students arrive to college unaware that they may not have adequate preparation for the rigors of college.  Something needs to be done to bridge the gap in college preparation.

It seems that school superintendents and college presidents rarely talk about college preparation best practices.  Therefore the high school curriculum seems far apart from the college curriculum.  The local high school is mostly concerned about meeting state standards that are established concerning each course.  They are also entrapped by No Child Left Behind policies that threaten schools with Adequate Yearly Progress requirements.  Teachers are spending more time preparing students for state tests rather than preparing them for college.  High school administrators understand that a significant amount of funding could be affected by an inability to meet state and federal testing standards.

In spite of these challenges college presidents need to do a better job of meeting with high school principals to discuss the type of courses that prepare students for college.  They can do this by also identifying high schools that frequently send them students who have graduated from their college.  They can identify a high school college admission grade point average that stands out.  It may also be a good idea for high school administrators to talk to their former students about their college experiences.  They can provide their perspective on which classes actually prepared them for college life.

There is a benefit when entire colleges and school districts work together.  The teachers who are completing degrees become more sensitive to the challenge of preparing high school students for college.  The teachers who express an interest in teaching high school students can incorporate new knowledge into their courses.  These teachers can also talk to high school students about their college experiences.  They can give them some ideas regarding books that they can study while they are completing their high school requirements.

High school students don’t have to feel that preparing for college is only a dream.  They don’t have to go to college and stumble through classes that are too difficult.  They can receive insights in their classes about college life that make the college transition much easier.  Some students might decide to take a college course while they are in high school so that they can get a first hand experience regarding the amount of studying that’s required.

Moving past the road blocks that prevent college presidents and superintendents from coming together will require a commitment.  Both groups must spend time coming together and having discussions in the region where they can easily collaborate.  Now is the time for college administrators and school superintendents to collaborate and to prepare students for postsecondary education of the future.

According to Dr. Stephen Jones each year more than 50 percent of African American students drop out of high school and college.  This has a significant impact on athletes who play sports.  The drop out rate is greatly affected by poor college preparation and study skills.  The lack of academic preparation is evident in middle school and high school. Too often athletes are accepted to college without the preparation they need to graduate.  The student athletes’ athletic prowess is valued more than their intellectual abilities.  Some athletes are also blindsided when they uncover the huge academic deficits when they start college classes.  This crisis will continue because of the abundance of athletes who can replace the athlete who is in academic difficulty.

This problem must be attacked head on.  Athletes deserve to be prepared to succeed at all levels.  The NCAA requires colleges to have an academic support center.   Unfortunately often the academic gap is too large even for the tutors that are assigned to students.  Although these students have graduated from high school these students arrive to college academically three and four years behind their peers.  Middle schools and high school students must get academically caught up prior to enrolling in the college.  Many of these students are coming from schools that are not making Adequate Yearly Progress according to the standards set by No Child Left Behind.  There are some very basic elements of the education process that are critical for students to succeed in college and they include the ability to read and compute.

This crisis is not one that we can ignore.  Too many extremely bright African Americans are ending up in prison.   This includes former college athletes who do not have a degree.  Every so many weeks it seems that there is an article about some athlete who is escorted into a court room and sent to jail.  This is especially detrimental when they leave a stable wife and children to make it by themselves.  This foretells a disastrous educational outcome for their children who cannot afford to attend the better schools.

Some organizations and colleges are tracking the exceptional student athlete as early as ten and twelve year old.  Yet attention and devotion to ensuring that they maintain high levels of academic performance is given little attention.  It seems that there is a viscous cycle of poor study skills and academic preparation that’s repeated in inner city communities throughout the country.  A fundamental academic requirement must be established for athletes early in their K 12 experience.  Colleges and school districts must make a greater commitment to these students.   There must be a break in the pattern of the deepening despair that has become a viscous cycle for so many athletes who do not graduate.  Too many families can point to athletes in their family who have never competed a high school diploma or college degree.