The Next President & Education

When our next President takes office in a couple of months he will have a multitude of critical items that will require his immediate attention. One item that I know that is on his short list is the state of education in America. He plans on making some necessary changes to NCLB and implementing a variety of other educational initiatives that will affect P-16 as a whole. If you would like to read more specifically about his plans check out his education agenda on his website, Change.Gov.

Again, I am eager to see what transpires in education under his new administration. I hope he puts the right people in place that would allow for our antiquated educational system to change and meet the needs of the 21st Century student. I hope he looks at focusing and reducing the racial educational achievement gap. The necessary changes will require some tough conversations and difficult decisions by all parties; both of which he is capable of doing. Lastly, education is the essential foundation to changing this country and improving our lives.

Once again good luck and if you need any help I am only an email away!

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¡Viviendo el Sueño! (Living the Dream!)
Mr. Anibal Soler, Jr.
http://www.anibalsoler.com
http://anibalsoler.blogspot.com

Hope Won!

I wanted to acknowledge all of those individuals who went out and voted this year. Many of my friends including my wife were first time voters. It is great to see that the person many of us wanted won, in fact many believe hope won. The hope and faith that has been missing from this country for quite sometime has now been reignited. Obama is our choice, but as he said in his acceptance speech he will need the commitment and involvement of all of us to help America during these tough times. I want to take this moment to wish our President Elect good luck!! You have my unwavering support along with millions of others.

On a historical note; My son will always know that even he could become president. Congratulations Mr. Barack Obama!

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¡Viviendo el Sueño! (Living the Dream!)
Mr. Anibal Soler, Jr.
http://www.anibalsoler.com
http://anibalsoler.blogspot.com

Up Where We Belong

Recently I had the opportunity and privilege of attending the 2nd Annual Up Where We Belong Conference in Atlanta, GA. I had attended this event as part of the RCSD's Diversity Department's initiative to bring some relevant training and best practices back to the district. While I was there I attended a variety of workshops on what different individuals are doing in their regions of America to help promote the achievement of African American and Black students. None of the workshops had any new information but did exhibit other individuals who are passionate for the cause and those who have made some improvements in their areas. In its totality the conference served as a reminder of how much work there is still yet to do.

Also as part of the conference I had the opportunity to explore and visit the "Triangle." That is the area that hosts Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, and Moorehouse College. This was the highlight of the conference in my opinion. I had never been exposed to an HBCU (Historically Black College and University). While visiting these campuses I was exposed to an abundance of history that is a integrated into these campuses. The alumni lists of these institutions look like a who's who of the most successful African Americans. While I was being toured through the campus of Moorehouse, I thought to myself, what I wouldn't do to grab some of these kids and bring them to my high school. The exposure to my students that institutions like this exist, and that they are heavily attended by students who look, think and represent them would provide a resounding affect. Often times it is just access to information and exposure that students in urban education settings often lack.

The conference only lasted two days, but again served as an important reminder of what work has been done and how much is still left to do in decreasing the racial achievement gap. I also left with a renewed spirit that what I am doing is hard and important work, but that I must look at increasing the magnitude of what I am doing. I hope that someone will soon begin to listen to my ideas, and thoughts. That they will take advantage of my passion on improving the educational experience of inner-city youth. As I have previously stated my time will come!!

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¡Viviendo el Sueño! (Living the Dream!)
Mr. Anibal Soler, Jr.
http://www.anibalsoler.com
http://anibalsoler.blogspot.com