Only in history books By Benjamin Jealous

"It's time to double down on what works." That's what President Obama said yesterday when he launched the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. He understands that only a nation that is first in education will be first in job creation and economic growth. In a flat global economy our nation cannot afford for any of its children to be held back due to discrimination or lack of equal opportunity. This initiative is a key step forward for our communities and our country -- and it's up to us to make the most of it. Share your ideas on our Facebook page: How would you improve schools in your community? http://action.naacp.org/what-works For far too long, in far too many of our schools, too many of our children have been getting a raw deal. Compared to other groups of students, black children have significantly less access to college preparatory and advanced placement courses or qualified teachers. Additionally, they are disciplined and labeled as special education students at disproportionally greater numbers. The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans program is a joint project between the Department of Education and the Administration -- it will be overseen by community leaders with a vested interest in improving education for African Americans. From pre-K to college campuses, the Obama Administration is taking a holistic approach to revamping our struggling schools. This initiative will help ensure ongoing progress toward that day when all students have equal access to educational excellence and no student can find examples of racism anywhere in their schools except chronicled in their history books. The NAACP is preparing an educational report with the theme of "finding our way back to first." We'll release the report this fall working in concert with the President's new initiative. But first we want to hear from you. Join the conversation on Facebook by sharing your thoughts on how we can improve our schools: http://action.naacp.org/what-works We applaud President Obama's educational goals for the black community. The NAACP is committed to adding legions of African American college graduates to meet the President's goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.