As the recent arrest of the renowned scholar and Harvard professor, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, demonstrated, the African American community faces a myriad of problems from enduring racism to equal access to opportunity. In a recent conversation with African-American journalists, President Obama addressed the issue of economic parity, stating, “If we close the achievement gap, then a big chunk of economic inequality in this society is diminished.” And what does the president see as the fix? Education.

With African American students scoring roughly 28 points behind their white counterparts in reading and math, President Obama is calling for better teachers, more accountability, and increased resources combined with educational reform.

“We’re not going to transform the urban school systems in a year,” the president cautioned, “It’s going to have to be a sustained effort, including a change of attitudes about education within our own communities.”

Early education is one area targeted for immediate help – both the Economic Recovery Act and the 2010 federal budget have earmarked significant funds for Early Head Start and Head Start. This will greatly expand education and parent involvement services to low-income families with infants and pre-schoolers. Modeled on successful programs like New York City’s Harlem Children’s Zone, the president has proposed Promise Neighborhoods, making federal grants available to low income neighborhoods for increased education and parent education.

For K-12 education, Recovery Funds are made available to states only after they comply with certain federally mandated standards. An Obama proposal for teacher reward programs is gaining support. The president has also called for more funds for innovation like charter schools and education programs that address dropout prevention and college enrollment.

Acknowledging that the poor academic performance among African American students contributes to high dropout rates and low college attendance, an Obama policy adviser emphasized the president’s commitment to “cradle to career” intervention and assistance to our nation’s children. In an effort to provide incentives for more students to attend college, the Obama administration is calling on Congress to increase Pell grants, has included a significant tuition tax credit as part of the Recovery Act and has simplified the FAFSA financial aid forms.

“We’ve got to get our kids up to speed,” President Obama asserted. “Arne Duncan, I think, is pushing for more aggressive reforms than we’ve seen under any previous president. And we’re putting more money into education than any previous administration.”