I am pleased that the President's FY14 Budget addresses the student loan crisis in our country. From leading the world into the age of democracy to spearheading the technological revolution, America has always been at the forefront of greatness. 

Experts of color and policy-makers were eagerly anticipating President Obama’s State of the Union Address this week. During the speech, President Obama addressed policies to improve immigration, education, and the economy, among other items.

Lily Eskelsen, Vice President, National Education Association, discusses the Priority Schools campaign and the need for education reforms in districts with low-incomes and high unemployment.

Arif, a young nurse working in a remote Moroccan village, is saving lives with education, a pit latrine, and a group of curious, engaged students. Meeting Arif and seeing his program in action inspired me to think about the power of simple solutions, the things we take for granted in the United States, and the potential of young people to change the world.

As a father, my heart breaks.

The starting five of the University of Kentucky basketball team - the 2012 NCAA champions - announced earlier this month that they're leaving college to go pro. It happens every year in the wake of March Madness, but as an African-American father, I feel my heart crack a little.

I recently hosted an education event in which I invited Martha J. Kanter, Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, and Dennis M. Walcott, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, at Frederick Douglass Academy, my alma mater, in Harlem.

In most states, top-ranked high school seniors are shoo-ins to attend their local state universities. But that’s not how it goes in New York these days. In one recent, glaring case, the valedictorian of a rural school district outside Rochester was rejected by a nearby State University of New York campus — not because her grades were too low, but because her high school didn’t offer the courses needed to compete for college admission.

Such stories are becoming increasingly common across New York State.

Allan C. Golston, President of the United States Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, discusses creating a vibrant educational environment in the U.S and the particular importance of engaging minority communities in this process.

The Education Commission of the States, a national policy organization, made a small splash earlier this year with its list of the 12 hottest education issues for 2012. But it’s no surprise that it didn’t get more attention.

Professor Mitchell is an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School and an expert on property issues which impact African-Americans. Recently, Professor Mitchell drafted a model state statute which several state legislatures are considering to reduce land loss among the many poor and minority property owners who own so-called "heirs' property."