Published: August 09,2009
Op-Ed Contributor

Why President Obama and Arne Duncan Need Glenn Brandon Burke, M.Ed.
By Alan Gray, NewsBlaze

I just finished reading Chicago Tribune columnist, Clarence Page's article entitled "Quiet crisis in our colleges."

The main message of the article is that higher education is sorely lacking in America. Student retention is low and so are graduation rates. President Obama's proposed American Graduation Initiative would put $12 billion into community colleges, with the aim of adding five-million new graduates by 2020.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said he needs to find a way to keep more students enrolled, because almost half the students drop out before they have the opportunity to graduate. That makes the goal of five million graduates a tall order.

I've listened to Arne Duncan and he is a smart guy, but I know something he doesn't. An old friend of mine, Glenn Brandon Burke, has the answer Duncan is looking for.

Burke is America's number one Motivational College Speaker on Student Retention, Student Access, Student Equity and Student Success, and knows exactly what it takes to increase retention and increase graduation rates. Not only that, but when Burke increases student retention, he also increases the school's revenue.

Glenn Brandon Burke started out on the wrong side of the success fence. He was a high school dropout, coming from a very disadvantaged life. At the age of 28, he finally realized that "Education is the Foundation for a Successful Life."

So he enrolled in a community college, worked hard and smart to complete both his undergraduate and graduate degrees, and taught four-years at a community college and a couple of university courses. Now, he is known as "America's #1 Motivational College Speaker on Student Retention and Student Success!"

Glenn Brandon Burke definitely has the answers Arne Duncan needs to achieve President Obama's goals. I think I'd like to be a fly on the wall in a meeting with both of them, plus Robert Shireman and Massie Ritsch.

Glenn Brandon Burke's web site has more detail, including contact information www.GlennBrandonBurke.com

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I am the victim of the HESI i got into Nursing school with a 3.98 and passed all my classes and clinicals it was the most difficult 4 years of my life and of course we get only 2 times to pass the HESI and if we don't we need to take our last year of Nursing school over and then it is 1 more time only to take the HESI and each time the test is different and it is so very vague nor were we taught to pass the HESI. So after I now owe over 20,000.00 in school loans I have no way of trying to take the NCLEX and trying to pass for my nursing license and if I had known about this I would have never wasted 4 years of my life because I now can never be a nurse which is my dream and I did so well in clinicals my patients loved me and I loved helping them. I did so well in school but I couldn't get higher than 836 on the HESI. So what am I to do now? find another career but who will give me a loan now? My life is destroyed. Thanks for listening

Great interview. I think that Arne Duncan will perfectly cope with all his responsibilities at the new place. Obama tries to build a team of young and promising policy makers to implement the changes that are awaited from him by all Americans.

I was listening to C-Span when Arne Duncan was asked by [I-Vermont] congressman Bernie Sanders. Mr Sanders suggested that work/study, which is a college loan campus program that coordinates jobs for college students-usually on the campus- to help them get money for college- could be extended to public schools. As a college student,I was a Y-counselor for 40 inner-city kids at a YMCA in downtown Buffalo. It was a great experience and terrific preparation for teaching.
How about extending this to have a core of students tutor high school kids during studyhall periods thoughout the school day? What great role models for the younger students and great experience for the college kids. Students would no longer waste two or three periods a day and would have regular help with homework and study. This would also help keep students from "slipping through the cracks"-someone would be giving them individual attention and support above and beyond what the teachers and guidance can do. I believe this would elevate SAT scores of high school students, help distressed students who just need someone to talk to , and encourage college students to go into teaching. For years I have been distressed to see how little I could do to help when a student came in for only a 40 minute period per day with 25 other students. Some need so much help and can get only a fraction of what they need in after school sessions. I hope Mr Duncan takes this suggestion seriously. I believe it is sorely needed and would be a powerful tool for the advancement of children.
Jane G Taylor
High School Art teacher -30 years

Can anyone tell me why there are some colleges that have made it a practice to hold the diplomas of students in their Nursing departments, who do not pass an exam called the HESI at various passing marks which is determined by the Nursing department of the school. HESI has set the passing mark at 850 but some schools have made the passing mark even higher and then the test is administered at the end of the nursing program (4 yrs) when the student has already spent so much time and money to complete the program.
So after the students have studied for at least four years and in many cases have paid tuitions, taken loans, paid fees of many different kinds and they have completed all other requirements of the program. they do not get a diploma/degree. They are basically told to "Go away" if they do not pass at the required mark.
Holding the degrees means that the student is not allowed to even attempt the state board- NCLEX - which is the exam that determines if the student can be employed as a Nurse. So many of our young people are being penalized for not passing a standardized test at the level that the school may require. (It varies at each school and some do not even use it which says it can be eliminated ) This is a test that only says you may or may not pass the NCLEX...it does not guarantee passing nor does it secure a job as a nurse.
This test has been already been banned in New York State but it continues in Alabama and other states... is there any way we could address this and allow our young people to achieve their dream. Is this practice legal?
Can someone/anyone bring this to the attention of a governing body that can make a difference in the life of our young people. Many of them are willing to serve as nurses(medical Servants)if only given a chance.. They have proven their interest and loyalty to the cause by sitting through 4 years of classes, clinicals, pharmaccology, microbiology and so on, how then can we allow their spirits and dreams to be crushed by this practice?

On your video Arne Duncan says "with kids who were better than ME. On TV with Obama and Biden, he thanked Mayor Daley for "giving to my brother and I."
Arne Duncan may be brilliant, etc., but he is lacking in a knowledge of basic grammar. I find this unacceptable from a person in his position."
I would like this called to his attention. Can you give me his e-mail address?

Another smart pick for Obama! Duncan has ideals for the public schools, but he is not overtly ideological in his approach-- he's a pragmatist, like most of Obama's appointees. He supports the underlying philosophy of NCLB, and he supports the ideal of public education, as opposed to wanting wholesale privatization of the system. He knows the ins and outs of the problems of urban schools, which remain at the heart of purpose of NCLB. Hopefully he can help get the unions to be more supportive of the changes that are needed in how they "defend" their members, so that public ed. doesn't go the way of the Detroit Big Three. On another note, understanding the problems of rural schools, which also have an achievement gap, may be a challenge for him.

I think he sounds very exciting, he sounds connected, concerned and understands what is required. I would like to know more about him. No child left behind has too many problems, it was a good idea on paper but needed the major kinks worked out. That did not seem to occur. Duncan seems as though he is really together with the people/teachers doing the job. I can't wait to see what "good things" he shows us.