Anane N. Olatunji, PhD
Imagine the success our children can have if all found school emotionally fulfilling.
Unfortunately, the reality is that far too many youth, regardless of their social background, don't enjoy school. The premises, policies, and procedures that drive the conventional education model in the US create a system that reduces opportunities for self-discovery. Many students become alienated from school rather than empowered by it. Consequently, our youth underperform not only in school but also later on in the workplace. Ultimately, they fail to fulfill their potential and the contribution they could otherwise give to society.
In Don’t Let School Get in the Way of Education, author and education expert Dr. Anane Olatunji gives us a detailed look at the rift between the conventional education system and the performance of youth, exploring the disconnect between current academic approaches and students’ well-being. Dr. Olatunji then presents a new paradigm for education, his FACES framework, centered on Fun, Affirmation, Challenge, Expression, and Success that empowers students and gives them the self-knowledge they need to realize their full potential and aspirations. School systems, administrators, teachers, parents, and their children will all benefit from this revolutionary approach to education.
Anane Olatunji (ah-NAH-neh oh-lah-TOON-jee) has dedicated his career to improving educational outcomes for youth. To that end, he continues to serve the field as a consultant, speaker, trainer, and author, reaching audiences across the United States
and abroad—in both English and Spanish.
Dr. Olatunji also is founder and president of Align Education, LLC, based in New Orleans. Under his leadership, the consulting firm has provided professional development and program evaluation services to organizations nationwide funded at more than $75 million.
Much of his success can be attributed to serving the field as both researcher and educator. For example, he not only has published in the Harvard Educational Review, but also taught students from kindergarten to college, including the daughter of President Joe Biden.
Prior to establishing his own firm, Dr. Olatunji served as an evaluator of educational programs at Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, where he received the superintendent’s Outstanding Performance Award after one year of service. As assistant professor of education and director of public and private school initiatives at Dillard University in New Orleans, “Dr. O,” as affectionately called by his students, was awarded the distinguished Verret Teaching Prize by the provost, who described his performance as “exceptional.”
Dr. Olatunji’s commitment to youth development is deeply rooted in his personal journey. Raised in a family of nine in an impoverished community in New Orleans, he nonetheless excelled academically. After graduating from high school in Pennsylvania through the A Better Chance scholarship program, he earned degrees in sociology and education from Harvard, Columbia, and Tulane University.
