Duncan Announces 2012 Cross-Country Back-to-School Bus Tour
“Education Drives America” to Spotlight Classroom Success, Link Education and the Economy
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U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and senior leaders from the U.S. Department of Education will push the message that “Education Drives America” in its third annual back-to-school bus tour this fall. In a series of events from coast-to-coast, Department officials will highlight education successes across the country and engage communities in conversations about school reform (P-12), college affordability and completion, and the link between education and jobs.
“America’s future is directly linked to the quality of education that we provide our children, young people and adults,” Duncan said. “It is the key to a vibrant middle class, strong national security and our global economic competitiveness.”
The bus tour will begin on Sept. 12 in Redwood City, California, and conclude at the Department of Education’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., on the evening of Sept. 21. Additional stops include, Sacramento, California; Reno and Elko, Nevada; Salt Lake City, Utah; Rawlins, Rock Springs, and Cheyenne, Wyoming; Denver and Limon, Colorado; Topeka and Emporia, Kansas; Kansas City and Columbia, Missouri; Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Evansville, Indiana; Lexington, Kentucky; Charleston and McDowell County, West Virginia; Roanoke and Richmond, Virginia.
“In the past three years, I’ve traveled to 47 states, visited hundreds of schools and met with thousands of teachers, parents and students who are finding new and innovative ways to teach and learn,” Duncan said. “This bus tour is an opportunity to highlight what’s working and create momentum for education reforms that improve the lives of all students.”
This is the third annual back-to-school bus tour for Secretary Duncan and the Department of Education. In 2010, the back-to-school bus tour included the Delta region in the South and the Northeast. In 2011, the tour covered the Midwest from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin.
Duncan will lead the tour from Redwood City through Reno, Denver through Kansas City, and Charleston through Washington, D.C. Deputy Secretary Tony Miller and Under Secretary Martha Kanter will also lead portions of the tour.
Additional details, including specific sites, event times and participants, will be announced in the coming weeks. Senior department officials are also participating in over 60 satellite events along the bus tour route.