John White, deputy assistant secretary for rural outreach at the U.S. Department of Education, will discuss the Obama administration’s efforts to increase financial literacy and reduce the financial barriers to postsecondary education next week at the Hope Global Financial Dignity Summit in Atlanta.
White will join a panel discussion moderated by Don Graves, executive director of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, and Racquel Russell, special assistant to the President for mobility and opportunity, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., ET, on Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Georgia International Convention Center. The theme of the summit is “Community, Character and (Responsible) Capitalism.” The event will frame the issue of financial dignity and financial literacy as an essential, core ingredient to mid- to long-term economic recovery and stability. More than 1,000 delegates from 50 countries are expected to attend the summit.
While in Georgia, White also will meet with state officials to learn more about a Race to the Top-funded public-private partnership program that is preparing at-risk students for postsecondary education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. He will tour the Southwire Company’s “12ForLife” program on Tuesday, Nov. 13.
In August 2010, the U.S. Department of Education awarded $400 million in Race to the Top grants to Georgia. The state used $19.4 million in federal funds to create an “Innovation Fund” to provide competitive subgrants to support partnerships among local education authorities or charter schools, institutions of higher education, businesses and nonprofit organizations to develop and implement innovative applied learning and academic programs in STEM education for K-12 students. The maximum amount of the 12-For-Life program grant is $350,000 per year, for a total of $1,050,000 over a three-year period.