Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Michael Yudin will visit San Antonio, addressing a major education conference Thursday and touring schools that have received funding under the U.S. Education Department's School Improvement Grants (SIG) program on Friday.
On Thursday, Yudin will address the Council for Exceptional Children's annual convention, the largest professional development event dedicated to special and gifted education. He will highlight the second-term agenda for the Education Department, with an emphasis on inclusion, equity and opportunity for all students, especially as it relates to students with disabilities.
Friday, he will tour Davis Middle School and Sam Houston High School, part of the San Antonio Independent School District, to discuss their transformation efforts under their School Improvement Grants. Yudin will meet with stakeholders and participate in a roundtable discussion on the school improvements underway at both schools.
Through three-year SIG awards, Houston High, now in its final year, received $4.7 million, and Davis, now in its second year, received $3.6 million. SIG provides financial assistance and other support to help states and districts turn around their lowest-performing schools. The funds are distributed to states by formula, and the states in turn compete the money for allocation to local school districts.