U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will wrap up the “Ready for Success” back-to-school bus tour at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 18 with a college access rally and town hall highlighting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.
Duncan will hold a rally with high school and college students to highlight the importance of universities, schools and communities working together to enhance college access and empower student success. Following the rally, he will hold a town hall with students, teachers and administrators to discuss STEM education and the path to college. He also will address how innovation can help the higher education agenda by increasing college access, affordability, completion and workforce development. A media availability will follow.
Duncan will be joined by NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman. Newman was nominated in January by President Obama, confirmed by the Senate in April and sworn in on May 15. Prior to her tenure at NASA, Dr. Newman was the Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Carnegie Mellon University provides high school students with the opportunity to take courses on campus. Pittsburgh Public Schools has partnered with Carnegie Mellon University and has been innovative on a number of fronts to encourage student growth and success.
Earlier in the day at 2 p.m. ET, the Department’s Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Director Brenda Girton-Mitchell will participate in a My Brother’s Keeper sharing session to highlight the goals of the program at Barack Obama Academy of International Studies 6-12, in Pittsburgh. A media availability will follow.
Education is a lifelong path—from preschool through college and careers—where, at every point along the way, access to high-quality learning opportunities can ensure everyone is ready for success. The stops on the bus tour are celebrating how states and local communities are working to increase access and opportunity from early learning to K-12 education to higher education.
This year’s back-to-school bus tour—which began on Monday, Sept. 14, and concludes Friday, Sept. 18—includes 11 cities in seven states across the American Midwest—Kansas City, Missouri; Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Champaign and Williamsfield, Illinois; West Lafayette and Indianapolis, Indiana; Louisville, Kentucky; Cincinnati and Columbus Ohio; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
View a video trailer about the bus tour here. For updates from the road, sign up for bus tour email updates, and follow the tour on social media with #ReadyForSuccess.