U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will visit the greater Boston area Tuesday and Wednesday, spotlighting key investments in education from President Obama’s proposed budget that would create opportunity for every child. Press availabilities are set at each stop.
The President's budget request reflects his strong belief that education is a vital investment in the nation's economic competitiveness, in its people, and in its communities. Much of the requested $69 billion in discretionary spending for education goes to financial aid for students in college, special education, and high-poverty schools (Title I). The remaining money targets specific areas and reforms designed to leverage major changes in educational opportunity and excellence for all students, including the expansion of access to high-quality preschool, data-driven instruction based on college- and career-ready standards, making college more affordable, and mitigating the effects of poverty on educational outcomes.
The visit to the greater Boston area is part of Secretary Duncan’s Partners in Progress tour, which highlights America’s ingenuity in education at work. On Tuesday, Secretary Duncan will travel to Roxbury, Mass., where he will tour Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School and host a roundtable discussion with educators and members of the President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities. Orchard Gardens, a recipient of a School Improvement Grant from the Education Department, is currently undergoing a dramatic transformation from one of the lowest performing schools in the state to a model for academic, arts and foreign language excellence.
The following day at 9 a.m., Secretary Duncan will visit Worcester Technical High School in Worcester, Mass. Worcester Tech is a 2013 Blue Ribbon School with a Terrel Bell award-winning principal and home to a variety of career training programs. While there, Secretary Duncan will pay tribute to the school’s progress and host a town hall that focuses on the importance of career and technical education.
Later at 11:45 a.m., he will visit Arthur Coolidge Middle School in Reading, Mass., where he will hold a discussion with teachers about the transition to new learning standards.
That afternoon at 2:05 p.m., he will tour Match Charter Public High School, a high-performing urban charter school in Boston. There, he will learn more about the importance of first-class teacher preparation programs and how the school supports teachers to improve student outcomes.
Over the last few years, states and districts have initiated reforms and innovations in education to support important improvements in teaching and learning that are aimed at helping all students to achieve success. To highlight their hard work, the Education Department launched the Partners in Progress tour designed to show how important reforms are progressing in the field. Secretary Duncan will continue to visit a number of states over the coming months, showcasing the changes in education and the challenges that accompany them, all while highlighting the champions of reform—teachers, parents, community members, and others—who are leading the effort to improve education for all students.