U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will visit Memphis on Friday, Oct. 30, to meet with students and educators at Douglass K-8 Optional School and Southwest Tennessee Community College. Duncan will be available for media following the meeting at the community college.
Douglass K-8 is part of Shelby County Schools' Innovation Zone, a select subset of district schools that receive additional funding to implement academic and operational changes to improve student outcomes. This year, Tennessee recognized Douglass K-8 for being among the top 5 percent of state schools on annual student growth.
At Southwest Tennessee, Duncan will make an announcement on the Obama Administration's efforts to help prepare students for success in postsecondary education. This event is part of more than 80 Heads Up America open houses at community colleges across the country to share practices and ideas to make community college free for more responsible students willing to work for it.