U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. will make stops in Las Vegas, Nevada; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Springdale, Arkansas next week to promote the importance of a well-rounded education and to discuss the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
ESSA, which was signed into law by President Obama in December, creates the opportunity to ensure a well-rounded education for all students—an education that not only includes strong numeracy and literacy, but provides all students with access to science, social studies, the arts, physical education and health, and the opportunity to learn a second language. The U.S. Department is taking action across a range of areas to support states and districts in ensuring schools provide a rich range of offerings.
On Thursday, April 14, King will visit Las Vegas Academy of the Arts—a magnet high school in downtown Las Vegas—to deliver a speech on the importance of a well-rounded education and visit with students engaged in various artistic disciplines. A media availability will follow his remarks and then he will hold a listening session to discuss ESSA.
On Friday, April 15, King will visit Tulsa, Oklahoma to participate in a roundtable discussion, hosted by the school district, with several members of the committee that looked at testing in the district. Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Deborah A. Gist will also join in the discussion and participate in media availability with King after the roundtable.
In the afternoon, King will travel to Springdale, Arkansas, for a classroom visit at Springdale High School and a roundtable discussion with Computer Science (CS) for All supporters and implementers. He will hold a media availability after the event.