Assistant Secretary Michael Yudin, Deputy Assistant Secretary Libby Doggett and Director of Special Education Programs Melody Musgrove will make stops at Faxon Elementary School and the University of Central Missouri on Monday, Sept. 14 and Tuesday, Sept. 15, as part of the “Ready for Success” back-to-school bus tour. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will kick off the tour in Kansas City, Monday morning and it will run through Friday, Sept. 18, 2015.
At noon on Monday, Sept. 14, Yudin and Doggett, along with Principal Ambassador Fellow Joseph Manko and Teaching Ambassador Fellow Matthew Presser, will visit Faxon Elementary School to learn about the Success by 6 (SB6) and Parents as Teachers program and also observe a first grade inclusive classroom. The Success by 6 Center provides families with educational resources including books and suggestions on methods for teaching their child.
At 12:30 p.m. CT, they will hold a teacher roundtable discussion on teacher leadership and the Teach to Lead partnership.
On Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 10 a.m. CT, Yudin and Director of Special Education Programs Melody Musgrove will visit the University of Central Missouri (UCM) to learn about the THRIVE program supporting students ages 18-25 with intellectual or developmental disabilities who are participating in a 2-year residential college experience at University of Central Missouri. This program helps these students build the knowledge and skills to transition from home to independent living, and from school to the workplace, so they can be independent, participating members of their communities. The topic of the roundtable will be the importance of college and career readiness for even our most vulnerable populations to ensure equity and opportunity for all. Yudin and Musgrove will also meet with UCM special education program staff to learn about work with the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR) and a Transformational Learning Initiative. CEEDAR helps states and institutes of higher education reform their teacher and leader preparation programs, revise licensure standards to align with reforms, refine personnel evaluation systems, and realign policy structures and professional learning systems.
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. This year’s “Ready for Success” tour will celebrate how states and local communities are working to increase access and opportunity from early learning through college.
This year’s “Ready for Success” tour will include stops in Kansas City, Missouri; Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Champaign and Williamsfield, Illinois; West Lafayette and Indianapolis, Indiana; Louisville, Kentucky; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Duncan and other senior Department officials will hold events highlighting the progress and achievements of educators, students, families and leaders in expanding opportunity for students throughout the nation.
Preliminary details of bus tour activities follow. Additional information and exact timing for each site will be released by the day prior to the announcement. Every event will include a media availability with Duncan and local leaders.
View a video trailer about the bus tour here.
Stay connected with this year’s tour by signing up for bus tour email updates.