U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will visit Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, April 19, for two education events: a listening session with school superintendents hosted by Rep. Marcia L. Fudge and a panel discussion with Mayor Frank Jackson and stakeholders on Cleveland's education reform plan.
The first event is a closed-door listening session with Rep. Fudge and some 18 superintendents from her district. Duncan will provide an update on the Administration's second term education agenda and exchange ideas with the educators on improving education and raising student achievement. Janey Thornton, deputy under secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and several nutrition staff from the represented schools will also discuss school nutrition. At 12:30 p.m., Duncan and Fudge will hold a media availability about the discussion at Corporate College in Warrensville Heights.
At 1:30 p.m., Duncan will be at Anton Grdina Elementary School. There he will visit a preschool classroom and moderate a panel discussion on the city's education reform plan. Other panelists include Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson; Eric Gordon, CEO of Cleveland Metropolitan School District; and David Quolke, president of the Cleveland Teachers Union. A media availability will follow at 2:45 p.m.