U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will bring his Sixth Annual Back-to-School Bus Tour on Tuesday to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, spotlighting the state and city's work to improve student achievement by focusing on teacher leadership.
Duncan's bus will arrive before 11 a.m. CT at Roosevelt Middle School where he will drop by a day-long Teach to Lead event, sitting in on a teacher coaching session and participating in a roundtable discussion with teachers and administrators on how teacher leadership has grown in Iowa. A media availability will follow.
Among those expected for at least part of the event are Ron Corbett, Cedar Rapids mayor; Brad Buck, superintendent of the Cedar Rapids Community School District; Tania Johnson, Cedar Rapids Education Association president; Autumn Pino, Roosevelt Middle School principal; Mary Jane Cobb, executive director of the Iowa State Education Association; Tammy Wawro, Iowa State Education Association president; and Ryan Wise, Iowa State Department of Education executive director.
Launched in March 2014, Teach to Lead is a joint effort of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the U.S. Department of Education to advance student outcomes by expanding opportunities for teacher leadership, particularly those that allow teachers to stay in the classroom.
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.
The bus tour runs through Friday and 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.
View a video trailer about the bus tour here.
Stay connected with this year's tour by signing up for bus tour email updates.