U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. will discuss the opportunity for increased diversity in schools and communities to drive positive student outcomes in school and in life during a congressional briefing and an interagency listening session on Wednesday, June 8, in Washington, D.C.
During the morning, King and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, will take part in a congressional briefing, which will feature a panel discussion on the benefits of diversity in schools. The panelists also will highlight key national and local efforts that foster socioeconomic diversity.
In the afternoon, King, joined by U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro, will participate in a listening session jointly hosted by the U.S. Departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation at the Education Department’s headquarters. The event will bring together education, housing and transportation leaders to explore strategies for closing racial and socioeconomic gaps by creating and sustaining access to high-quality educational opportunities, safe and affordable housing, well-connected public transportation networks and safer streets.
These efforts build on the Stronger Together budget proposal included in President Obama’s FY 2017 budget. Stronger Together is a voluntary program to support the development and expansion of new and existing, community-driven strategies to increase socioeconomic diversity in America’s schools.
NOTE: The event will be livestreamed at http://edstream.ed.gov/webcast/Play/afc380b8183d4d418b18af9fbd3ace8b1d.