U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. will participate in a town hall discussion on "Policy, Parents, Communities, and Schools: The Future of Latino Education" at the National Council of La Raza Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, July 23, at 3 p.m. EDT. The town hall will focus on closing the achievement gap and parental engagement in schools. King will discuss the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the importance of implementation that supports and sustains educational equity and excellence for all students. In addition, he will highlight the importance of the Department's ongoing efforts to promote diversity in our nation's classrooms, including encouraging traditionally underrepresented groups to enter the teaching profession. A question-and-answer session will follow.
The conference, which begins Saturday and runs through July 26, will bring together education and business leaders, elected officials, journalists, entertainers and others to discuss important issues impacting the Latino community.