U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan will travel to San Francisco on Tuesday, April 30, for a three-day tour of the region to highlight the need for more high-quality early learning programs and innovative teaching strategies. On Tuesday, Duncan will tour and host a media availability at the Cross Cultural Family Center (CCFC) which provides child care services in cross cultural settings—emphasizing the significant role family and community play in promoting positive development of young children.
Following the tour, Duncan will deliver remarks at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) 94th annual meeting. He will examine the major issues facing students, educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders in today's education environment.
Additional events on Wednesday and Thursday, May 1-2, will include meeting with members of the Equity and Excellence Commission, remarks at the New Schools Venture Fund's annual summit, an event at Everett Middle School, and remarks at the Education Writers Association's National Seminar at Stanford University.
Throughout his trip, Duncan will continue to highlight the Department of Education's newly-released blueprint for RESPECT (Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence and Collaborative Teaching)—the result of an unprecedented national dialogue for reforming and elevating the teaching profession. Among other things, the RESPECT blueprint calls for teacher salaries to be competitive with professions like architecture, medicine and law, more support for novice teachers and more career opportunities for veterans.
The CCFC was established in 1969 to continue the efforts of a demonstration project called Nurseries in Cross Cultural Education, where nursery schools provided an opportunity for a diverse group of families to join together and work cooperatively in addressing the developmental and educational needs of their children. When funds for this five-year project ended, the families and staff created the Cross Cultural Family Center in order to continue their involvement in such a program.
AERA is the national interdisciplinary research association of more than 25,000 members. They seek to advance knowledge about education, encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and promote the use of research to improve the public good.