U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell and other Education Department officials will participate in the 2015 SXSWedu Conference this week in Austin, Texas.
Mitchell will join in a panel discussion Tuesday on “Innovative Tools & Strategies to Access Higher Ed.” President Obama’s proposed fiscal year 2016 budget for education would improve access, affordability and student outcomes in college. Included would be two years of free community college for responsible students and a $29.7 billion investment in Pell Grants to maintain the purchasing power of this critical, need-based grant assistance after 2017.
The SXSWedu forum began in 2011 with the goal of celebrating innovations in learning. Since then, it has grown to include hundreds of speakers – some from around the world – spotlighting promising practices in education.
In addition to Mitchell’s appearance, other Department officials speaking at the event include:
Monday, March 9
- JoLisa Hoover and Patrice Dawkins-Jackson, Teaching Ambassador Fellows, Teacher Leadership, More than a Catch Phrase?, 4:30-5:30 p.m. CT
Tuesday, March 10
- Richard Culatta, director of educational technology, Designing Principles for a Trusted Environment, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. CT
- Michael Hawes, deputy chief privacy officer, Chief Privacy Officers in SEAs: A Panacea?, 1:30-2:30 p.m. CT
- Suzanne Immerman, senior advisor to the secretary of education, TEACH- America's Next Generation of Teachers, 1-1:30 p.m. CT
Wednesday, March 11
- Joseph South, deputy director of educational technology, Paying for Personalized Learning, noon-1 p.m. CT
- Richard Culatta, director of educational technology, ConnectED & Future-Ready Schools, 1:30- 2:30 p.m. CT
- Libby Doggett, deputy assistant secretary for policy & early learning, The A, B, Cs of Implementing Universal Pre-K, 1:30-2:30 p.m. CT
- Michael Hawes, deputy chief privacy officer, Mentor Session, 1:30-2:30 p.m. CT