U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick will conduct a roundtable discussion with students and educators at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at Roxbury Community College. Matthew Malone, secretary of education for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, will moderate the conversation. A media avail will follow.
The discussion will focus on issues of importance to the students, especially how their institution is preparing them for success in careers and life. Roxbury Community College is among the recipients of funds through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant program funded by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor, to reshape certificate and degree programs and develop career pathways in three critical economic development areas: clean energy, financial services, and advanced manufacturing.
The Obama Administration has made historic investments in postsecondary education, including increasing the maximum Pell grant award by $1,000, creating the $2,500 American Opportunity Tax Credit, and enacting effective student loan reforms that eliminated subsidies to banks and reinvested in America’s students and families to make college more affordable. These initiatives are targeted at expanding access and ensuring families have the finances they need to succeed in their college pursuits and help reach the President’s goal for America to once again lead the world in college graduation. The Obama administration has also added new consumer tools such as the Financial Aid Shopping Sheet and the College Scorecard to help students and families make more educated decisions about college and easily compare vital information such as college costs, average student loan debt and graduation rates across different institutions.
Duncan will also celebrate Gov. Patrick’s accomplishments in education while in office. Massachusetts is consistently ranked #1 on a variety of education measures and continues to invest significantly across the education continuum: early learning opportunities, higher standards and better assessments, interventions and supports in persistently low-performing schools and districts, and access to and completion of postsecondary education and training.