Senior staff at the U.S. Department of Education will visit Cleveland on Wednesday, Sept. 6, in advance of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's visit the following day, where he will focus on the role that education plays in securing America's economic future.
In the morning at Solon Middle School, Michael Yudin, acting assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education, will participate in a "Let's Move!" event focusing on promoting healthy lifestyles, reducing childhood obesity, and increasing physical and nutrition awareness. Other participants include Lomas Brown, former Cleveland Browns tackle and current ESPN analyst, and representatives from the event co-sponsors: Fuel Up to Play 60, a national organization that works with schools and communities to encourage healthy eating and exercise among youth, and the American Dairy Association Midwest.
At 1:00 p.m., Yudin will take part in a meeting hosted by U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge with Cleveland Public Schools CEO Eric Gordon and more than a dozen area school superintendents and other school leaders. They will address issues confronting public school districts and have an opportunity to share feedback with Yudin about federal education programs and initiatives. Media availability will follow the meeting.
Brenda Girton-Mitchell, director of the Education Department's Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, will also visit Cleveland on Tuesday. In the morning she will join Lisa Bottoms of the Cleveland Foundation for a visit to Marion-Sterling Elementary School to highlight local partnerships that are helping to boost student achievement and turnaround the school. Marion-Sterling is a recipient of a U.S. Department of Education School Improvement Grant (SIG), a federally funded program that supports school turnaround efforts for persistently low-achieving schools. The school received a portion of the $19.5 million SIG awarded to Ohio last March.
Later in the day, Girton-Mitchell will visit Friendly Inn Settlement House, a non-profit organization that provides day care, education and recreational services to its surrounding community.
During his Thursday visit to Cleveland as part of the "Education and the Economy" bus tour, Duncan will participate in a panel discussion on education and community partnerships at East Tech High School. Details on the Secretary's visit will follow in a separate advisory, along with information about additional Cleveland events with department staff on both Wednesday, Sept. 7, and Thursday, Sept. 8.
Note to editors: The time for Acting Assistant Secretary Michael Yudin’s “Let’s Move!” event has been changed to 10 a.m.