Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Innovation and Improvement, will participate in a moderated discussion at the 2012 National School Choice Conference sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education's Voluntary Public School Choice Program Friday in Washington.
Shelton will discuss how school choice programs have developed through the years and discuss ideas for the future. More than 200 educators from across the country are expected for the conference, the theme of which this year is "Improving Student Opportunities with Systemic School Choice."
As assistant deputy secretary, Shelton's Office of Innovation and Improvement makes strategic investments in innovative educational programs and administers more than 25 discretionary grant programs. Among them: the Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund, the Promise Neighborhoods program, Charter Schools Program; Fund for the Improvement of Education; Parental Options and Information; Technology in Education; and Teacher Quality Programs.