U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will participate in a Black History Month program at the Department’s headquarters that honors African American women who are advocates for education. The event will take place at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, in Barnard Auditorium. Duncan will give brief remarks on the importance of educators, especially African Americans, before introducing keynote speaker Kaya Henderson, chancellor of D.C. public schools. A panel discussion, moderated by the Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell, director of the Department’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, will follow Henderson’s remarks. The Duke Ellington School of the Arts’ Saxophone Ensemble will provide music from 11:15 to 11:30 a.m.
With more than 1 million educators expected to retire in the coming years, the United States faces a historic opportunity to transform public education by calling on a new generation to enter the classrooms. The U.S. Department of Education is working with the broader education community to strengthen and elevate the entire teaching profession so that every teacher and educator has the support and training that he or she needs to succeed.