A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR RELEASE
June 14, 2000

Contact:
Tom Lyon
(202) 401-1220
tom.lyon@ed.gov

RILEY TO ROLL ALONG RIVER;
"SUCCESS EXPRESS" TRACKS MISSISSIPPI THROUGH 7 STATES AUG. 27-31

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley will take a four-day back-to-school bus tour at the end of August, visiting mostly rural communities along the Mississippi River.

"Each region of the country has special needs and concerns," Riley said, "but everywhere, education is the express bus on the road to economic success."

Dubbed the "Success Express," Riley will begin the trip Aug. 27 in Louisiana and make stops in Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois. He will be joined on the bus by educators and local officials.

Riley said that some of the more than 200 counties along the Mississippi are struggling, but there are encouraging signs of progress, as states in the region have launched some important school reform measures. "We'll visit some exciting places -- schools that are using new technologies, innovative reading programs, after-school programs, family resource centers, award-winning schools that serve primarily students from low-income families. We'll see examples of the kinds of partnerships that have proven so effective in bringing parents and teachers, business leaders and educators together to make schools better."

President Clinton, at a May 10 White House conference on the Mississippi Delta, noted that at least half of students attending 10 of the 20 highest performing grade schools in Kentucky qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, leading him to conclude: "Race, economics and location are not destiny if you've got a good education system and you give these kids a chance to learn."

The Success Express is currently scheduled to stop in Monroe, Rayville and Winnsboro, La.; Portland, Helena, Marianna and Blytheville, Ark.; Hollandale, Rosedale and Clarksdale, Miss.; Memphis and Union City, Tenn.; Hickman and Paducah, Ky.; Charleston, Mo.; and Ft. Defiance and Metropolis, Ill.

As the nation's longest serving secretary of education, Riley has visited more than 325 schools.

"Better education is everybody's business," Riley said, "and I hope everyone will go back to school this fall -- as a student or parent, mentor, volunteer or just concerned citizen." The bus tour is part of an annual nationwide effort, known as America Goes Back to School, to encourage greater parent and community involvement to improve education.

Last fall, Riley, a former governor of South Carolina, took a back-to-school bus tour along the South's I-85 corridor, visiting schools in five states.

For more information about America Goes Back to School, call 1-800-USA-LEARN or visit www.ed.gov/Family/agbts/.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Reporters wishing to accompany Riley on some or all of the tour should call or e-mail the contact listed above.

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