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

U.S. Secretary of Education
Richard Riley's
America Goes Back To School Bus Tour

THE SUCCESS EXPRESS
Visits the Mississippi Delta
August 27-31, 2000

Memphis, Tennessee

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Middle College High School

DATE: August 30, 2000

The Success Express made its first and only stop in an urban center when it visited Memphis, Tennessee. The Lauderdale Accelerated School Show Choir of Memphis sang for more than 300 educators and other community leaders. U.S. Representative Harold Ford, Jr. introduced Secretary Riley.

The secretary spoke about the need for all members of the community to become involved in their local schools. He said, "No one stands taller than when they stoop down to help a child."

Following a luncheon, Secretary Riley spoke at a press conference sponsored by the National Commission Against Youth Violence to announce the Shelby County Crime Commission's new youth violence prevention initiative.

While in Memphis, Secretary Riley visited another school that has been effective in turning around student achievement: Middle College High School. Based at South West Tennessee State Community College, Middle College High School provides students a high school education in a college setting.

Since adopting the Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound school reform model (one of the designs supported by New American Schools), the percentage of 11th graders that passed the state writing assessment increased from 9 percent in 1995 to 63 percent in 1999. One student described how she improved her grades from Cs to As after joining the Middle College's award-winning debate team.

Pictures

8/30--Secretary Riley is being greeted at
Auto Zone Park Baseball stadium.

8/30--Middle College High
School.

This page last modified September 18, 2000 (etn)