On Wednesday, Feb. 15, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will travel to Jackson, Mississippi, where he will focus on out-of-school programs funded by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and strong teacher pipeline programs. Secretary Cardona will head to Casey Elementary School to tour the school and meet with the after-school program partners to learn more about how ARP funding is supporting their out-of-school time efforts, as well as speak with them about the importance of these programs for their children’s academic recovery, connected to the Department’s Engage Every Student initiative. Afterwards, amid the national teacher shortage crisis, Secretary Cardona will head to Jackson State University to learn more about their efforts to encourage and train more diverse teachers by strengthening their teacher pipeline program.

A press gaggle will take place following the roundtable conversation with students in the teacher pipeline program.

This trip comes on the heels of Secretary Cardona’s recent major address, “Raise the Bar: Lead the World,” where he laid out his continued priorities to promote academic excellence and boldly improve learning by ensuring every student has access to accelerated learning and by eliminating the educator shortage for every school.