U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education to Visit Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on a “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” School Visit

Archived Information

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education to Visit Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on a “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” School Visit

Contact:   Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov
Event Date 1 : November 14, 2023 - 9:15am
Event Date 2 : November 14, 2023 - 11:30am
Event Date 3 : November 14, 2023 - 1:45pm

On Tuesday Nov.14, 2023, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten will make a “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” school visit to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district, to visit three schools and discuss how they can continue to promote academic excellence and prepare students for global competitiveness.

Deputy Secretary Marten will first visit Oaklawn Language Academy, where she will learn about the school’s Spanish language immersion education, a program that promotes bilingualism, bi-literacy, and multicultural proficiency. She will then visit Pineville Elementary School where she will hold roundtable discussions to learn more on the school’s Early Literacy program known as “Queen City Readers,” a program that helps Kindergarten and first grade students develop word reading skills that are foundational in achieving high-level reading comprehension. Her last stop will be at Matthews Elementary School, where she will spend time learning about how they use their Out-of-School Time Tutoring program to accelerate learning for their students. While at Matthews Elementary School, the Deputy Secretary will also take part in a roundtable discussion with students, teachers, tutors, and parents who participate in the Out-of-School Time Tutoring program.

The “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” initiative kicked off in January, on the heels of U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona’s major address, “Raise the Bar: Lead the World,” where he laid out the U.S. Department of Education’s vision, his continued priorities to promote academic excellence and preparedness for global competitiveness, and the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to ensuring states, school districts, and schools have the support they need to prepare students for the 21st century global economy.

Event 1
Who :

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten
Superintendent Crystal L. Hill, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Principal Kristi Trangsrud, Oaklawn Language Academy
Learning Community Superintendent Acquanetta Edmond, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Executive Director Amanda Cahn, Learning and Teaching Services, Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools
Oaklawn Language Academy students, parents, and staff

What :

Tour of Oaklawn Language Academy
When :

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023
  9:15 a.m. EDT – Welcome and briefing from school leadership
9:25 a.m. EDT – Dual Language Instruction Classroom visits and student interviews
10:15 a.m. EDT – Roundtable discussion with students (closed to press)
(Times subject to change)

Where :

Oaklawn Language Academy
1810 Oaklawn Ave.
Charlotte, North Carollina

Event 2
Who :

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten
   Superintendent Crystal L. Hill, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Principal Bobby French, Pineville Elementary School
Learning Community Superintendent Nicolette Grant, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Executive Director Amanda Cahn, Learning and Teaching Services, Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools
Director of Elementary Education Pa Thao, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Executive Director of Pre-K Programs Teressa Beam, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Executive Director Read Charlotte Munro Richardson
K-1 Impact Manager Madison Brown
Pineville Elementary School students and teachers

What :

Tour of Pineville Elementary School
When :

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023
  11:30 a.m. EDT – Welcome and briefing from school leadership
  11:50 a.m. EDT – Roundtable discussions with students, tutors, and staff of “Queen City Readers” (closed to press)
(Times subject to change)

Where :

Pineville Elementary School
204 Lowry St.
Pineville, North Carolina

Event 3
Who :

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten
  Superintendent Crystal L. Hill, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Principal Penny Beth Crisp, Matthews Elementary School
Learning Community Superintendent Kondra Rattley
Executive Director Amanda Cahn, Learning and Teaching Services, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Matthews Elementary students, parents, tutors and teachers

What :

Tour of Matthews Elementary School
When :

Tuesday, Nov.14, 2023
   1:45 p.m. EDT – Welcome and briefing from school leadership
  2 p.m. EDT – Visit classrooms and observe Out-of-School-Time Tutoring
2:30 p.m EDT – Press conference
3 p.m. EDT – students, parents, tutors, Teacher Small Group Roundtable (closed to press)
(Times subject to change)

Where :

Matthews Elementary School
200 E. McDowell St.
Matthews, North Carolina

Unless noted, these are all open press events. If you are interested in covering any of these events, please RSVP to pressRSVP@ed.gov.

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