On Thursday, September 7, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will continue the “Back to School Bus Tour 2023: Raise the Bar” alongside U.S. Reps. Mark Pocan and Eric Sorensen, Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, and National Education Association President Becky Pringle. The week-long, multi-state road trip will showcase the many ways schools, families, and communities are doubling down on accelerating student learning and raising the bar in education.

First, Secretary Cardona will be joined by Rep. Sorensen and NEA President Pringle in Rockford, Illinois, for an announcement at an early childhood center around efforts to make kindergarten a transformational experience at the start of each student’s formal education journey.

The day will end in Madison, Wisconsin, where U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan and Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez will join Secretary Cardona for a tour of a career and technical high school followed by a conversation around the importance of CTE programs. The U.S. Department of Education has been hosting the Unlocking Pathways Summit to highlight workforce priorities and opportunities for young people that are growing due to recent federal investments, like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS and Science Act. This includes expanding access to high-wage, high-demand pathways and skills-based learning opportunities, including Registered Apprenticeships and community college programs, in sectors like advanced manufacturing, clean energy, infrastructure, and cybersecurity.

The “Back to School Bus Tour 2023: Raise the Bar” will feature stops in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Throughout the week, Secretary Cardona, Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, and Under Secretary James Kvaal, will join national, state, and local school leaders to speak with students, parents, and educators for events that celebrate the back-to-school season and underscore the Administration’s commitment to helping students recover from the impacts of the pandemic and continue on the road to success. As part of the “Back to School Bus Tour 2023: Raise the Bar,” Administration officials will highlight academic and mental health programs and efforts to recruit and support educators funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP), which provided historic resources to K-12 schools, colleges, and universities to reopen schools and help students of all ages recover.

Many of the events will include a press availability with Secretary Cardona and local leaders. To RSVP for specific stops on the tour, please email pressRSVP@ed.gov. Follow the bus tour on social media at #EdBusTour23.