On Tuesday, Sept. 3, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will launch the 2024 Back to School Bus Tour from Sept. 3 to Sept. 6. The week-long, multi-state road trip will showcase the many ways schools, families, and communities are doubling down on accelerating student achievement and raising the bar in public education with investments and other support from the Biden-Harris Administration.
The Back to School Bus Tour will feature stops in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. This year’s theme, “Fighting for Public Education,” highlights how school communities are using the Biden-Harris administration’s historic investments in public education to implement evidence-based and promising and innovative strategies and accelerate academic success, to support students of all ages and backgrounds. The 2024 bus tour will celebrate public education as the American system that opened the door for so many of our nation’s success stories: from astronauts to astrophysicists, writers to engineers, musicians to mathematicians, innovative entrepreneurs in the private sector to great leaders in the public sector.
“This year’s Back to School Bus Tour will remind the American people why the Biden-Harris Administration has unapologetically fought for public education, the foundation of opportunity in this country, and the contrast between our efforts and those who wish to destroy public education” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “I cannot wait to hit the road and meet with students, parents, educators, and school leaders who are using the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments in public education to Raise the Bar for students at every stage of their academic journeys. I’m looking forward to lifting up what’s working in public education and celebrating the exciting work taking place in our schools and communities to ensure that all students, no matter their race, place, or background, have opportunities to succeed and contribute to our country.”
Secretary Cardona will kick off the tour in Wisconsin, where he will uplift the tools the Biden-Harris Administration has used – including accountability, grants, and technical assistance – to accelerate academic recovery, preserve and support native languages, and ensure high-quality public education in our underserved communities, including our rural and urban communities, for the whole child.
On day two, Secretary Cardona will continue in Wisconsin and then travel to Illinois and Indiana where he will highlight the Administration’s efforts to promote the critical importance of regular student attendance in partnership with the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, expand Career and Technical Education for adult learners, and expand access to local community colleges. He will be joined by White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Mandy Cohen for some of the stops.
Later in the week, Secretary Cardona will be in Michigan where he will hear from borrowers who benefitted from debt relief through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, highlight the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) efforts to support high-quality teacher recruitment and retention programs, and amplify the Department’s role in supporting public schools on the frontlines of the youth mental health crisis. He will be joined by National Education Association (NEA) Becky Pringle.
The tour will end in Pennsylvania, where he will be joined by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to highlight the critical role of full-service community schools, serving the whole child, in ensuring food security in communities, offering mental health supports for communities, and improving opportunities and outcomes for students The tour will end with a back-to-school Community Block Party.
Throughout the week, Secretary Cardona, Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, and Under Secretary James Kvaal will join national, state, and local education leaders to speak with students, parents, and educators at events that celebrate the back-to-school season and underscore the Administration’s commitment to helping students and communities recover from the impacts of the pandemic by improving academic achievement and succeed from cradle to college and career.
Preliminary details about bus tour activities are listed below. Additional information and exact timing for each site will be released the day prior to the tour stop. Many of the events will include a press availability with Secretary Cardona and local leaders.