U.S. Education Secretary Duncan to Visit Providence, R.I.

EDITOR’S NOTE: To update and clarify, Tuesday’s event will continue to be held. However, Secretary Duncan will be unable to attend. Tonight’s event has been canceled.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will travel to Providence, R.I., Monday, Feb. 11 and Tuesday, Feb. 12 to spotlight school safety and a new collaboration between labor leaders and school management. Press availabilities will follow each event.

On Monday evening, Duncan and the National PTA will co-host a town hall on school safety. On hand at Classical High School will be Betsy Landers, president of the National PTA; Pamela O’Brien, president of the Rhode Island PTA; David Abbott, deputy commissioner and general counsel of the Rhode Island Department of Education; Col. Steven O’Donnell, Rhode Island director of public safety; Steven M. Paré, Providence commissioner of public safety; and Ryan Passarelli, Coventry, R.I., school psychologist.

Tuesday morning, the Secretary will serve as the keynote speaker for the United Providence! launch breakfast. United Providence! is a new labor-management partnership between the Providence School District and the Providence Teachers union designed to jointly manage the turnaround process in a cluster of Providence’s lowest-performing schools by improving student achievement through labor-management collaboration. Also scheduled to appear are Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.