Education reform has been the topic of the day, and what better way to understand challenges and measure growth than to hear it directly from the true stakeholders — students. Local youth were able to not only have their voices heard, but also to speak directly to the man at the helm — U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
As part of the U.S. Department of Education’s sixth-annual “Ready for Success” back-to-school bus tour, Duncan and senior department officials made two stops in Indiana.
The Indianapolis “Ready for Success” stop was at Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School, where students from public, private and parochial schools across the city participated in a discussion with Duncan. Township superintendents, education advocates and city and state officials also attended the forum. Students shared their education experience and offered their constructive criticism and feedback for Duncan to take back to Washington.
Sam Varie, a senior at Lawrence Central High School, shared with Duncan how students are leading change in their communities, most notably in the form of community service.
“In Lawrence Township, we have countless service organizations at our schools,” Varie said. “I’m the president of the Key Club at Lawrence Central High School, and we’ve given out 300 bags of food each week for elementary students, we raised over $10,000 for kids, and we are spreading the message and showing our peers the importance of helping those in need.”
Students wanted to know how Duncan, under the direction of President Barack Obama, has been addressing issues such as higher education affordability, helping bright students not slip through the cracks and funding for early childhood education. Students also encouraged Duncan and the community to increase highlighting students’ achievements rather than failures.
While improvements in various areas of education are still needed, students shared victories they’ve experienced in education. Rosa Ramos Ochoa, a senior at Ben Davis University High School, said the early college program at her school has been a benefit to her. Next May, she will graduate with a high school diploma and an associate degree.
“At home, we’re not in the best place financially, but I know I will continue with my studies because I have college experience — I plan to keep going no matter what,” she said. Ramos Ochoa said she’d like to attend Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis or Marian University.
Duncan was pleased to hear about city programs that further aid students, such as the Mayor’s Youth Council — a student-led group that works to address youth issues in the city — and the Center for Leadership Development — an organization that fosters the advancement of minority youth in Central Indiana.
Prior to the student discussion with Duncan, federal and local officials — such as Rev. Brenda Girton Mitchell with the Department of Education Center for Faith Based & Neighborhood Partnerships; Michael Twyman, director of the Your Life Matters initiative at Indiana Black Expo; and Michael O’Connor, director of state government affairs at Eli Lilly and Company — gave an update on the My Brother’s Keeper initiative.
“It’s something we’re trying to focus on in a laser-like way,” Duncan said. “If we want strong families and strong communities, we have to help young boys and young men of color. We have to stop the school-to-prison pipeline. It’s easy to blame other things, but we are part of the problem in some places.”
Duncan’s other Indiana stop was at Purdue University, where he participated in a dialogue with University President Mitchell Daniels as part of the school’s Presidential Lecture Series. Duncan discussed his department’s work to make college more affordable, and he applauded Purdue’s efforts to keep costs affordable for students by freezing tuition, and room and board for the past four years. Duncan also addressed at Purdue how innovation can help the higher education agenda by increasing college access, affordability and completion, and workforce development.
