As a teacher and a parent, what our nation's education leaders think really matters to me. And with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan about to begin a second term, it matters even more.
Today, I'm excited to announce the launch of a new #AskArne video interview series, where the Secretary addresses the hot topics and burning questions in education today. In light of the president's announcement to address gun violence, the first episode, titled "Free from Fear," focuses on gun violence, school safety, and out of school factors influencing student achievement.
For the #AskArne videos, my questions for the Secretary will be derived from feedback the Department receives via social media and through the outreach of EDs Teaching Ambassador Fellows. Submit questions/ideas/material for future episodes on Twitter to #AskArne or on Facebook to Arne Duncan's page.
The Fellows, who work for the Department for a year, play a key role in connecting with educators and other stakeholders around the country, and then connecting voices from the field with top federal policymakers, including Secretary Duncan. As an explanation, this year I am on sabbatical from teaching at The SEED Public Charter School of Washington, D.C. to work full-time at ED as part of this year's team of Teaching Ambassador Fellows.
I hope you find this clip from our first interview informative and interesting, and with your feedback, I'm looking forward to future installments that will address the Department's 2013 agenda and the topics that are on the minds of teachers, parents, students and stakeholders.
A version of this post originally appeared on the U.S. Department of Education's Homeroom blog.
