Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and senior staff at the U.S. Department of Education are scheduled Friday to conduct a town hall forum on education in Chula Vista.
The event at Castle Park Middle School will conclude their fourth annual back-to-school bus tour that's included 15 events in 11 cities around the southwestern part of the country.
Duncan is scheduled to kick off the event with a pep rally at 9 a.m., and he's scheduled to make remarks on the role the community plays in educating children.
"The strength of America's economy is inextricably linked to the strength of America's education system,'' Duncan said before beginning the bus tour.
The town hall topic will be "Promise Neighborhoods,'' which the Department of Education describes as "cradle-to-career initiatives that call on the entire community to provide comprehensive place-based supports such as high-quality early learning, rich after-school activities, health and wellness services, and crime prevention.''
Castle Park Middle School is one of four schools in Chula Vista who belong to the Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood, which received a federal grant last year of almost $5 million.
Breakout sessions will follow on a variety of topics.
