On Monday, Sept. 12, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will launch the Road to Success Back to School Bus Tour alongside First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff. The week-long, multi-state road trip will showcase the many ways school communities are helping students recover and thrive – putting them on the road to success. During the trip, the secretary be joined by First Lady Biden, Second Gentleman Emhoff, Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, Under Secretary James Kvaal, and local students, families, and educators

First Lady Biden and Secretary Cardona will kick-off the tour in Tennessee with a visit highlighting ways states and districts are recruiting and preparing qualified educators into the classroom. The First Lady will join Secretary Cardona for the first two stops within the tour.

Later in the week, Second Gentleman Emhoff will join Secretary Cardona in Pennsylvania with visits that highlight how community schools are helping students recover academically and get the mental health supports they need, celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, and raise awareness about the Administration’s actions to provide debt relief to millions, including teachers and administrators through Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Throughout the week, Secretary Cardona, Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, Undersecretary James Kvaal, and local school leaders will join students, parents, and educators for additional events that celebrate the back-to-school season and underscore the Administration’s commitment to helping students recover from the impacts of the pandemic and continue on the road to success. As part of the Road to Success Bus Tour, Administration leaders will highlight academic and mental health programs and efforts to recruit and support educators funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP), which provided historic resources to K-12 schools, colleges, and universities to reopen schools and help students of all ages recover.

The Road to Success Bus Tour will feature stops in Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

“It’s a great feeling to see yellow school buses drive around our communities with excited children who are ready to thrive in this new school year. I am thrilled to be traveling across the eastern states and highlighting innovative ways local, state, and federal efforts are helping students recover and succeed in and out of the classroom,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “This year will be one of the most important ever, as we not only work to catch students up, but put them in a position to do even better than where they were before March 2020.”

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.

To RSVP for stops on the tour, please email [email protected]. Follow the bus tour on social media at #RoadToSuccess.

DAY 3:
EVENT 2: Early Childhood Education
WHEN: Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 14
WHERE: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
NOTE: With special guest Daniel Tiger.

DAY 4:
EVENT 1: Meeting Students’ Basic Needs in Higher Education
WHEN: Thursday morning, Sept. 15
WHERE: Reading, Pennsylvania
NOTE: With special guest Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff

EVENT 2: Community Schools Providing Wraparound Support to Students
WHEN: Thursday afternoon, Sept. 15
WHERE: Allentown, Pennsylvania
NOTE: With special guest Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff

EVENT 3: President Biden’s Debt Forgiveness Plan and Public Service Loan Forgiveness
WHEN: Thursday evening, Sept. 15
WHERE: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NOTE: With special guest Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff