Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Missouri on her Returning Education to the States Tour .
Secretary McMahon began her visit at Gideon #37, a small, rural elementary school in southeast Missouri. There, she toured the campus facilities and participated in a rural workforce roundtable with local business leaders to discuss strengthening community-driven economic opportunities. She then traveled to the Cape Girardeau Career & Technology Center (Cape CTC) for a lunch prepared and served by culinary arts students, followed by a tour of the school’s hands-on instructional labs for its electrical, welding, automotive, and construction programs.
The tour concluded at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), where Secretary McMahon met with the leadership of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, participated in a Rural Health Roundtable focused on regional medical access, and sat down with Chancellor Andrew D. Martin to discuss the intersection of higher education and community development.
“Missouri is the 42nd state visited on my Returning Education to the States Tour, and what I saw here perfectly illustrates why local communities must drive educational decision-making,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “From the workforce roundtable at Gideon and the hands-on career training labs at Cape CTC to our regional development discussions at Washington University, Missouri educators are successfully designing localized pipelines that meet specific community needs. These collaborative local efforts reinforce our broader commitment to providing states with the flexibility and resources necessary to best serve their own students.”
Background:
On her Returning Education to the States Tour, Secretary McMahon is traveling to all 50 states to hear directly from teachers, parents, and community leaders about what is working in their communities for their students and compile a toolkit of best practices to distribute to states.
Learn more about Secretary McMahon’s Returning Education to the States Tour here .