GREEN BAY, WI – (WGBW & WISS) – U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona launched the 2024 Back to School Bus Tour in Green Bay on Tuesday morning. Secretary Cardona visited Jackson Elementary School. The tour then visited Oneida Elementary School in Oneida Nation where a multilingual program preserves native language and tribal culture.

Cordona said celebrating multiculturalism and bilingual education and their successes is important.

“We want to make sure all students learn English at very high levels, but having another language or maintaining their native language, prepares them for international (careers)…We know the benefits of bilingualism cognitively. The brain science is pretty clear,” Cardona said.

Fighting for Education

This year’s theme, Fighting for Public Education, highlights how school communities are using the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments in public education to support students of all ages and backgrounds.

“At the beginning of the school year – there’s there’s no feeling like it,” said Cardona. “That energy! There’s so much promise in that room. It’s a good reminder of why we’re fighting for what we’re fighting for and the Biden-Harris team. You know. Excellence in academics. Supports for mental health? Making sure students have highly qualified teachers, really fighting for public education…

“I’m a big proponent of choice, but, you know, we have got to make sure that these schools have the resources that they need for these kids, right here, to be successful.”

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona talks with a bilingual class at Jackson Elementary School in Green Bay to kick off the “Back to School Bus Tour” highlighting investments made by the Biden-Harris Administration in multicultural and bilingual education. Photo: Lisa M. Hale/Civic Media

The Back to School Bus Tour features stops in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Throughout the week, Secretary Cardona, Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, and Under Secretary James Kvaal will join national, state, and local school leaders to speak with students, parents, and educators for 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.

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