What was the U.S. Education Secretary doing in Hazard Thursday?
To highlight the importance of millions of dollars in federal grants awarded Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited schools in Hazard.
Nationwide, $35 million was awarded for the Promise Neighborhoods and Project Prevent grant programs. More than $8 million will go to Kentucky, U.S. Department of Education officials announced in a news release.
In Hazard, Cardona was joined by Geoffrey Canada, President of Harlem Children’s Zone and Founder of William Julius Wilson Institute. They talked about the recent federal Department of Education grants that focus on efforts to support communities in addressing community violence and advancing birth-to-career support in high-needs communities.
“What I saw here today is an example that I want to spread across the country: how to use resources; how to come together,” Cardona said in a Kentucky Department of Education news release.
Cardona and Canada visited Roy G. Eversole Elementary School in Perry County to tour the early childhood education center and hear from parents and families about their experiences.
They also went to Perry County Central High School to learn more about the school’s efforts to increase student voices. Discussions at Hazard Community and Technical College focused on programs that serve children and young people from birth to career.
Kentucky Education Commissioner Jason E. Glass joined Cardona at Perry County Central to tour classes and discuss virtual-reality learning, health care education, and the U.S. Army JROTC program.
“To hear them lift up and be supportive of the work that’s here and think about how that can be replicated in other parts of rural Kentucky and across the country, that’s exciting,” Glass said in the state news release.
Cardona spoke to several students, parents, and educators about how Kentucky schools prepare students for future careers.
“That feeling that my kids are good, my kids are cared for, that was present in the classrooms and in the conversations with parents,” Cardona said. “Every parent wants the best for their child, and when the community comes together like they have here in Hazard, that’s possible.”
Partners for Rural Impact, based in Kentucky, is one of the newest grantees that received Promise Neighborhood funds.
Cardona talked about the importance of strong school-based, pre-kindergarten programs “that set students up for successful transitions to elementary school, secondary school, and beyond,” the U. S. Department of Education news release said.
“Promise Neighborhoods support students from cradle to career by those who know them the best — their families and communities,” Cardona in the release. “The awards announced today will help raise the bar for supporting our children and young people by investing in better learning conditions in their own communities so they can realize their incredible potential through education — and across our nation.”
This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 5:00 PM.