By Dave Lucas
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-921353.mp3
Latham, NY – U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan visited the headquarters of the New York State United Teacher's Union in Latham, New York. It was the second stop on the Northeast Leg of his "back to school tour" - Capital District Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.
Days after New York was awarded nearly 700-million dollars in federal "Race to the Top" money, Duncan heard from area school administrators from up and down the Hudson Valley - engaging in dialog that ran the gamut from student performance to teacher effectiveness. Duncan spoke to the attendees prior to a round table discussion where school officials shared their concerns on education.
The Secretary expressed concern over the dropout rate and the large number of students that leave school between grades 9 and 12. Duncan stated the need for better teacher evaluations, holding students themselves more accountable and challenging parents to take more active roles in their children's education. He believes a lot of problem students can be identified as early as kindergarten, and that their problems should be addressed BEFORE they fall behind classmates.
Following his Latham Appearance, Duncan boarded his bus for the short ride to Massachusetts, another regional "Race to the top" winning state.