On Tuesday, Sept. 3rd, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona launched the 2024 Back to School Bus Tour from Sept. 3rd to Sept. 6th. The week-long, multi-state road trip showcased the many ways schools, families, and communities are doubling down on accelerating student achievement and raising the bar in public education with investments. The Back to School Bus Tour featured stops in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. The 2024 bus tour celebrated public education as the American system that opened the door for so many of our nation’s success stories: from astronauts to astrophysicists, writers to engineers, musicians to mathematicians, innovative entrepreneurs in the private sector to great leaders in the public sector. Secretary Cardona kicked off the tour in Wisconsin, where he uplifted the tools the Biden-Harris Administration has used — including accountability, grants, and technical assistance – to accelerate academic recovery, preserve and support native languages, and ensure high-quality public education in our underserved communities, including our rural and urban communities, for the whole child. On day two, Secretary Cardona continued in Wisconsin and then traveled to Illinois and Indiana where he highlighted the Administration’s efforts to promote the critical importance of regular student attendance in partnership with the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, expand Career and Technical Education for adult learners, and expand access to local community colleges.