Press Release

Ed Trust CEO John King Jr., former U.S. Secretary of Education, to focus on the importance of collaboration to address education challenges at annual Mackinac Policy Conference

MACKINAC ISLAND, MICH. (May 31, 2018) – President and CEO of the Education Trust, John B. King Jr., will speak about the importance of working together in a broad, intersectional movement for educational excellence and equity in Michigan during a keynote address at the Mackinac Policy Conference. The address, “Is Michigan Prepared”, will take place at 2:45 PM today, in the theatre of The Grand Hotel. It will also be streamed live by Detroit Public Television.

“Policymakers at all levels, K-12 and higher ed leaders, civil rights and education advocates, the business community, philanthropists, and students and their families: all need to come together to address the serious challenges in our education system,” King said.

A longtime educator, King served as New York’s education commissioner before joining the U.S. Department of Education as assistant secretary in 2014. He served as U.S. Secretary of Education from 2016 through 2017.

The Mackinac Policy Conference is an annual gathering of approximately 2,000 business, government, nonprofit and philanthropic leaders convened by the Detroit Regional Chamber.

“We’ve seen a lot of attention and felt a great sense of urgency about the issues of education at this year’s conference,” according to Amber Arellano, executive director of the Education Trust-Midwest. “It is exciting to see such an intense focus on improving the quality of public education for all Michigan students at this conference. There is a growing recognition that overcoming our educational challenges will take visionary leadership from every sector.”

Detroit Public Television is streaming conference sessions live, including King’s keynote at 2:45 PM today.

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The Education Trust-Midwest is a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization dedicated to improving outcomes for all Michigan students, especially for African American, Latino, American Indian, and low-income students. The Education Trust-Midwest believes in the power of intelligent education policy and practices — informed by data, research, and the successes of other states — to make Michigan a top ten education state for all students.

www.edtrustmidwest.org/press