In a forum on education reform at the local level, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a discussion entitled, "Education Now: Cities at the Forefront of Reform.”
The mayors' superintendents, Dennis Walcott, John Deasy and Jean-Claude Brizard, also participated.
The discussion centered on early childhood education, afterschool programs, U.S. education competitiveness and higher education.
School districts in these three cities serve a total of nearly 2.5 million students. Statistics show that 77% of those students are poor and 88% are minorities.
Andrea Mitchell, host of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” moderated.