This is historical material “frozen in time”. The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.

Connecting with Education Sites

June 19, 2012 at 2:47 PM ET by Ari Isaacman Astles

Summary:

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joins administration officials for an online summit focused on the Obama Administration’s policies including early learning, K-12, STEM, and college affordability

This morning, reporters and editors of sites that reach parents, students, and educators across the country attended the first ever White House Online Summit on Education.

Attendees at today's event began with a briefing and question and answer session with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who spoke about a range of topics, from early learning to higher education. Secretary Duncan echoed President Obama's message that higher education can’t be a luxury – it’s an economic imperative that every American family should be able to afford.

Watch Secretary Arne Duncan's remarks here:

Following Secretary Duncan's session, Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President for Education Policy, led a series of briefings with other senior officials. The attendees discussed early learning with Miriam Calderon, a Senior Advisor in the White House Domestic Policy Council, K-12 Education with Steve Robinson, a Special Assistant in the White House Domestic Policy Council, Science, Technology, Math, and Education (STEM) with Kumar Garg, a Senior Advisor in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and College Affordability with Michael Dannenberg, a Senior Advisor at the Department of Education.

White House Online Summit on Education Briefing

Roberto Rodriguez, Miriam Calderon, and Massie Ritsch participate in the White House Online Summit on Education, June 19, 2012. (by Joey Deveaux) June 19, 2012. (by Joey Deveaux)

Finally, participants engaged in a conversation about how the White House can better collaborate with online media with Macon Phillips, Director of the White House Office of Digital Strategy, Jon Carson, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, Kori Schulman, Director of Online Engagement in the White House Office of Digital Strategy, Massie Ritsch, Deputy Assistant Secretary for External Affairs and Outreach at the Department of Education, and Cameron Brenchley, Director of Digital Engagement at the Department of Education.

The summit was part of an ongoing series aimed to reach out to online communities. The White House hosted personal finance sites in April and also last year. Additional discussions have included African-American and Latino-focused online publishers, as well as editors of prominent women's sites.

Thanks to everyone who attended today’s event: