U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is set to visit schools in Gary, Indianapolis and Hancock County on Friday as part of her “Rethink School” tour.
The goal for her back-to-school-focused trip is to highlight creative practices in education.
“There are so many new and exciting ways state-based education leaders and advocates are truly rethinking education,” DeVos said in a statement. “It is our goal with this tour to highlight what’s working. We want to encourage local education leaders to continue to be creative, to empower parents with options and to expand student-centered education opportunities.”
U.S. Department of Education spokeswoman Liz Hill said DeVos is planning to visit 21st Century Charter School from 11:30 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. CT in Gary, Hope Academy Recovery High School from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET in Indianapolis, and then she’s heading to Eastern Hancock High School for a pig roast and football game from 6:10 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET in Hancock County.
Hope Academy offers services for kids struggling with addiction and is one of about 30 recovery high schools across the country. Chalkbeat profiled the school last year.
Read: High schools for addicts face new challenges as students receive less treatment
DeVos has frequently held Indiana up as a model for education, particularly around choice-based school reform, such as charter schools and taxpayer-funded vouchers for private school tuition.
She also praised Indianapolis’ innovation schools and an intentionally diverse private school. Two former Indiana education officials also joined her team earlier this year.
DeVos also visited Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri.
Read more about DeVos and Indiana education here.