First Lady Jill Biden and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona kicked off the first day of the Road to Success Back to School Bus Tour in the Triad Monday.
The first lady and secretary were joined by the school’s Chancellor Harold Martin and Congresswoman Kathy Manning on the A&T campus — the largest Historically Black College and University in the country — where they received a loud and festive welcome by the school’s cheerleaders.
It was the second stop on a week-long tour to celebrate teachers and underscore the administration’s commitment to them and their students following years of pandemic-related disruption. Biden stressed the importance of cultivating the next generation of educators, particularly teachers of color.
"Because our students of color deserve to have educators who look like them and who can understand their paths," says Biden. "Because to better serve all of our students, our classrooms need diverse perspectives and the chance to learn from teachers of every single background."
Guilford County Schools personnel data shows Black employees made up nearly 40% of all licensed resignations and roughly 70% of classified resignations since July.