U.S. education secretary promises hope and help in visit with Twin Cities youths

Sitting around a table with the country’s top education official, a White House adviser, and the mayor of Minneapolis, young people of color from around the Twin Cities spoke frankly on Friday about their worries and hopes.

They told stories about dealing with crime and drug addiction, shared concerns about interacting with police and wondered why it sometimes seems that their schools don’t offer the same classes and opportunities offered to their peers in other parts of their cities. The officials — on a brief tour of “listening sessions” that included a stop at the St. Paul school where police shooting victim Philando Castile had worked — promised that they were listening and ready to take action.

The two meetings featuring U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr., presidential special assistant Michael Smith, Mayor Betsy Hodges and other officials, were not open to reporters. But in a news conference following the events, the officials said the conversations had been meaningful and helpful as Minneapolis and St. Paul embark on efforts to work more closely with young people of color.

http://www.startribune.com/u-s-education-secretary-promises-hope-and-help-in-visit-with-twin-cities-youths/387994862/