U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was at Sequoia High School in Redwood City today to kick off a back-to-school bus tour highlighting the challenges the nation's education system is facing.

The "Education Drives America" bus tour will take Duncan from Silicon Valley to Washington, D.C. Along the way, he will make stops to talk with students and educators about technology, scholastic achievement gaps and college affordability.

This morning, Duncan watched a music video produced by Sequoia High students titled "Promise of Tomorrow" before hosting a panel discussion featuring Salman Khan, educator and founder of Kahn Academy, an online education platform that offers more than 3,000 free educational videos.

Before boarding the Education Drives America bus and heading out to his next stop in Las Vegas, Nev., Duncan praised Sequoia High School for its academic improvement, its graduation rate and high percentage of college-bound graduates.

"It's no coincidence that we started here," Duncan said. "This is an amazing school."

- Bay City News

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