Rahm Emanuel
WATER VALLEY — Former Chicago Mayor, U.S. Congressman, White House Chief of Staff and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel will visit Water Valley this week for a public town hall focused on the future of public education.
The Town Hall on the Future of Public Education is now scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hendrick Building, located at 102 South Main Street. The event was originally planned for Thursday night but was moved to avoid a scheduling conflict with the University of Mississippi’s Fiesta Bowl game.
Emanuel will be in Mississippi on Wednesday and Thursday, with his visit coming amid renewed national concern over declining reading and math scores and continued attention on what has become known as the “Mississippi Miracle” in literacy improvement.
“I think we’re in a serious world of hurt nationally when it comes to education,” Emanuel said during a recent phone interview. “For 30 years, reading and math scores have shown real pain across the country.”
Emanuel said Mississippi stands out for moving in the opposite direction.
“Over the last decade, Mississippi has gone against the current, especially on reading,” he said. “People call it the Mississippi Miracle. I want to see firsthand what it’s made of and talk directly with the people implementing it.”
The town hall is open to the public, and Emanuel said his goal is to listen as much as to speak.
