U.S. Department of Education
08/27/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/27/2026 07:38
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Visits Colorado on Returning Education to the States Tour
August 27, 2026
Denver, CO - Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Colorado on her Returning Education to the States Tour.
Secretary McMahon began her tour at Ascent Classical Academy, a K-12 public charter school serving nearly 1,000 students in Douglas County. The campus spotlights a content-rich classical education model that integrates the liberal arts and sciences with a foundational focus on civic responsibility and character development. She then visited the newly opened John Adams Academy in Sterling Ranch, a tuition-free public charter school that utilizes the Socratic method to cultivate virtue and servant leadership.
The tour concluded in Englewood at Teaching the Autism Community the Trades (TACT), a vocational school designed exclusively for young adults with autism. The program serves students ages 18 to 30, utilizing small classes and individualized career training to establish direct pathways from instruction into the workforce. TACT provides technical training in several distinct disciplines, including automotive technology, carpentry, welding, and STEM-related trades.
"Across Colorado, local educators are breaking the traditional mold by showing that real learning cannot be confined to a single, rigid template," said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. "It was remarkable to see how the distinct environments I visited today - whether focused on shaping character through the liberal arts or building direct pipelines for students with autism into the technical trades - are deliberately designed to help individual students succeed. By removing the federal bureaucracy in education, we can give every state the freedom to replicate and expand these community-driven success stories."
Background:
On her Returning Education to the States Tour, Secretary McMahon is traveling to all 50 states to hear directly from teachers, parents, and community leaders about what is working in their communities for their students and compile a toolkit of best practices to distribute to states.
Learn more about Secretary McMahon's Returning Education to the States Tour here.
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