President of ABC Federation of Teachers to attend event which will discuss the $5B "Race to the Top" fund

Laura Rico, president of the ABC Federation of Teachers, in Southern California is one of about 125 invited educators who will attend a major event tomorrow at which President Obama and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will discuss the $5 billion "Race to the Top" fund which will provide competitive grants to states for projects to improve education quality and outcomes.

Rico will be available to discuss her experience at the event, thoughts on the fund, and the vital role teachers and their unions can play in education reforms.

The event is expected to end at approximately 2 p.m. Contact George Jackson at 202/393-4275 if you would like to connect with Rico immediately after the event at the U.S. Department of Education, or later in the afternoon at AFT headquarters--555 New Jersey Ave. N.W.

The AFT represents more than 1.4 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.