(Washington, D.C.) The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is pleased to announce that U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be speaking at this year’s Annual Conference & Expo in Washington, D.C. Mr. Duncan will join Luis Hernandez, early childhood education specialist at Western Kentucky University. These distinguished names in the education field will discuss the essential need for investment in the earliest years.

Mr. Duncan will speak briefly on the Department of Education’s efforts to advance the Obama administration’s goals and initiatives for high-quality early childhood education, K-12 education reform, and lifelong learning.

“It is an honor to have these two influential men speak at our Annual Conference,” said Mark R. Ginsberg, Ph.D., executive director of NAEYC. “It is also a very exciting time to be holding our Annual Conference in Washington, DC and we hope our speakers remind everyone that more needs to be done to ensure investments are made in early learning. Investments in high-quality early childhood education have short and long-term positive results for children, communities and our nation’s economic recovery.”

Each year, more than 20,000 early childhood educators, administrators, and policy makers gather for the Annual Conference & Expo. The Conference, which will take place Nov. 18 -21 in Washington, D.C., is the world’s largest gathering of early childhood educators and widely recognized as one of the nation’s most valuable professional development opportunities.

Not only is the Conference an excellent networking event, but it also brings together the greatest minds in the field, the latest research, and an exhibit hall full of excellent materials and resources.

Prior to his appointment as secretary of education, Duncan served as the chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Schools from June 2001 through December 2008. Prior to joining the Chicago Public Schools, Duncan ran the non-profit education foundation Ariel Education Initiative (1992-1998), which helped fund a college education for a class of inner-city children under the I Have A Dream program.

Luis Hernandez is an early childhood education specialist working for the Training & Technical Assistance Service (T/TAS) at Western Kentucky University. T/TAS provides technical assistance and professional development training in all program content areas for the Head Start, Early Head Start, child care, and human services communities. He currently serves on the Board of the Parent Services Project in California, the Advisory Board of the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership, and the United Way's Center for Excellence in Early Childhood.

More information on NAEYC's Annual Conference & Expo can be found in the preliminary program.