White House hosts first-ever national youth summit

Hundreds of high-achieving students from across the nation will get a chance to see some of Washington D.C.'s historic monuments thanks to the nation's first-ever youth summit. The White House announced plans to host the summit as part of President Barack Obama's resolution to have the United States lead the world in college completion by the year 2020.

The summit is based off the culmination of information culled at the National Youth Listening Tour that the U.S. Department of Education took part in from July to November of last year. More than 1,800 students took part in the tour along with some 40 youth-centered organizations. According to a press release announcing the summit, the event "is organized around the tour’s five most common themes: effective teaching, college information gaps, parental involvement, community mentors and school climate and discipline."

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says the summit allows some of the nation's top students to come together to potentially help improve the educational accomplishments of students across the country overall.

“When students go on to college or career, they’re competing with students in China, India and all over the world,” said Duncan. “In order to best prepare students, we need to know that we’re making every effort to meet their needs in achieving a world-class education. The National Youth Summit brings together students who have taken responsibility for their education, acted as leaders in their schools and communities, and who can provide the best insight and feedback on what they need to be successful in the future.”

Some of the organizations involved with the first National Youth Summit include: the Abbott Leadership Institute, Adobe Youth Voices, the Children’s Defense Fund, Elev8, the Boy and Girl Scouts of the USA, the Mikva Challenge Education Council, the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, the National Association of State Boards of Education, the National Council of La Raza, the National Parent Teacher Association, National Urban League, Rock the Vote, Save the Children, and many others. View additional information on the Voices In Action: National Youth Summit.