Education Minister Randy Horton has travelled to Washington, DC to attend the Global Summit on Education 2008 and hear about inclusive practices for disabled students.

The Minister announced at a press conference that he had received an invitation to the event from US Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling and would attend with Ministry of Education officials Wendy McDonnel and Lewellyn Simmons.

Mr. Horton said that though Bermuda had a dedicated school for disabled students — the Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy — and a policy of inclusion at other public schools, there was always room for improvement.

"One of the reasons that we are making this trip is that we will learn how to do more and the more we do the better it will be for our young people."

"I think whenever you go to conferences like this, what you look for is best practices that are taking place in other countries."

He told the media: "I have every expectation that the summit will... focus in on the need to provide a high quality of education for students with disabilities."

US Consul General Gregory Slayton said he was delighted that the Minister and his team would be representing Bermuda at the international summit. "There is nothing more important to the US and to Bermuda than educating our young people."