By Steve Peoples

A member of the Obama cabinet is scheduled to visit Rhode Island Tuesday, part of an effort across 11 states to bring key Washington officials to local educational facilities during the president's "back to school" speech aimed at school children.

U.S. Secretary of Labor, Hilda L. Solis, joined by Sen. Jack Reed, will tour the Exeter Job Corps Academy, a residential youth development program that provides disadvantaged youth with education and training. Solis and Reed plan to join students watching Obama's national address from a Virginia high school, which will be broadcast on C-SPAN at noon.

The White House has dubbed the outreach effort "My Education, My Future." The president's plan to speak directly to students has drawn fire across the country from some conservatives who have threatened to keep their children out of school.