Education Secretary Arne Duncan is to be joined by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing at a forum that's part of the cabinet member's back-to-school bus tour.

The second annual "Education and the Economy" tour is scheduled to take Duncan to the Charles H. Wright Academy of Arts and Science in Detroit on Thursday. The leaders are to discuss new steps designed to turn around low-performing schools.

Duncan then is to travel to the University of Michigan's School of Education in Ann Arbor to talk about excellence in classrooms and improving access to college.

Duncan's bus tour began Wednesday in Pennsylvania and includes stops in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois. He's promoting the work of American educators in preparing American students for futures in a global economy.