Principal Jennifer Hutchison, 4th-grade student Maya Griffin and 5th-grade student Mary Wilson greet U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Tony Miller at Picadome Elementary School (Fayette County) as part of the 2012 2012 Education Drives America back-to-school bus tour. Photo by Amy Wallot, Sept. Sept. 20, 2012

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Tony Miller spent time in Lexington last week as part of a national tour aimed at highlighting  notable school programs.

Miller visited Picadome Elementary School, where he watched a Japanese language class and praised the Fayette County Schools for offering Spanish, Chinese and Japanese instruction in all grades.

The visit was part of the 2012 Education Drives America back-to-school bus tour, in which U.S. Education Department officials crossed the nation by bus to see successful school initiatives, and gather input from local educational leaders.

During his visit, Miller joined a roundtable discussion on world language education with Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday, Fayette County educators, students, business leaders and representatives from the University of Kentucky and Transylvania University.