Monday, the mayor is scheduled to speak about his education strategy at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.
/*Villaraigosa*/ will discuss the need for unions to be more flexible, the achievement gap between races and ethnicities, and the lack of funding for public education.
Although the mayor of Los Angeles has no formal role in education, Villaraigosa has made education one of his priorities since taking office in 2005.
His goals include changing low-performing schools, giving parents a greater voice in their children's education, building partnerships and creating high-performing schools.
The mayor will be in Washington through Wednesday. He plans to hold close to 20 meetings while in Washington.
City News Service contributed to this story.
