Biden picks Cardona
Conn. schools chief nominated as U.S. secretary of education
It turned heads when Miguel Cardona became Connecticut’s commissioner of education at the age of 44.
Now at 45, he is President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to become the nation’s 12th U.S. secretary of education.
Cardona’s first assignment will likely be to help carry out Biden’s mission to reopen schools post-pandemic, a job the one-time fourthgrade Meriden public school teacher has been working at in Connecticut since March.
“In Miguel Cardona, America will have an experienced and dedicated public school teacher leading the way at the Department of Education,” Biden said in prepared remarks, “ensuring that every student is equipped to thrive in the economy of the future, that every educator has the resources they need to do their jobs with dignity and success, and that every school is on track to reopen safely.”
Biden, who made the announcement shortly before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Cardona will help his administration address systemic inequities, tackle the mental health crisis in our education system, give educators a well-deserved raise, ease the burden of education debt, and secure high-quality, universal pre-K for every 3- and 4-year-old in the country.
Having walked the walk as an educator, administrator, and public school parent, Cardona has a proven track record, Biden said, as an innovative leader who will fight for all students and for a better, fairer, more successful education system.
Cardona will be the first Latino to serve as the nation’s education secretary.
He started his career as a Meriden classroom teacher at the age of 23.
Those who have worked with him say he is up for the task.
“His knowledge will help public schools all over the country,” Allan Taylor, chairman of the Connecticut State Board of Education, said Tuesday. “He is a real educator.”
Cardona surfaced as one of the top contenders for the spot last week.
Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday said it was a loss for Connecticut but a big win for education around the country.
“He kept our schools open,” said Lamont, adding that was important to Biden.
Lamont called Cardona a superstar.
Soon after Biden became president-elect, many started offering suggestions on who should become the next education secretary. There seemed unanimous agreement that it had to be a teacher, or at least someone who understood the teaching profession at either the K-12 or higher education level.
In addition to aiding Biden’s plan to reopen schools as the nation works to get the COVID-19 pandemic under control, Cardona would also be expected to lead Biden’s promise to provide free college tuition to students and help narrow the achievement gap, which is no more prominent than it is in Connecticut.
As word of Cardona’s probable appointment became clearer, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal tweeted that the Connecticut commissioner was a champion for children with hands-on experience in the classroom and management.
“He believes in excellence
for every single student’s education,” Blumenthal tweeted.
On Tuesday, Blumenthal issued a statement calling the selection an inspiring message to Connecticut’s children, especially all who start school speaking another language: there is no limit to how far you can go as a leader.
Cardona grew up in a housing project and entered public school not speaking English.
Barbara Lopez, director of MakeTheRoad Connecticut, a group dedicated to supporting Latino immigrants, said she is overly excited to see what he will do in Washington.
“We are looking forward to see how he changes the narrative around education for all students,” Lopez said.
Cardona spent five years as a teacher before becoming a principal at age 28. In 2012 he was named Connecticut’s National Distinguished Principal.
Cardona earned a bachelor’s degree from Central
Connecticut State University, and his master’s degree in bilingual/bicultural education and his doctorate in education from the University of Connecticut. He was an assistant superintendent in Meriden when he was tapped as commissioner in the summer of 2019.
Mark Ojakian, the outgoing president of the Connecticut State College and University system, said he is thrilled for Cardona and expects him to focus equally on K-12 and higher education issues. Cardona held a seat on the state’s Board of Regents for Higher Education and two collaborated often.
“He understands challenges and what needs to happen to level the playing field,” said Ojakian, who regularly shot off angry letters to outgoing Secretary Betsy DeVos when she restricted how federal dollars could be spent.
Amy Dowell, the Connecticut state director for Democrats for Education Reform, said Cardona will bring the right touch with
him to Washington.
“It puts a spotlight on Connecticut in an important way,” Dowell said. “For the nation I think this is an important step toward equity to students. It sends a clear message the Biden administration chose someone who is a collaborator and has a focus on equity.”
Like Cardona, Dowell’s group says the best place for students to be right now is in the classroom, with the right safety precautions.
She also praised Cardona for making himself accessible to all types of groups across the state despite the pandemic.
“Him being able to keep his door open and work with parents and school leaders was important,” Dowell said. “I think he had the right touch.”
Cardona has spent the year leading the state’s response to educating students during a pandemic. It began last March with a full shutdown of in-person classes but developed into a mixture of in-person and at-home learning for most
students in the state. Under state guidance, school districts where encouraged to reopen if they followed a state-developed manual of safety guidelines that covered everything from how desks should face, to protocols to use when someone in a school tested positive for the virus.
Some 43 percent of school districts are open full time for students who want to attend. That was bolstered to a large extent by state and privately-funded laptops and connectivity for students who had no other way to access online learning.
Many teachers say the guidelines fall short and have steadfastly urged schools to increase safety measures.
Last week, when Cardona’s name was raised for the nation’s top education post, the response from education union leaders was measured. Most had just taken to the steps of the state Capitol, pressing for schools to close to inperson learning until, they said, it is safe.
On Tuesday, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and AFT Connecticut President Jan Hochadel issued a joint statement calling Cardona not just a proud product of public schools — but someone who has made strengthening them his life’s work.
“Dr. Cardona — a former AFT member — will transform the Education Department to help students thrive, a reversal of the DeVos disaster of the last four years,” Weingarten and Hochadel said. They said they expect Cardona will work to address inequities in education and give teachers a seat at the table in order to develop well-informed education policy.
Jeff Leake, president of the Connecticut Education Association, said in picking Cardona, Biden chose
someone who understands the federal role in increasing educational opportunities for all students, listens to teachers, and recognizes teachers are the greatest asset in public education.
“(Cardona) has always sought out diverse educator voices as experts and welcomed their experience and knowledge on many issues that impact educators and their students,” Leake said.
When Cardona took the gig as the chief educator in Connecticut, he vowed to help narrow the state’s achievement gap — The state had 527,829 students when he took the job. With the pandemic, that number has shrunk to 513,853. — and the funding gaps between school districts.
“I am passionate about ensuring that students can achieve equitable outcomes throughout the state regardless of ZIP code or skin color, which unfortunately often today still serve as a predictor of outcomes,” Cardona said during a 2019 interview.
Cardona said it didn’t matter that he bypassed the role of superintendent to become commissioner.
“I learned quickly that there is power in people,” he said of his efforts to involve staff in decisions.
At the time, Cardona admitted that as a teacher, he sometimes felt there was too much testing. And on charter schools, Cardona said it is important for parents to have choices.
“As a parent myself I want to make sure I have options for my children,” he said. His two teenage children attend public school in Meriden. So did he.
Cardona said he does want traditional public schools, magnet schools and charters to all abide by the same accountability measures. He also wants all schools to prepare students for college and a workforce that is changing.