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u.s. news Diaranson 23 December 2020

Biden picks Connecticut schools chief as education secretary

(AP) - President-elect Joe
Biden has chosen Miguel
Cardona, the education
commissioner for Con-
necticut and a former
public school teacher, to
serve as education secre-
tary.
Cardona was appointed to the
top education post in Con-
necticut just months before
the COVID-19 pandemic
broke out in March. When
schools moved to remote
learning, he hurried to deliv-
er more than 100,000 laptops
to students across the state.
Since then, however, he has
increasingly pressed schools
to reopen, saying it’s harmful
to keep students at home.
If confirmed, his first task
will be to expand that effort
across the nation. Biden has
pledged to have a majority
of U.S. schools reopened by
the end of his first 100 days
in office. Biden is promis-
ing new federal guidelines
on school opening decisions,
and a “large-scale” Education state before working his way ers, he said the pandemic dona told state lawmakers rooms.”
Department effort to identify up to assistant superinten- has “further exacerbated gaps in October. “There is no Beyond the pandemic,
and share the best ways to dent of the district. in achievement. You are the replacement for that experi- Biden’s education secre-
teach during a pandemic. As an educator, he has de- lieutenants in that battle to ence in the classroom with a tary will also be tasked with
Biden’s choice of Cardona, voted his work to improv- close those gaps.” teacher.” reversing an array of poli-
yet to be announced, was ing education for English- Those concerns drove his His position has sometimes cies established by DeVos.
confirmed by three people language learners and closing work with Democratic Gov. put him at odds with teachers Throughout his campaign,
familiar with his decision but achievement gaps between Ned Lamont to provide com- unions, which have called for Biden depicted DeVos as an
not authorized to discuss it students of color and their puters and wireless internet school buildings to be closed enemy of public schools and
publicly. white classmates. Both issues devices to students across until safety measures are met, vowed to install an education
The pick drew praise from have been perennial struggles the state. In December, Con- and also with some parents chief with experience work-
public school advocates and in Connecticut, which for necticut said it had become who say schools should be ing in public schools.
teachers unions. Randi We- decades has had among the the first state to distribute ordered to open. Cardona has He vowed to revoke Trump
ingarten, president of the widest achievement gaps in laptops to every student who sought to balance their inter- administration policies in-
American Federation of the nation. needed one. ests by pressing for reopening cluding DeVos’ recent rules
Teachers, called Cardona a Cardona’s doctoral disser- But that isn’t enough, Car- without mandating it. on the handling of campus
“trusted partner” who will tation at the University of dona has said. He recently Despite their occasional con- sexual assault.
reverse four years of “disas- Connecticut examined how drew attention to new state flict with him, a coalition Biden’s education plans also
ter” under Education Secre- to boost the “political will” data showing that students of Connecticut education include measures that align
tary Betsy DeVos. to close gaps between student who are learning online have unions previously supported with Cardona’s interests.
“His deep respect for edu- who are learning English and missed twice as many days his candidacy as Biden’s edu- The Democrat has pledged
cators and their unions will their peers. It’s a personal is- of class as those attending cation secretary. In a Dec. 18 to triple federal Title I fund-
travel with him to Washing- sue for Cardona, whose par- school in-person. The data statement, the coalition said ing for the neediest schools to
ton — and that commitment ents moved to Connecticut also showed that students Cardona has been tested by ensure that “no child’s future
to collaboration is crucial to from Puerto Rico and who with high needs, including the pandemic and “would is determined by their zip
providing the resources and has said he entered kinder- those learning English, are be a positive force for public code, parents’ income, race
social and emotional supports garten only speaking Spanish far more likely to be consid- education.” or disability.” Biden is also
to safely reopen schools,” and struggled to learn Eng- ered chronically absent this “While this challenge has proposing free preschool and
Weingarten said. lish. school year. been a rocky road — and policies meant to make the
School choice advocates ex- He was chosen to help lead Over the summer, when many issues remain unre- nation’s schools and teaching
pressed relief that Biden a 2011 state task force that schools were crafting plans solved — teachers and school force more diverse.
passed over contenders with studied how to close learn- to reopen, Cardona urged all support staff have appreciat- In December, Connecticut
stronger ties to teachers ing gaps in Connecticut and schools to provide in-person ed his openness and collabo- said it had become the first
unions, and some were hope- issued dozens of recommen- instruction to all students. ration,” the group wrote. state requiring high schools
ful that Cardona will support dations. In an update on the Recent state data show that Cardona was also backed by to provide courses on Black
charter schools and other op- work in February, Cardona few students learned entirely the Congressional Hispanic and Latino studies. Cardona
tions beyond traditional pub- said the state’s gaps have in-person in October and Caucus, which has pressed praised the measure, saying
lic schools. been closing but not quickly November. But even as virus Biden to appoint more Lati- that “identities matter.”
Cardona, 45, was raised in enough. At the current rate cases climbed in the fall, Car- nos to Cabinet positions. In “The fact is that more inclu-
a housing project in Mer- of progress, he said, it would dona pushed more schools to a letter to Biden this month, sive, culturally relevant con-
iden, Connecticut, and went take until 2060 to erase dis- reopen, saying there was no the group cited Cardona’s ac- tent in classrooms leads to
through the city’s public parities. evidence of transmission in complishments and said he greater student engagement
schools before returning to The pandemic has only schools. “fully grasps the challenges and better outcomes for all,”
work as a fourth-grade teach- heightened his concerns “Our position has always that English as Second Lan- he said in a statement.
er in the district in 1998. At about education inequity. In been when you can get stu- guage (ESL) Learners, Lati- Cardona and his wife, Maris-
age 28 he had become the a September video message dents into the classroom, nos, and other minority stu- sa Pérez Cardona, have two
youngest principal in the to special education teach- that’s the best option,” Car- dents face in America’s class- children.