I don't think that makes any sense," Cardona said. "I don't think we need to be bringing students in just to test them. On the matter of whether schools should be expected to resume year-end standardized testing this spring - testing that DeVos initially paused at the beginning of the pandemic - Cardona suggested that, while he believes testing offers an important snapshot of student learning - or lost learning - he also understands that testing may not be realistic for many vulnerable kids who may still be learning at home with limited access to technology. We partnered with our public health experts in the state and created a system of communication that was regular and intentional," Cardona told lawmakers.Īlong those lines, he also committed, if confirmed, to working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide schools nationally with science-driven guidance, as well as increased surveillance testing for teachers and students, and urged that all educators, public and private, be prioritized for vaccination. When asked how his experience running Connecticut's reopening efforts would inform his national approach, Cardona underscored his reputation as a communicator. "We need schools to open safely and to stay open safely," Burr said.
On Biden's sense of urgency, there was bipartisan agreement. Meanwhile, President Biden is hoping Cardona can help him make good on his promise to get the majority of K-8 schools back in-session within his first 100 days.
And the stakes are, perhaps, higher than they have ever been for a potential secretary of education.Īcross the country, many large school districts, serving millions of children, remain closed, with fights between teachers, school leaders and families, over when and how to reopen, growing increasingly bitter. Richard Burr of North Carolina, calling him "eminently qualified" for the job and encouraging colleagues to support his nomination.įor many on the Senate education committee, and much of the country, today's hearing was their first time meeting Cardona, who is new to the national stage. Indeed, Cardona received a relatively warm welcome from most of the lawmakers, with the committee's ranking Republican, Sen. The hearing was a test of whether Republicans would unify to back Cardona's nomination - or reject him, much as Democrats denounced his predecessor, Betsy DeVos, four years ago, forcing then-Vice President Mike Pence to cast the tie-breaking vote in her favor. "In unity there is strength."Įducation Education Pick Miguel Cardona Is New To Washington - But Not To Classrooms "There is a saying in Spanish: En la unión está la fuerza," Cardona told the Senate committee. Cardona's parents moved from Puerto Rico, like many families in Meriden.
Throughout his career, Cardona has been a fierce advocate for kids in low-income families, students with disabilities and English language learners. Before that, he spent his entire career working for the public school system that helped raise him - as a fourth grade teacher, principal and assistant superintendent in the old factory town of Meriden, Conn. On Wednesday, he appeared before the committee considering his nomination to answer questions about a range of issues, from reopening schools during the pandemic to student loan debt forgiveness and school policies for transgender students.Ĭardona has served as Connecticut's education commissioner for the past year and a half, arguing forcefully that schools should reopen during the COVID-19 crisis to keep equity gaps from growing ever wider. As a parent, and as an educator, I have lived those challenges alongside millions of families."Ĭardona is President Biden's pick to be the next U.S. "For far too many of our students, this year has piled on crisis after crisis. "We're here today, in the midst of one of the most challenging school years in American history," Miguel Cardona said in opening remarks to the Senate education committee on Wednesday. President Biden's education secretary nominee, Miguel Cardona, appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday.Īnna Moneymaker/The New York Times via AP