Sam Gurwitt Photo
Miguel Cardona, President Biden’s pick for education secretary, shown at an Oct. 21 Hamden school mock presidential election.
Miguel Cardona — who has helped New Haven schools close the digital divide during the pandemic, while retreating from forcing the schools themselves to reopen — may soon steer education policy nationwide.
President-elect Joe Biden Tuesday chose Cardona, currently serving as Connecticut education commissioner, to serve as his U.S. secretary of education.
If confirmed by the Senate, Cardona, a public-school advocate championed by Latino advocates and someone who enjoyed a good working relationship with New Haven officials, would replace an advocate of publicly supported private schools who clashed with New Haven over civil rights.
Yesenia Rivera, president of New Haven’s Board of Education, celebrated the news.
“I am incredibly proud and honored to know him. He started out as an educator and has risen to the top with hard work, dedication and always putting children and families first. New Haven has a strong friend and ally in Washington,” Rivera texted between Zoom meetings on Tuesday.
Rivera said that her household has been buzzing with the news.
“His appointment is historic. and as someone who is of Puerto Rican decent I cannot be prouder. I truly believe he will continue to make us proud!” Rivera wrote.
Cardona grew up in Meriden. His parents were originally from Puerto Rico. Miguel enrolled in Meriden public schools without knowing English. He started his career as an elementary public school teacher and moved into principal, assistant superintendent and university professor positions before becoming the state education commissioner.
New Haven Public Schools Superintendent Iline Tracey said that Cardona’s experience, commitment to equity and personable approach will make him a good education secretary. Tracey said that she and the commissioner are on a texting basis and that he checks in regularly on how the superintendents are doing.
“I know him as a person who fights for equity and access for students. He has gone out on a limb, making sure that we have connectivity for our students and the technology for one-to-one access,” Tracey said.
Christopher Peak File Photo
Cardona, center, at a February state Board of Ed hearing that led to placing the Achievement First charter network on probation for failure to follow rules on disciplining students.
Under Cardona, the Connecticut State Department of Education helped New Haven Public Schools go from a district where 70 percent of students did not have a computer at home to a district where every student has their own laptop or tablet for their remote classes.
The transformation happened over the course of six months between March and September and is one of the most successful efforts to close the “digital divide” between students from different income levels in the nation.
Cardona also pressed New Haven charter schools to follow disciplinary rules that other public schools must follow. The state Board of Ed placed three Achievement First schools under a three-year probation this February as a result.
More controversial is Cardona’s role in the New Haven reopening debate. Initially, Cardona indicated that the state would decide whether local districts could reopen for virtual-only classes this fall. After protests from New Haven teachers, paraprofessionals and parents, he retreated from that position and said that the state would help districts with the resources they needed to reopen safely.
This decision faced criticism at the time from those like Tracey who wanted to finalize New Haven’s plans. Others, like Board of Education member Darnell Goldson, have since criticized the state for being too stingy with the resources New Haven needs to reopen in person.
However, both Tracey and Rivera said that they appreciate how he has worked to get New Haven those resources. And they appreciate that his years in different roles in public education give him a clear perspective on what needs to happen next.
“It’s going to be a big job. Compared to who is there now — to have a true educator in the position is one of the best things for the country,” Tracey said. “Betsy DeVos doesn’t know anything.”
Billionaire Devos, President Donald Trump’s current education secretary, has made her mark as an advocate of public support for private school and parochial schools. She dropped efforts to prevent discrimination against students of color. Instead, she tried to use her department to ban Connecticut transgender athletes from their school sports teams.
“[Cardona] has gone through the process. I think he understands what the education system looks like and should like. I think he would be more sympathetic. He has lived it,” Tracey said.
Tracey hopes that Cardona will ensure public schools get more funding.
“We’ve been shortchanged so many times,” she said.
Rivera added that she hopes his advocacy for bilingual education will continue in the nation’s top education office.
“In New Haven, we have more than 40 languages spoken at home, and on a national level I’m sure that number is far higher. I would hope addressing the needs of an increasingly diverse student population will be among his top policy priorities,” Rivera said.
Wow! What a wonderful pick! Congratulations Miguel!