U.S. Department of Education
In a major address at the Department of Education, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona laid out his vision for continued recovery through the pandemic and his priorities for broader investments in America’s education system to ensure all students can succeed and thrive. During the address, Secretary Cardona discussed key strategies the Department, schools, and colleges and universities must take to help students, educators, and school communities – from preschool through postsecondary education – continue to recover from the pandemic and address inequities that have long existed in our education system.
“Reopening schools—and keeping them open—while critical, is insufficient. Our hardest and most important work lies ahead,” said Secretary Cardona in the address. “Our students’ success is at stake. Not just the students we serve today, but for those who have yet to be born. Our task is not only to improve our education system from where it was before the pandemic, but also to take bolder action to elevate it to lead the world.”
During his remarks, Secretary Cardona underscored the work the Biden-Harris Administration has done to help nearly all schools reopen for in-person learning over the last year. When President Biden assumed office, just 46% of America’s schools were open full-time in person. Today, 96% are open. Because of the American Rescue Plan, guidance from the Department of Education and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expanded access to tests and testing resources, and the hard work of educators, families, district leaders, and school communities, America’s students have returned to classrooms across the country. And while the Department continues to focus on keeping schools open, it is also focused on strategies to help students make up for lost instructional time, access the mental health supports they need, invest in our educators, and make improvements in our education system to address inequities that existed long before the pandemic. Secretary Cardona laid out how the American Rescue Plan is supporting these efforts now, and how additional investments in our education system can make even greater improvements in our schools and communities. The Secretary also discussed strategies to improve America’s postsecondary education system, including creating stronger through-lines between P12 and higher education systems, making postsecondary education more affordable, and putting students and families first in all the Department of Education’s work.
Secretary Cardona laid out key actions in four priority areas that will guide the Department’s work over the coming months and years:
To view a transcript of Secretary Cardona’s remarks, visit https://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/priorities-speech
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