In this interview with PDK International CEO Dr. James Lane, we ask Secretary Cardona to reflect back upon his tenure at the Department of Education and what advice he has for the next Secretary of Education.

An interview tied to this conversation will appear in the March edition of Kappan.

Secretary Miguel Cardona was nominated by President Joe Biden and sworn into office as the 12th United States Secretary of Education on March 2, 2021. 

At the beginning of his tenure, Secretary Cardona led the nation’s efforts to safely reopen schools and within nine months, the percentage of schools open went from 45 to nearly 100 percent. He oversaw the distribution of historic $170 billion in federal education funding for PreK to 12 schools and colleges; worked to increase higher education access, affordability, and student success; and led unprecedented federal efforts to transform the country’s student loan system. 

Secretary Cardona continues to highlight the urgency of seizing this moment through intentional collaboration—particularly working in partnership with parents, families, students, and educators—and the opportunity we have, as a nation, not only recovering from the pandemic, but reimagining a higher-performing and more equitable education system that works better for all. 

The four pillars of his educational agenda, Raise the Bar, were: Academic Recovery and Excellence, Improving Conditions for Educators and Mental Health, Global Competitiveness through Career Pathways and Multilingualism, and College Affordability and Accessibility.