Educators for Excellence Reacts to the Nomination of Dr. Miguel Cardona as Secretary of Education

December 22 (New York) — Educators for Excellence, a teacher-led organization that seeks to elevate the voices of teachers in education policy, today congratulated Miguel A. Cardona on his likely nomination as the United States secretary of education.  

“Dr. Cardona faces a tremendous challenge in planning a return to in-person classes and helping students recover from learning loss, but having seen his efforts as commissioner of education first-hand, I am confident he is up to the task,” said E4E-Connecticut member Ryan Brown, 7th grade math teacher at Read School in Bridgeport. “Dr. Cardona knows that we need to get students back into classrooms safely. As a teacher, I am looking forward to a secretary of education who grounds their decisions in science and in their classroom experience and who prioritizes equity in all of the decisions they make. To meet this moment, we need quick, innovative and decisive action to begin to close the growing opportunity gaps and to meet the needs of all learners. I know Dr. Cardona is the right person for this critically important job.” 

“On behalf of E4E, our nearly 35,000 members and our entire team, I would like to congratulate Dr. Miguel Cardona on his appointment as education secretary,” said Evan Stone Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Educators for Excellence. “Having had the privilege to work with Dr. Cardona and observe his leadership in Connecticut, I know that he shares a deep commitment to increasing equity and excellence in education. During his time in Connecticut, he has focused on closing opportunity gaps and worked to build and retain a talented and diverse teacher workforce. As secretary of education, I urge Dr. Cardona to use every tool available to continue this work to improve student learning and to increase diversity in the teacher workforce by investing in programs to recruit and retain teachers from underrepresented communities, increase teacher pay, and ensure teachers of color are not disproportionately impacted by coronavirus-related layoffs.”

“To be frank, teacher relationships with the Department of Education have frayed over the past four years under Secretary DeVos. Dr. Cardona is an experienced public school teacher and leader, and has demonstrated a willingness to work closely with teachers to ensure they have a leading voice in policies that impact our classrooms.” 

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