In a Jan. 27 speech, U.S. Education Secretary Dr. Miguel A. Cardona spoke in detail about his vision for education in America.
Here are some highlights from his speech:
• “First, we must make sure our students thrive during, and as we recover from, the pandemic. As I noted earlier, safely reopening schools is the baseline, but it’s not good enough. We must make up for lost time.”
• “Our schools must also embed mental health supports into their day-to-day operations in new and innovative ways. Every child must have access to a mental health professional — whether through their school or through a community-based organization — and districts should use [American Rescue Plan] funding now to hire these critical staff and create more partnerships.”
• “We can’t lose this moment — this chance for a reset in education — by going back to the same pre-pandemic strategies that did not address inequities for Latino, black and Native students; students from low-income backgrounds; students from rural communities; students with disabilities; students experiencing homelessness, and English learners.”
• “Let’s not just talk about honoring educators, let’s make sure they are treated with the respect and the dignity they deserve. This means a livable wage, ongoing professional learning and development, supportive working conditions and a work environment where their voices are welcome as critical partners in our work to improve education.”
• “We will continue to listen and engage partners in our work through intentional collaboration. This collaboration includes students, parents, families, educators and leaders across sectors — because we won’t be able to accomplish any of this if we try it alone. Through proactive webinars and meetings since March, we have listened to nearly 8,000 parents, thousands of educators, leaders and students, and my goals and actions today are driven by what we are hearing — it’s time to level up in education.”