Miguel Angel Cardona (born July 11, 1975) is an American educator and is currently serving as the 12th

United States Secretary of Education The United States secretary of education is the head of the United States Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on ...

under

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Joe Biden since 2021. A member of the

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, he was confirmed by the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

by a vote of 64–33 on March 1, 2021. Cardona previously served as commissioner of the

Connecticut State Department of Education The Connecticut State Department of Education is a branch of the state government of Connecticut in the United States. The agency is headquartered at 450 Columbus Boulevard in Hartford.Meriden, Connecticut Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850.Meriden, Connecticut Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850.Puerto Rican parents. Cardona grew up speaking Spanish as his

first language A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...

and struggled to learn English when starting

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

. He was raised in a

housing project Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authorities, government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the d ...

in Meriden and graduated from the H.C. Wilcox Technical High School, where he was a part of the automotive studies program. Cardona earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education from

Central Connecticut State University Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut ...

in 1997. He obtained a Master of Science in bilingual and bicultural education at

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

(UConn) in 2001. In 2004, he completed a professional sixth year certification at UConn where he earned a

Doctor of Education The Doctor of Education (Ed.D. or D.Ed.; Latin ''Educationis Doctor'' or ''Doctor Educationis'') is (depending on region and university) a research or professional doctoral degree that focuses on the field of education. It prepares the holder for a ...

in 2011. Cardona's dissertation, entitled ''Sharpening the Focus of Political Will to Address Achievement Disparities'', studied the gaps between

English-language learner English-Language Learner (often abbreviated as ELL) is a term used in some English-speaking countries such as the US and Canada to describe a person who is learning the English language and has a native language that is not English. Some educatio ...

s and their classmates. His doctoral major advisor was Barry G. Sheckley and his associate advisor was Casey D. Cobb.

Career

Cardona began his career as a fourth-grade teacher at Israel Putnam Elementary School in

Meriden, Connecticut Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850.principal in the state's history for ten years. From 2015 to 2019, Cardona served as Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning in his home town. Cardona was also an adjunct professor of education in the University of Connecticut's Department of Educational Leadership. During his career, he has focused on closing gaps between English-language learners and their peers. In August 2019, Governor

Ned Lamont Edward Miner Lamont Jr. (born January 3, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 89th governor of Connecticut. He has served in this position since January 9, 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a Greenwi ...

appointed Cardona as Commissioner of Education; Cardona was the first Latino to hold the position.

Secretary of Education

In December 2020, Cardona emerged as a candidate for

Joe Biden's cabinet Joe Biden assumed office as President of the United States on January 20, 2021. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet of the United States, Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointment ...

. Biden began to lean toward Cardona over two other "high-profile" teachers' union leaders, Lily Eskelsen García and

Randi Weingarten Randi Weingarten (born December 18, 1957)''Who's Who in America'', 2007. is an American labor leader, attorney, and educator. She is president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and a member of the AFL–CIO. She is the former presiden ...

. By choosing Cardona over the two, Biden "appeared to have sidestepped any sibling rivalry between the NEA and AFT". P20210805CS-0453 (51478523057)

Cardona was brought to the attention of Biden by

Linda Darling-Hammond Linda Darling-Hammond (December 21, 1951) is an American academic who is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. She was also the President and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute. She ...

, the leader of the transition's Education Secretary search efforts, a role she also filled for

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

in 2008. Darling-Hammond and Cardona had worked together on numerous projects. ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...

'' noted that "

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

lawmakers are stressing in particular the need for a Latina to join the administration." Cardona appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on February 3, 2021. On February 25, his nomination was advanced by the Senate on a

cloture Cloture (, also ), closure or, informally, a guillotine, is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. ...

vote of 66–32. Cardona was confirmed on March 1, 2021 by a 64–33 vote. Cardona took his oath of office on March 1, 2021 and was ceremonially sworn in by Vice President

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...

on March 2, 2021. In 2021, Cardona solicited a letter from the

National School Boards Association The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is a nonprofit educational organization operating as a federation of state associations of school boards across the United States. Founded in 1940, NSBA represents state school boards associations an ...

to the

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asking for federal assistance with what the letter called a "growing number of threats of violence and acts of intimidation." The letter cited examples in several states and listed federal statutes under which assistance could be provided, including "the

PATRIOT Act The USA PATRIOT Act (commonly known as the Patriot Act) was a landmark Act of the United States Congress, signed into law by President George W. Bush. The formal name of the statute is the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropr ...

in regards to

domestic terrorism Domestic terrorism or homegrown terrorism is a form of terrorism in which victims "within a country are targeted by a perpetrator with the same citizenship" as the victims.Gary M. Jackson, ''Predicting Malicious Behavior: Tools and Techniques ...

." Several

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

elected officials criticized the letter's reference to domestic terrorism and called for Cardona to resign.

Personal life

In 2002, Cardona married Marissa Pérez, a family-school liaison. Pérez was named

Miss Connecticut The Miss Connecticut competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Connecticut in the Miss America pageant. Connecticut has won the Miss America crown once (Marian Bergeron, 1933), and is the only New England st ...

in 2001 and

Miss Connecticut Teen USA The Miss Connecticut Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Connecticut in the Miss Teen USA pageant. The state pageant directors are: *Crown Productions from 2003 to 2008 *Sanders & Associates, I ...

in 1996. Cardona and his wife have two children: a son, Miguel, Jr., and a daughter, Celine. Cardona is

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

References

External links

Biography
at the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cardona, Miguel Angel 1975 births 21st-century American educators American politicians of Puerto Rican descent Biden administration cabinet members Central Connecticut State University alumni Connecticut State Board of Education members Hispanic and Latino American members of the Cabinet of the United States Hispanic and Latino American teachers Living people People from Meriden, Connecticut Schoolteachers from Connecticut State cabinet secretaries of Connecticut United States Secretaries of Education University of Connecticut alumni Puerto Rican Catholics