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 U.S. Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on policies, programs, and activities re ...
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 ...
Joe Biden since 2021. A member of the
Democratic Party, he was confirmed by the
U.S. Senate by a vote of 64–33 on March 1, 2021. Cardona previously served as commissioner of the
Connecticut State Department of Education from 2019 to 2021.
A native of
Meriden, Connecticut
Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven and Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850. , Cardona began his career as a fourth-grade teacher at Israel Putnam Elementary School in Meriden. In 2003, at the age of 27, he was named principal of Meriden's Hanover School, making him the youngest principal in the state.
Early life and education
Cardona was born on July 11, 1975, in
Meriden, Connecticut
Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven and Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850. , to
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 to ...
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 Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
.
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 authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, 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 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 H ...
(UConn) in 2001. In 2004, he completed a professional
sixth year certification at UConn where he earned a
Doctor of Education in 2011.
Cardona's dissertation, entitled ''Sharpening the Focus of Political Will to Address Achievement Disparities'', studied the gaps between
English-language learners 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 and Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850. . In 2003, at Hanover Elementary School, he was promoted and made the youngest
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 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
United States Secretary of Education
The United States secretary of education is the head of the U.S. Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on policies, programs, and activities re ...
in
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 to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United State ...
. Biden began to lean toward Cardona over two other "high-profile" teachers' union leaders,
Lily Eskelsen García
Lily Eskelsen García (née Pace; born May 1, 1955) is an American teacher and labor union leader. As president of the 3 million-member National Education Association, she led the largest union in the United States from 2014 to 2020.
Early life a ...
and
Randi Weingarten. By choosing Cardona over the two, Biden "appeared to have sidestepped any sibling rivalry between the
NEA and
AFT
"Aft", in nautical terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning towards the stern (rear) of the ship, aircraft or spacecraft, when the frame of reference is within the ship, headed at the fore. For example, "Able Seaman Smith; lie aft!" or "Wh ...
".
Cardona was brought to the attention of Biden by
Linda Darling-Hammond, 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 (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
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, 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 viceroyalties for ...
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 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 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 a ...
to the
U.S. Department of Justice 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 Appro ...
in regards to
domestic terrorism." Several
Republican 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 in 2001 and
Miss Connecticut Teen USA 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
Biographyat 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 Departmen ...
*
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{{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