Miguel Cardona Reflects on Education Legacy Amid Challenges

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Miguel Cardona Reflects on Education Legacy Amid Challenges \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ In his final days as education secretary, Miguel Cardona highlighted efforts to bolster school resources and protect student rights while navigating partisan tensions. Cardona focused on mental health, teacher pipelines, and student loan reforms but faced setbacks from conservative resistance and court rulings. Despite challenges, he expressed optimism for the future of education, urging resilience among educators.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona’s Tenure: Quick Looks

Key Priorities: Focused on mental health, teacher recruitment, summer school, and social work expansions in schools.
COVID Recovery: Helped schools reopen post-pandemic with federal aid but faced criticism over delays and ongoing academic struggles.
LGBTQ+ Protections: Expanded Title IX to safeguard LGBTQ+ students but saw parts struck down in court.
Republican Opposition: Avoided prolonged “culture war” conflicts, dismissing GOP-led education policies as distractions.
Student Loan Impact: Canceled loans for 5 million borrowers, reformed repayment plans, and increased Pell Grants.
FAFSA Glitches: Navigated a rocky overhaul of the federal financial aid system but defended overall progress.
Legacy of Optimism: Encouraged educators to continue shaping the future despite political headwinds.

Deep Look

As Miguel Cardona steps down as education secretary, his tenure represents a critical chapter in U.S. education, defined by post-pandemic recovery, landmark student protections, and the ongoing culture wars. Cardona’s approach emphasized resources over rhetoric, focusing on tangible improvements in schools while resisting conservative-led battles over classroom policies.

In this deep dive, we explore his achievements, challenges, and the lasting impact of his leadership.

Leading Through COVID-19 Recovery

Cardona’s appointment came at a pivotal moment in U.S. education. Schools were grappling with closures, learning losses, and mental health crises stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Cardona spearheaded efforts to reopen schools safely, leveraging federal aid to accelerate recovery.

Key achievements during this period included:

Federal Funding for Schools: The Biden administration allocated historic levels of funding, allowing schools to expand summer programs, hire 16,000 mental health professionals, and address academic shortfalls.
Reopening Schools: Cardona worked with state and local leaders to reopen schools, balancing safety protocols with the urgency of resuming in-person learning.
Mental Health Prioritization: Recognizing the toll of the pandemic, Cardona emphasized mental health, helping schools hire more counselors, social workers, and psychologists than at any other time in U.S. history.

Despite these successes, critics contend that the reopening process was too slow, contributing to prolonged learning gaps and exacerbating youth mental health challenges.

Navigating Partisan Education Battles

Throughout his tenure, Cardona sought to distance himself from the divisive “culture wars” led by Republican states. These battles focused on restricting discussions of race, gender, and sexuality in classrooms while banning transgender athletes in school sports.

Cardona often dismissed these efforts as political theater.
“I’m not going to get distracted by culture wars,” he said. “It’s nonsense, and I think the people that spew it, they make a fool of themselves.”

However, he did not ignore these issues entirely. Under his leadership, the Education Department:

Investigated civil rights violations, particularly in cases of alleged discrimination against LGBTQ+ students.
Expanded Title IX protections to include gender identity and sexual orientation, a move heralded as groundbreaking for LGBTQ+ rights.

Despite these efforts, Cardona faced significant resistance. Republican-led states challenged his Title IX expansion, leading to a federal judge striking down parts of the policy. Additionally, GOP governors ignored federal calls to prioritize diversity and inclusion, reflecting the limits of federal authority in state-level education policy.

Historic Student Loan Reforms

Cardona played a central role in advancing the Biden administration’s student loan policies, achieving significant milestones while grappling with major setbacks.

Key accomplishments included:

Widespread Loan Cancellation: More than 5 million Americans saw their loans canceled, including over 1 million public service workers.
Pell Grant Expansion: Low-income students benefited from the largest Pell Grant increase in a decade, making college more accessible.
Repayment Plan Reforms: Cardona implemented changes to simplify repayment processes and reduce financial burdens on borrowers.

However, efforts to expand loan forgiveness further were thwarted by conservative opposition. The Supreme Court struck down Biden’s plan for widespread debt cancellation, and other proposals failed to gain traction in Congress.

Tackling the FAFSA Overhaul

A major challenge of Cardona’s tenure was the overhaul of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Congress mandated the simplification of the notoriously complex form, but technical glitches delayed financial aid decisions for months.

Critics labeled the rollout a crisis, warning that frustrations could deter students from pursuing higher education. Cardona acknowledged the difficulties but defended the department’s response, citing a rise in freshman enrollment as evidence that the system ultimately worked.

“It really tested us,” Cardona admitted. “And in my opinion, we passed the test.”

A Focus on Substance Over Sensationalism

Cardona’s leadership style prioritized practical improvements over public battles. He emphasized what he called “substance, not sensationalism,” often refusing to engage in high-profile disputes with Republican governors.

Early in his tenure, he sparred with GOP leaders in Florida and Texas over mask mandates and COVID-19 protocols. However, he later shifted focus, arguing that such conflicts served to elevate opponents’ political ambitions.

“It wasn’t a good use of my time going tit-for-tat with a governor who’s hell-bent on being the most anti-Biden so that he could make it on the presidential ballot,” Cardona said.

Legacy of Education Reform

Despite setbacks, Cardona’s tenure left a lasting impact on the education landscape:

Mental Health and Staffing: Investments in school counselors, social workers, and summer programs will have long-term benefits for students.
Equity in Education: Title IX expansions and civil rights investigations reflect a commitment to protecting marginalized students.
Loan Forgiveness: Millions of borrowers received relief, highlighting the potential of federal programs to address systemic challenges.
COVID Recovery: Federal aid helped schools recover from the pandemic, though debates over its effectiveness continue.

Challenges and Resilience

Cardona’s leadership was not without controversy. Conservative opposition, judicial rulings, and logistical challenges limited the scope of his achievements. Efforts to advance free community college and more generous student loan forgiveness faltered amid political resistance.

Still, Cardona remains optimistic about the future of public education. In his farewell speech, he encouraged educators to persevere, emphasizing their critical role in shaping the nation’s schools.

“There’s no one education secretary or president that decides the fate of public education,” Cardona said. “That resolve belongs to our teachers and students.”

Looking Ahead

As Cardona departs, the education landscape faces continued polarization. The next administration may seek to undo key policies, particularly around Title IX and student loan reforms. However, Cardona’s focus on substance and systemic improvements has laid a foundation for future progress, ensuring that the challenges of today are met with resilience and hope.