Some Yale University students will get the chance to be taught by former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona this school year.
Cardona, a Meriden, Conn., native, will serve as a faculty fellow at the Yale School of Management for the 2025-26 academic year, where he will co-teach an elective course.
He’ll also work with school system leaders in programs offered through The Broad Center at the Yale School of Management. The Broad Center fosters collaboration and leadership to help students in K-12 public schools—particularly those from underserved communities—to “learn and thrive,” according to the center.
“Dr. Cardona’s deep experience as a public school teacher, a principal and a system leader makes him such a dynamic addition to The Broad Center team of faculty and lecturers,” Natasha Trivers, assistant dean and the Anita and Joshua Bekenstein ’80 B.A. executive director of The Broad Center, said in a statement.
Cardona, who attended Meriden’s John Barry Elementary School, Washington Middle School and Wilcox Technical High School, started his career in education by teaching 4th grade in his home city’s public school system. At 27, he became Connecticut’s youngest school principal and eventually became a Meriden Public Schools assistant superintendent.
Cardona served as the state’s first Latino commissioner of education before former President Joe Biden appointed him to be the country’s secretary of education. He said in a December interview with the New Haven Register that he helped change the federal student aid system, focused on expanding career pathways beyond four-year college degrees, and more.
“We provided better accountability for higher education,” Cardona said. “We provided debt relief. We went after colleges like ITT and Corinthian that took advantage of veterans, that lied and misguided students and put them in debt. We went after them. I’m proud of the work we did.”
After leaving Washington, Cardona launched a national consulting organization, Cardona Solutions, that focuses on school improvement, equity, and leadership development.
Cardona “brings a wealth of experience in the K-12 public education sector, and he has also recently launched Cardona Solutions, which is all about providing excellent college access resources to all families in America,” Trivers said in a statement.
“We can’t wait to see Yale SOM students take advantage of all Dr. Cardona has to offer them.”
Cardona will co-teach an elective course, Education Policy, with Seth Zimmerman, an economics professor.
