Secretary of Education

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the head of the U.S. Department of Education.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office at the Department of Education on Sept. 20, 2023 in Washington.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office at the Department of Education on Sept. 20, 2023 in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Assessment Cardona Says Standardized Tests Haven't Always Met the Mark, Offers New Flexibility
The U.S. Department of Education is seeking to reinvigorate a little-used pilot program to create new types of assessments.
Alyson Klein, November 28, 2023
7 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks with students during a visit to Towson University to discuss antisemitism on college campuses on Nov. 2, 2023, in Towson, Md.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks with students during a visit to Towson University on Nov. 2, 2023, in Towson, Md.
Julia Nikhinson/AP
English-Language Learners Here's Why Miguel Cardona Is Pushing Multilingual Education
The education secretary outlines how the Education Department is investing in language learning. Will it work?
Ileana Najarro, November 17, 2023
4 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office at the Department of Education on Sept. 20, 2023 in Washington.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office at the Department of Education on Sept. 20, 2023, in Washington. In an interview with Education Week, Cardona said "there hasn’t been another president in our lifetime that has spoken so much on providing dollars for education but also having education be central to the growth of this country."
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Federal Q&A Miguel Cardona: There's No 'Magic Strategy' to Help Students Get Back on Track
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said he's focused on supporting schools on work they're already doing to help students achieve.
Libby Stanford, October 19, 2023
8 min read
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona gives an address to the American Federation of Teachers Together Educating America’s Children (TEACH) conference, in Washington, D.C., on July 21, 2023.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, shown speaking to a teachers' conference on July 21, addressed educational leaders Wednesday about the U.S. Supreme Court's affirmative action decision.
Graeme Sloan for Education Week
Federal Secretary Cardona Says Affirmative Action Decision Will Challenge All Education Leaders
The U.S. Department of Education held a summit to discuss the Supreme Court decision and said that more detailed guidance was coming soon.
Mark Walsh, July 26, 2023
4 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington on June 30, 2023.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona at the White House in Washington on June 30, 2023. Cardona spoke to Black teachers at a professional development event about teacher retention and the future of teaching.
Susan Walsh/AP
Teaching Profession Secretary Cardona Emphasizes Importance of Teacher Retention, Diversity
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona spoke to Black teachers about retention and the future of the profession.
Eesha Pendharkar, July 20, 2023
3 min read
Miguel Cardona
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona is pictured in downtown Washington, D.C., on April 27, 2023.
Courtesy of U.S. Department of Education
Teaching Profession Teachers Are Facing an 'Intentional Toxic Disrespect,' Secretary Cardona Says
Teachers deserve support, not to be cast as villains for political purposes, the education secretary told the largest teachers' union.
Madeline Will, July 4, 2023
5 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during a ceremony honoring the Council of Chief State School Officers' 2023 Teachers of the Year in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 24, 2023, in Washington.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during a ceremony honoring the 2023 Teachers of the Year at the White House on April 24, 2023. He appeared before a U.S. House committee May 16, 2023, to defend the Biden administration's proposed education budget and other policies.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Federal Cardona Defends Biden's Education Budget and Proposals on Student Debt and Trans Athletes
House Republicans accused Education Secretary Miguel Cardona of indoctrinating students and causing drops in test scores.
Libby Stanford, May 16, 2023
4 min read
Miguel Cardona
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona is pictured in downtown Washington, D.C., on April 27, 2023. He discussed teacher pay and working conditions, artificial intelligence, and more in an interview with Education Week.
Courtesy of U.S. Department of Education
Teaching Profession Q&A Teachers Need More Than Just Pay Raises, Secretary Cardona Says
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona sat down with Education Week to talk about the teaching profession, AI, and students' mental health.
Libby Stanford, May 2, 2023
7 min read
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona answers questions during an interview in his office in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, August 23, 2022.
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona answers questions during an interview in his office in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, August 23, 2022.
Alyssa Schukar for Education Week
Federal Book Bans and Divisive Concepts Laws Will Hold U.S. Students Back, Secretary Cardona Says
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona participated in a summit this week that drew international education leaders to the nation's capital.
Libby Stanford, April 27, 2023
6 min read
042523 Cardona Bilingual 3 EdDe BS
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona talks to a group of 3rd grade students on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at Escuela Key Elementary School in Arlington, Va. Cardona visited the school along with a group of education leaders from countries across the globe to demonstrate strong U.S. multilingual programs.
Courtesy of U.S. Department of Education
English-Language Learners Secretary Cardona Shows Off Dual-Language School to International Education Leaders
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona visited Escuela Key Elementary School in Arlington, Va., to promote multilingual learning.
Libby Stanford, April 25, 2023
5 min read
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during a visit to Bergen Community College in Paramus, N.J., Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during a visit to Bergen Community College in Paramus, N.J., Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022.
Seth Wenig/AP
Student Well-Being Education Secretary Calls for End to Corporal Punishment
The practice is still allowed in 23 states, either because laws allow it, or because it's not explicitly banned.
Caitlynn Peetz, March 24, 2023
4 min read
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona delivers a speech during the “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” event in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2023.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks at the “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” event in Washington, on Jan. 24, 2023. Cardona spoke to state superintendents and school district leaders in speeches at the Council for Great City Schools and the Council of Chief State School Officers on March 20, 2023.
Sam Mallon/Education Week
States What the Education Secretary Said School Leaders Should Prioritize Right Now
Miguel Cardona, in a pair of speeches, urged K-12 leaders to lean into efforts to support student mental health and academic achievement.
Libby Stanford, March 20, 2023
5 min read
Student debt relief advocates gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Feb. 28, 2023, as the court heard arguments over President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan.
Student debt relief advocates gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Feb. 28, 2023, as the court heard arguments over President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan.
Patrick Semansky/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Will Decide Fate of Student Loan Relief: What Teachers Need to Know
The AFT and NEA remind the justices in briefs that teachers carry significant student debt and the pandemic made things worse.
Mark Walsh, February 28, 2023
6 min read
Close up of a student holding pencil and writing the answer on a bubble sheet assessment test with blurred students at their desks in the background
iStock/Getty
Accountability Education Secretary: Standardized Tests Should No Longer Be a 'Hammer'
But states won't ease accountability requirements until federal law tells them to do so, policy experts say.
Libby Stanford, January 31, 2023
5 min read