Miguel Cardona was the U.S. Secretary of Education under President Joe Biden. He was nominated by Biden on Dec. 22, 2020 and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee voted to advance his nomination on Feb. 11, 2021 for a vote by the full Senate. He was confirmed by the Senate on March 1, 2021 and was sworn in on March 2.

Political Career

Cardona was a member of President Biden's cabinet. He oversaw the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). The goal of the $68 billion DOE budget was to advance excellence in and ensure equal access to education in the U.S. The plan was to do this by implementing policies for federal financial aid, collecting and disseminating data on U.S. schools, and prohibiting discrimination in schools.

A native of Connecticut, Cardona served as the state's Commissioner of Education beginning in August 2019. He argued for the reopening of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent equity gaps from growing wider.

Cardona enjoyed bipartisan support for the position of top education official in the U.S. His goals for the DOE under his leadership included reopening schools, removing silos in education, and promoting college accessibility to every student.

Early Career and Education

Cardona spent two decades as a public school teacher and administrator before he served as Connecticut's Education Commissioner. He began as an elementary school teacher and was later principal and assistant superintendent in his home state. He has also been co-chairperson of the Connecticut Legislative Achievement Gap Task Force and has been an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut.

Cardona holds a bachelor's degree in education from Central Connecticut State University and master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Connecticut.

The Bottom Line

Miguel Cardona served as U.S. Secre🐽tary of Education under President Joe Biden. He was the Connecticut Commissioner of Education for two years before that and a public school teacher for approximately 20 years before that appointment. Cardona argued for keeping schools open during the COVID-19 pandemic in his war against equity inequality. He was replaced as Education Secretary when President Trump took office.