Miguel Cardona’s nomination to lead the Department of Education (ED) was confirmed by the Senate Monday night with broad bipartisan support by a vote of 64-33.
Cardona served as Connecticut’s education commissioner for the past year and a half, supporting the reopening of schools should reopen during the COVID-19 crisis. Before that, he spent his career working for the Connecticut public school system, as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent.
During his confirmation hearing earlier in February, Cardona repeated his commitment to lead a department that provides opportunities to all students. He emphasized his goals to open schools safely and spoke about the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic on higher education enrollment, noting that fewer students started college this fall. He promised to “remove silos” in education and promote innovation, make college accessible to any student, and strengthen community colleges.
As the Secretary of Education, Cardona will be tasked with leading ED to safely reopen schools across the country and implement the Biden administration higher education agenda, including debt relief and access.
Cardona is expected to be sworn in today. The Senate will now turn to additional agency officials like James Kvaal, who was recently nominated to serve as ED under secretary.
Sources:
NASFAA: Senate Confirms Cardona as Education Secretary
NPR: Lifelong Educator Miguel Cardona Confirmed As Education Secretary