Miguel Cardona: Biden鈥檚 pick for Education is a teacher 鈥� and unifier
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Sarah Matusek Staff writer
| New York
Ahead of a Super Bowl back in the early 1980s, Gary O鈥橬eil, a Connecticut grade-school art teacher, had a surefire class project to bond with a roomful of kids: Draw pro-football player faces with helmets on them and clothespin the paper cutouts to the window blinds. Scissors and crayons in hand, students engaged with the teacher in ways that for many 鈥� including Miguel Cardona 鈥� had lifelong reverberations.
鈥淢iguel was always eager to learn,鈥� says Mr. O鈥橬eil, who met Dr. Cardona, whom the full Senate was scheduled to vote on Monday as secretary听of education, as a second-grader in the diverse Meriden Public Schools system.
Miguel not only learned to love art in a way that would ultimately lead him into a teaching career, but he learned from Mr. O鈥橬eil how a man of color 鈥撎齛s an African American and Native American 鈥撎齝ould command a classroom.听
Why We Wrote This
Education secretaries may not run schools directly, but they can set a tone. Those who know the Biden administration鈥檚 pick for education chief, Miguel Cardona, expect his signature spirit of inclusivity to be a unifying force.
听鈥淚 remember looking up and thinking, 鈥業 want to be like him,鈥欌�� Dr. Cardona told a听.
Now Dr. Cardona is inspiring students, says Mr. O鈥橬eil, whose middle school art class watched the Senate confirmation hearing on their laptops last month as they colored designs inspired by indigenous Panamanian textiles.听
Expected to be confirmed as the 12th U.S. secretary of education on March 1,听Dr. Cardona rose through a public school system where he eventually returned to pay it forward 鈥� as teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, and Connecticut state education commissioner. He built a reputation along the way as an inclusive leader who remembers his roots 鈥� a unifier whose leadership, colleagues say, lies in his profound ability to collaborate, juggling competing views like he used to juggle worlds as a native Spanish-speaker in mostly white Meriden.听
Education secretaries may not run schools directly, but they can set a tone. And, steering clear of an ideological divide within the Democratic party, the Biden administration choice of Dr. Cardona as a conciliatory tone-setter was a smart move, says Jonathan Zimmerman, a historian at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. A teachers union leader or someone aligned with the pro-charter Democrats for Education Reform, he says, 鈥渨ould have been a sort of prima facie statement that we鈥檙e going with one side or the other.鈥�
In an era of polarization, he adds, 鈥渨e need our schools to be consensus-builders. ... Our schools are the only public institution 鈥� the only one 鈥� that has the explicit goal of making citizens.鈥澨� 听
Pandemic 鈥減artnership鈥�
Perhaps the top White House education priority at the moment is reopening schools 鈥� defined as most K-8 schools offering at least one day of in-person instruction a week by May.听听There is bipartisan support for reopening school buildings shuttered by the pandemic, but how to do it will be an early challenge for the secretary. The Education Department noted via email that reopening decisions are made at the state and local levels. And that process is a familiar one to Dr. Cardona, who as state education commissioner successfully maneuvered through the politics of reopening Connecticut schools to in-person last fall.听
鈥淔or far too many of our students, this year has piled on crisis after crisis,鈥� he said at his Senate confirmation hearing. 鈥淎s a parent and as an educator, I鈥檝e lived those challenges alongside millions of families.鈥�
Dr. Cardona may play an important role in granting states flexibility in how they proceed with听听standardized tests this year, along with other accountability requirements.
鈥淭he past four years, state and local leaders have been asking for federal guidance, asking for support, asking for technical assistance, and even an exchange of ideas on how to do the right thing for their students,鈥� says Denise Forte, a former Obama administration official, now a senior vice president for partnership and engagement at the nonprofit Education Trust.听That kind of partnership 鈥渉as been missing,鈥� she says.
鈥淒id you see about Miguel?鈥�
The nomination news palpably swelled local Meriden pride, says Dr. Cardona鈥檚 childhood friend Genaro Carrero Jr. At the grocery store, he says, 鈥渋t鈥檚 the first thing that comes out: Did you see about Miguel?鈥�
鈥淢ikey鈥� Cardona was a smart, funny kid who 鈥減retty much kept his nose clean,鈥� says Mr. Carrero, who spent countless Sundays alongside him when they were altar boys in oversize white robes, at times suppressing giggles during Mass.
Dr. Cardona鈥檚 parents and grandparents were among hundreds of thousands who migrated from the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico to the mainland in the decades following World War II. He says his parents raised him to revere hard work, community service, and education during his childhood in public housing.听
鈥淲hile we didn鈥檛 always have a lot of material possessions, I was born rich,鈥� he said at his confirmation hearing.听
Those humble beginnings and his Catholic faith informed an impulse to serve others, says Mr. Carrero, who works in construction as a project manager. 鈥淵ou appreciate everything you鈥檝e achieved, obtained, and you try not to forget that,鈥� he says.听
Like the Carreros, the Cardonas are deeply committed to the Meriden Puerto Rican community. Pre-pandemic, the Carreros led Three Kings Day celebrations at a local library for four decades, at times arranging cameos by live camels. The听contributed听aguinaldos听鈥� Puerto Rican Christmas songs 鈥� with Dr. Cardona on the bongos. His father Hector, a former Meriden police officer with a handlebar mustache, chaired the annual Puerto Rican Festival.
Hungry to rise
Dr. Cardona鈥檚 ascent from a childhood in public housing and a technical high school to a Cabinet nominee models the mobility he fought to secure for his own students.
Despite his committed family and community connections, Dr. Cardona told the, 鈥渢here were times throughout my youth that I think people had lower expectations than they should have. It just made me hungrier.听鈥�
He studied automotive tech at H.C. Wilcox Technical High School, but spent hours in Linda Ransom鈥檚 art classroom. The retired teacher recalls he was a talented artist who loved to use the airbrush.听
鈥淗e got along with all the kids, all his peers,鈥� says Ms. Ransom, in Englewood, Florida. 鈥淗e was gentle. ... He just kind of took everything in.鈥�
She remembers one heart-to-heart they had during his senior year, when he confided that he wrestled with a career in elementary versus art education: 鈥淚 said, well, you鈥檙e male and you鈥檙e Hispanic, I think you would have a bigger impact on the children if you went into elementary education.鈥澨� 听
That same year, he painted a mural of five figures with different skin tones beneath the words: 鈥淚n America, There is Only One Race ... The Human Race.鈥� Ms. Ransom arranged for its display at a musical event in another high school.听
Her support and that mural were formative. 鈥淚 felt so empowered,鈥� Dr. Cardona听听鈥淭he specific message was, it鈥檚 not only art, but also a way to develop as a person.鈥�
As a first-generation college graduate, Dr. Cardona returned from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor鈥檚 in education听to the school system that reared him.听
He decided against a career in bilingual education, he听told the CT Mirror, because 鈥淚 felt it was important non-Latino students saw a Latino in a position as a teacher.鈥�
As a fourth-grade teacher, each morning he gathered his students around a teal rug for a chat about whatever was on their minds.
His former pupils recall how he championed their budding interests, like Ms. Ransom had for him. He coaxed one music-loving student to sing 鈥淏elieve鈥� by Cher before the whole class, reported听. As principal one winter, he had fifth-grader Anthony Kane and a classmate serenade schoolgoers on an upright piano in the morning as they entered the building. Mr. Kane says the encouragement meant more than practice playing Jingle Bells.听
鈥淚t made me feel like I was doing something good at 10 years old,鈥� says Mr. Kane, now 19, who is interested in an education career.
Dr. Cardona joined Hanover Elementary School as a principal before he turned 30. Three of 4 students identify as nonwhite in the district, and around the same share qualify for free or low-cost meals.
When Hanover began to gain more Latino and low-income students, the principal warmly welcomed families of color. Dr. Cardona was 鈥渁lways asking: Is everything OK? Do you have any questions about anything?鈥� one former Hanover parent whose children were among the first Black students at the school told.
During his time at Hanover, he also co-chaired a听on student achievement gaps while juggling study for advanced degrees at the University of Connecticut Neag School of Education.
鈥淗e knew everybody鈥�
In a small conference room at Dr. Cardona鈥檚 2011 dissertation defense, Robert Villanova blinked back tears. The University of Connecticut professor remembers other guests were moved, too, by how Dr. Cardona personalized his presentation. Beyond sharing his findings on how educators could better narrow achievement gaps through a series of slides, Dr. Cardona recalled his own history as a young Latino raised in public housing.
鈥淗e described where his commitment to equity came from,鈥� says Dr. Villanova.听
Impressed by the principal鈥檚 leadership, Meriden Superintendent Mark Benigni promoted Dr. Cardona in 2013 to oversee state-mandated reforms to teacher evaluations.听听
It was through this committee that Jan Hochadel, Connecticut chapter president of American Federation of Teachers, had her first respectful brush with him. She appreciated how he saw teacher evaluations not as punitive, but 鈥渁 way of helping teachers, improving their pedagogy, improving student learning outcomes.鈥澨�
The district again promoted Dr. Cardona in 2015 to assistant superintendent, where听听a range of 鈥渟tudent-centered鈥� initiatives, including increased access to digital devices and recruiting more bilingual staff. Dr. Cardona impressed colleagues with his relationship-building skills, like when he took Evelyn Robles-Rivas on tours of the schools as a newcomer to the central office.听听
鈥淚t was amazing to see him walking into the building and seeing him calling students by their name,鈥� says Dr. Robles-Rivas, supervisor of language and community partnerships. 鈥淗e knew everybody.鈥�
鈥淲e will need to work together鈥�
Two decades after Dr. Cardona bought crayons for his first classroom, in 2019, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont named him the first Latino education commissioner of Connecticut. Half a year later, the pandemic sent education into a tailspin.听
As he pushed for, but didn鈥檛 mandate, the reopening of schools, observers say he maneuvered pushback diplomatically. When he outlined reopening guidance this past summer, he communicated in weekly virtual meetings with teachers union leaders like Ms. Hochadel.
鈥淲hen you talk about an open-door policy, he truly, truly had that,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not that we always agreed, but that communication really just built a respectful relationship.鈥澨�
In fact, Dr. Cardona shared reopening guidance with her and another union before it went public. In turn, she forwarded him a preview of a PR听听that challenged the plan.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 [want] you to be blindsided. ... my educators are very upset,鈥� Ms. Hochadel wrote to Dr. Cardona in an email, part of听听obtained by the Yankee Institute for Public Policy.
He thanked her and replied: 鈥淲e will need to work together.鈥澨�
Most Connecticut听have since reopened fully in person: Only 6% remain fully remote.听
Disagreements aside, Ms. Hochadel sees Dr. Cardona as a capable Cabinet member who will promote conversation over conflict.听
National spotlight
鈥淗e鈥檚 brilliant, he鈥檚 qualified, and he鈥檚 tested,鈥� President Joe Biden described Dr. Cardona as he听the nomination in December.听听
His nomination was 鈥渘otable,鈥� says Lindsey Burke, director of the conservative Heritage Foundation Center for Education Policy, 鈥渂ecause there鈥檚 not a whole lot of information鈥� about him. His hearing remarks, she says, 鈥渄id acknowledge that there is value in [school] choice.鈥澨�
Student loan debt and civil rights issues also loom on the horizon. But, no matter the challenge, says his former boss, Dr. Cardona will lead as a uniter.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e not going to have someone who鈥檚 going to be deterred by a problem, by the pandemic, by a disagreement with a union,鈥� says Superintendent Benigni. Instead, he鈥檚 鈥済oing to huddle the troops and say: All right, let鈥檚 work on this together.鈥�
