On Dec. 23, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden nominated Dr. Miguel Cardona, Connecticut’s education commissioner and a former teacher and public school principal, to be the next secretary of education. A former NAESP member and 2012 NAESP National Distinguished Principal, Cardona would bring educator experience to the role, an attribute Biden identified as a priority. If confirmed by the Senate, Cardona will face a slew of challenges, including moving forward on President-elect Biden’s pledge to reopen schools within the first 100 days of his administration. Cardona would be the second education secretary of Puerto Rican descent, after former education secretary John B. King Jr., who served under President Barack Obama. Cardona’s parents came to the U.S. mainland as children from Puerto Rico.

Read NAESP’s Statement on Cardona’s nomination here.

Source: NAESP Advocacy Update, January 2021.