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Miguel Cardona
Miguel Cardona was the U.S. secretary of education in the Biden administration from 2021 to 2025. The U.S. Senate voted 64-33 to confirm Cardona on March 1, 2021. All 48 Democrats, 14 Republicans, and both independents voted to confirm Cardona.[1] Click here to learn more about Cardona's confirmation process.
Cardona was born to Puerto Rican parents in Connecticut. He lived in public housing as a child and only spoke Spanish when he started elementary school, learning English as a second language.[2] In a statement his nomination for as secretary, Cardona said, "I, being bilingual and bicultural, am as American as apple pie and rice and beans."[3]
Cardona received his bachelor's degree from Central Connecticut State University, his master's degree in bilingual and bicultural education, and his Ed.D. from the University of Connecticut. Cardona worked as an elementary school teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent for teaching and learning in Meriden, Connecticut. Before serving in Biden's cabinet, Cardona was the Connecticut commissioner of education from August 2019 through February 2021. Gov. Ned Lamont (D) appointed him to the position.[4]
As Secretary of Education, Cardona was responsible for implementing the administration's student loan relief plan.[5] Cardona also oversaw the distribution of $130 billion in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for states to reopen schools following the coronavirus pandemic. He also allocated $1 billion from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 for community mental health support in schools.[6]
In a January 2023 address, Cardona outlined his vision for the agency's action in 2023 "to promote academic excellence, improve learning conditions, and prepare our students for a world where global engagement is critical to our nation’s standing." The program, called Raise the Bar: Lead the World, included as focus areas eliminating teacher shortages, investing in students' mental health, providing every student a pathway to multilingualism, and ensuring every student has a pathway to college and career.[6]
Biography
Cardona received his bachelor's degree from Central Connecticut State University and master's degree in bilingual and bicultural education from the University of Connecticut. He also completed the administrator preparation program and earned his Ed.D. and superintendent certificate from the University of Connecticut.[7]
He began his career in education as an elementary school teacher. Cardona then became the youngest principal in Connecticut at the age of 28. He worked in this role for a decade before becoming the superintendent for teaching and learning in Meriden, Connecticut, in 2013.[7]
In 2019, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) appointed Cardona as the state commissioner of education.[7]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Cardona's academic, professional, and political career:[8]
- 2021-2025: U.S. secretary of education
- 2019-2021: Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Education
- 2003-2019: Meriden Public Schools
- 2015-2019: Assistant superintendent for teaching and learning
- 2013-2015: Performance and evaluation specialist
- 2003-2013: Principal
- 2001: Graduated from the University of Connecticut with a master's degree in bilingual and bicultural education
- 1997: Graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a B.A. in education
Nomination for secretary of education
- See also: Joe Biden presidential transition and Confirmation process for Miguel Cardona for secretary of education
| Joe Biden's Cabinet | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate: Miguel Cardona | ||
| Position: Secretary of Education | ||
 | Announced: | December 22, 2020 |
| Hearing: | February 3, 2021 |
| Committee: | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions |
| Reported: | Favorable (17-5) |
| Confirmed: | March 1, 2021 |
| Vote: | 64-33 |
On December 22, 2020, President Joe Biden (D) announced that he had selected Cardona as his nominee for secretary of education.[1]
The Biden Transition said in a statement, "Having walked the walk as an educator, administrator, and public school parent, Dr. Cardona has a proven track record as an innovative leader who will fight for all students, and for a better, fairer, more successful education system. He will also strive to eliminate long-standing inequities and close racial and socioeconomic opportunity gaps — and expand access to community colleges, training, and public four-year colleges and universities to improve student success and grow a stronger, more prosperous, and more inclusive middle class."[1]
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held Cardona's confirmation hearing on February 3, 2021. The committee voted 17-5 on February 11, 2021, to advance his nomination.[9] Cardona was confirmed by a 64-33 vote on March 1, 2021.[10]
| Summary of Senate vote on Miguel Cardona's nomination for secretary of education (March 1, 2021) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes for | Votes against | Not voting |
 Democrats |
48 | 0 | 0 |
 Republicans |
14 | 33 | 3 |
 Independents |
2 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 64 | 33 | 3 |
Click on the following table to view the full roll call.
| Senate vote on Miguel Cardona's nomination for secretary of education (March 1, 2021) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Richard Shelby | Republican |
No |
| Alabama | Tommy Tuberville | Republican |
No |
| Alaska | Lisa Murkowski | Republican |
Yes |
| Alaska | Dan Sullivan | Republican |
No |
| Arizona | Kyrsten Sinema | Democrat |
Yes |
| Arizona | Mark Kelly | Democrat |
Yes |
| Arkansas | John Boozman | Republican |
No |
| Arkansas | Tom Cotton | Republican |
No |
| California | Dianne Feinstein | Democrat |
Yes |
| California | Alex Padilla | Democrat |
Yes |
| Colorado | Michael F. Bennet | Democrat |
Yes |
| Colorado | John Hickenlooper | Democrat |
Yes |
| Connecticut | Richard Blumenthal | Democrat |
Yes |
| Connecticut | Chris Murphy | Democrat |
Yes |
| Delaware | Tom Carper | Democrat |
Yes |
| Delaware | Chris Coons | Democrat |
Yes |
| Florida | Rick Scott | Republican |
No |
| Florida | Marco Rubio | Republican |
Yes |
| Georgia | Jon Ossoff | Democrat |
Yes |
| Georgia | Raphael Warnock | Democrat |
Yes |
| Hawaii | Mazie Hirono | Democrat |
Yes |
| Hawaii | Brian Schatz | Democrat |
Yes |
| Idaho | Mike Crapo | Republican |
No |
| Idaho | James E. Risch | Republican |
No |
| Illinois | Dick Durbin | Democrat |
Yes |
| Illinois | Tammy Duckworth | Democrat |
Yes |
| Indiana | Mike Braun | Republican |
No |
| Indiana | Todd Young | Republican |
No |
| Iowa | Chuck Grassley | Republican |
Yes |
| Iowa | Joni Ernst | Republican |
No |
| Kansas | Roger Marshall | Republican |
No |
| Kansas | Jerry Moran | Republican |
Not voting |
| Kentucky | Mitch McConnell | Republican |
Yes |
| Kentucky | Rand Paul | Republican |
No |
| Louisiana | Bill Cassidy | Republican |
Yes |
| Louisiana | John Kennedy | Republican |
No |
| Maine | Susan Collins | Republican |
Yes |
| Maine | Angus King | Independent |
Yes |
| Maryland | Benjamin L. Cardin | Democrat |
Yes |
| Maryland | Chris Van Hollen | Democrat |
Yes |
| Massachusetts | Elizabeth Warren | Democrat |
Yes |
| Massachusetts | Ed Markey | Democrat |
Yes |
| Michigan | Debbie Stabenow | Democrat |
Yes |
| Michigan | Gary Peters | Democrat |
Yes |
| Minnesota | Amy Klobuchar | Democrat |
Yes |
| Minnesota | Tina Smith | Democrat |
Yes |
| Mississippi | Roger Wicker | Republican |
No |
| Mississippi | Cindy Hyde-Smith | Republican |
No |
| Missouri | Josh Hawley | Republican |
No |
| Missouri | Roy Blunt | Republican |
Not voting |
| Montana | Steve Daines | Republican |
No |
| Montana | Jon Tester | Democrat |
Yes |
| Nebraska | Deb Fischer | Republican |
Yes |
| Nebraska | Ben Sasse | Republican |
No |
| Nevada | Jacky Rosen | Democrat |
Yes |
| Nevada | Catherine Cortez Masto | Democrat |
Yes |
| New Hampshire | Jeanne Shaheen | Democrat |
Yes |
| New Hampshire | Maggie Hassan | Democrat |
Yes |
| New Jersey | Robert Menendez | Democrat |
Yes |
| New Jersey | Cory Booker | Democrat |
Yes |
| New Mexico | Ben Ray Luján | Democrat |
Yes |
| New Mexico | Martin Heinrich | Democrat |
Yes |
| New York | Charles E. Schumer | Democrat |
Yes |
| New York | Kirsten Gillibrand | Democrat |
Yes |
| North Carolina | Richard Burr | Republican |
Yes |
| North Carolina | Thom Tillis | Republican |
Yes |
| North Dakota | John Hoeven | Republican |
No |
| North Dakota | Kevin Cramer | Republican |
No |
| Ohio | Rob Portman | Republican |
Yes |
| Ohio | Sherrod Brown | Democrat |
Yes |
| Oklahoma | James M. Inhofe | Republican |
No |
| Oklahoma | James Lankford | Republican |
No |
| Oregon | Ron Wyden | Democrat |
Yes |
| Oregon | Jeff Merkley | Democrat |
Yes |
| Pennsylvania | Pat Toomey | Republican |
No |
| Pennsylvania | Robert P. Casey | Democrat |
Yes |
| Rhode Island | Jack Reed | Democrat |
Yes |
| Rhode Island | Sheldon Whitehouse | Democrat |
Yes |
| South Carolina | Lindsey Graham | Republican |
No |
| South Carolina | Tim Scott | Republican |
No |
| South Dakota | John Thune | Republican |
No |
| South Dakota | Mike Rounds | Republican |
No |
| Tennessee | Bill Hagerty | Republican |
No |
| Tennessee | Marsha Blackburn | Republican |
Not voting |
| Texas | John Cornyn | Republican |
Yes |
| Texas | Ted Cruz | Republican |
No |
| Utah | Mitt Romney | Republican |
Yes |
| Utah | Mike Lee | Republican |
No |
| Vermont | Patrick Leahy | Democrat |
Yes |
| Vermont | Bernie Sanders | Independent |
Yes |
| Virginia | Mark R. Warner | Democrat |
Yes |
| Virginia | Tim Kaine | Democrat |
Yes |
| Washington | Maria Cantwell | Democrat |
Yes |
| Washington | Patty Murray | Democrat |
Yes |
| West Virginia | Shelley Moore Capito | Republican |
Yes |
| West Virginia | Joe Manchin | Democrat |
Yes |
| Wisconsin | Ron Johnson | Republican |
Yes |
| Wisconsin | Tammy Baldwin | Democrat |
Yes |
| Wyoming | John Barrasso | Republican |
No |
| Wyoming | Cynthia Lummis | Republican |
No |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Miguel Cardona. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Connecticut | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
- Superintendent of Schools
- Connecticut Commissioner of Education
- Joe Biden presidential transition
- Ballotpedia's Daily Transition Tracker
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Biden-Harris Transition, "President-elect Biden Announces Dr. Miguel Cardona as Nominee for Secretary of Education," December 22, 2020
- ↑ CT Mirror, "Miguel Cardona’s ideas about education were forged in Meriden, CT. Now he will bring them to Washington, D.C." January 19, 2021
- ↑ NPR, "Education Pick Miguel Cardona Is New To Washington — But Not To Classrooms," February 2, 2021
- ↑ The CT Mirror, "Board approves Meriden administrator as next state commissioner of education," July 18, 2019
- ↑ NPR, "Education Secretary says US to use 'whatever pathway we can' on student loan relief," July 2, 2024
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 U.S. Department of Education, "Secretary Cardona Announces the U.S. Department of Education’s “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” Initiative," January 24, 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Connecticut State Department of Education, "Commissioner Miguel Cardona," accessed December 22, 2020
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Miguel Cardona," accessed February 9, 2021
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, "Nominations, Date: Thursday, February 11, 2021," accessed February 11, 2021
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Senate confirms Miguel Cardona as education secretary," March 1, 2021
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
U.S. Secretary of Education 2021-2025 |
Succeeded by Denise Carter |
| Preceded by - |
Connecticut Commissioner of Education 2019-2021 |
Succeeded by Charlene Russell-Tucker |
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