Biden's education secretary Miguel Cardona said that there's an "opportunity" in schools having been closed for a year.
"We have to look at education differently," he said. "This is obviously a major disruption in we've been doing. But honestly... it's an opportunity to reinvent it, to make it better."
Biden's Education Secretary Miguel Cardona says the negative effect of closed schools is an "opportunity" pic.twitter.com/zaQ1rrz84i
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) May 12, 2021
"Because we know that prior to the pandemic there were issues in education. There were issues to access. And this is our opportunity as educators to really lift up the profession and make sure we're providing a better service," Cardona said.
"So yes, there's going to be remediation, but there's going to be acceleration, and there's going to be opportunities for students to grow, to new, higher levels, and I look forward to leading that effort."
This message is consistent with the Biden administration's tactic of not letting any good crisis go to waste. While Biden promised that schools would be open five day per week by the end of his first 100 days in office, that has not proven out. Schools that were open are still open, while many school districts that remained closed are still barely providing educational services for students in person.
In March, Cardona said "We're at a critically important time in our nation's history in education," and that his "goal is to safely reopen as many schools as possible as quickly as possible."
At that time, he had "notified all the states as to how much money they would receive," and that the total amount available in the American Rescue Plan for schools is $122 billion. Much of the funding was designated for COVID remediation, for screening and surveillance. No timeline was given at that time for reopening.
It has been alleged that the slow reopening is a result of the administration's complicity with teachers' unions and their efforts to keep schools closed. The White House has denied these charges.
Cardona has said previously that his key concern is in eliminating achievement gaps between racial and ethnic groups.
Join and support independent free thinkers!
We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.
Remind me next month
To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy
