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# Remarks by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Raise the Bar: Lead the World

# Remarks by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Raise the Bar: Lead the World

January 24, 2023

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

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Thank  you to everyone, here and on the livestream, for joining us today for an  important conversation on what it will take to Raise the Bar in education – and  Lead the World – in three key areas: academic excellence, boldly improving  learning conditions, and preparing our students for a world of global  competitiveness.

Achieving  those priorities is part of a broader journey we can take to transform our  education system for the better.  

It’s  a journey that was made possible by President Biden and Vice President Harris’s  leadership to make education a top priority and deliver the American Rescue  Plan – a historic $130 billion investment in supporting our schools -- helping  them reopen swiftly and safely, and invest in the academic recovery they  urgently needed.  

Without  that leadership, we would be talking about a very different situation today.  But we can’t rest there.  We must do more.  We need to Raise the Bar.  

That  means putting the era of fiscal neglect in education firmly in the rear-view  mirror – mustering the collective will to act boldly and unapologetically to address  student underperformance and the decades of underinvestment in education..

People  often ask me what the hardest part of the job is.    Simple:  the toughest part of the job, just as it is for so many at the Dept, is the  time away from family.  

For  me, to this day, the best title I have earned in my life is, “Papi”.  So, to help make this better, I started a routine with my 16 year old daughter..

We  started 2 years ago with this thing called Saturday shenanigans. 

Basically,  we get up Saturday mornings really early and we get in the car and go.... We go  anywhere.  

We  usually start off with a coffee.  Then,  we end up either at a beach, at a park for a hike, or sometimes we stop at a  pet store.  Other times, it turns into a  driving lesson for her.  

And  after two years of doing this every Saturday morning, getting in the car and  going nowhere in particular, and watching my daughter grow in front of my eyes,  I realized that sometimes, as a father, the journey *is*the  destination.  

That  means that, it’s not an event or one specific place.  It’s a process of improving over time to solve  problems and ensure lasting, continuous growth and strong relationships. The journey is the destination.

Today,  I’m here to tell you that, in education, too, the journey is the destination.  

You  won’t be hearing about any shiny new initiatives today. But you *will*hear  me invite you to join me on a journey of transformation in education — a  journey of raising the bar in education, together.  

I  know *education opens doors* – because my wife Marissa and I are proof of  it.  Because I’ve seen firsthand the way  it transforms lives – as a student, as a teacher, school principal, and as a  parent.  

So  when we talk about the future of education, I could not believe more strongly  that we have to get it right – and we have to center our work on what we know *really*matters: engaging students, effective teaching, and quality content — or  what Elmore, Cohen, and Ball refer to as the Instructional Core.

Over  the course of my career, and I am sure for many of you here, we’ve seen  education policy veer away from improving the instructional core. 

We  have seen shiny silver bullets from the federal level promising to “fix”  education.  We’ve seen big initiatives with  clever names that promise everything, only to fade away after the sense of  urgency is over.

That’s  not what this Administration is about.

This  Administration is about *substance, not sensationalism* in  education.  It’s about real solutions to complex issues, informed by real  experience – with an unrelenting focus on the instructional core.

In  my experience, and in conversations with dedicated educators, local elected  education leaders, parents and students, our children cannot afford another  round of policies that are not grounded in what is best for kids. What they  don’t want is more partisan politics or culture wars in education.     What  we do need is a collective will to fight complacency and status quo in  education with the same passion we used to fight COVID.  We need the same spirit of unity and  bipartisanship we had in the first two months of the pandemic, when we looked  past red and blue, and tapped into our humanity, courage, and American spirit.  

I  call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Congress, in local elected  leadership, and leading our systems, to join us in putting our shared goals in  education at the forefront.  

Today,  we Raise the Bar in Education.  The same  is not good enough anymore.  If we do  what we’ve done, we’re going to get what we’ve gotten.  We’re better than that.  Our children deserve better than that.

The  first area where we must raise the bar is Academic Excellence..   

As  much as it is about recovery, it’s also about setting higher standards for  academic success in reading and mathematics.   It’s unacceptable that in the most recent PISA test, an assessment which  is done internationally, our students scored 36th place out of 79  countries in math.  

That’s  unacceptable.  We must do better.  We must act like our national security  depends on it.  

What  does this mean to Raise the Bar in Academic Achievement?  How does this  connect with the field?

-We  need to follow the science of literacy and ensure that students have strong  decoding skills taught while embracing a lifelong intrinsic passion for  reading.  

-We  should provide all students with access to financial literacy and ensure they  can take high level math courses that prepare them for college and STEM careers.

-It  means districts taking a close look at instructional materials to ensure high  standards so that an A in school actually means something.

-It  means that we pursue good pedagogy in a well-rounded education that includes  and embraces the Arts—and reject a school experience that is narrowed to only  what is tested. 

We  need to recognize once and for all that standardized tests work best when they  serve as a flashlight on what works and what needs our attention – not as  hammers to drive the outcomes we want in education from the top down, often  pointing fingers to those with greater needs and less resources.

-  And it also means recognizing that a strong start in education makes a big  difference.  Let’s get behind President  Biden’s call for free universal early education, and get started by expanding  preschool in Title I schools and enhancing kindergarten as a sturdy bridge to  the early grades.     

Raising  the Bar also means boldly improving learning conditions.  It means transformational shifts in how we ***invest in and  provide mental health supports*** to go from a reactive school  model to a proactive model that focuses on a student’s overall ***well-being***

Not  only through the American Rescue Plan, but the Bipartisan Safer Communities  Act, billions of dollars were provided to raise the bar in access to mental  health supports and safe and supportive learning environments for students. We’ve  also increased support for Full-Service Community Schools from $30 million to  $150 million. This provides critical wraparound services for students in their  local communities.  

Without  these types of services, we cannot be shocked when our current educational  systems result in exclusionary school discipline practices for black and brown  students or there is an announcement of a youth mental health crisis.  

If  we believe that a student’s mental health impacts learning, then let’s ensure  they get the support they need to be their best.  

What  does this look like?  Well I have visited close to 40 states and I’ve  seen:  -Counselor  to student ratios improve in some schools, from 500 students to 1 counselor, to  less than 250 students per counselor.    -Better  professional development on Trauma informed practice for all educators   -And  since we know districts cannot do it alone, we have seen districts use ARP  dollars to create contracts with hospitals and other Community Based Healthcare  Organizations to give the students and families what they need to succeed like  I saw in Hazard, Kentucky last week.

And  yes, I know that ARP is not intended to last forever, that the funds should be  used by the end of next year.  It was intended to accelerate reopening and  recovery, not to fill decades of underinvestment in education funding and  support for students.

Now  as leaders, it’s time for us to stand up for students and expect more in  education. 

Let’s  not have pandemic amnesia and forget how schools closed because they did not  have enough teachers.  Let’s learn from that experience and make the case for  improved funding.  

Investing  in our children is no different than investing in defense.  Both protect  our tomorrow.  

When  I say we must raise the bar, we must do so also with respecting the teaching profession.   

Did  you know that in the last 25 years, wages for college graduates have gone up by  28% while weekly wages for teachers have gone up by a measly 2%?  

Basically,  that’s an increase of $29 per week for teachers, and a $445 increase for  other professionals with college degrees. It feels sometimes like a teacher  tax.

Also,  we have sat idle while normalizing the fact that in many states, mid-career  teachers qualify for state welfare programs.

Have  we, as a country, minimized the profession so much that we are OK with teachers  driving Ubers or getting a second or third job on the weekend to earn enough  money to pay the bills?  I’m not ok with it.  

From  my experience as a teacher and as a father, I know the teaching profession changes  lives.  It’s a profession that makes all  other professions possible.  Teachers  help children discover their own gifts, in some cases, when they lack  confidence, or struggle to learn.  It is  the best profession, and we at the Department of Education will do all we can  to ensure it is valued—and this includes competitive salaries.

I  recently had a one on one meeting with the Minister of Education in Finland.  We spoke of our systems and it was glaring  how much we agreed that respecting the profession is a prerequisite for  achievement.   

Here  at the Department of Education, we are providing over $2.6 billion to prepare,  support, and retain high-quality educators.   This Administration has also enacted the biggest increases to Title I,  ever.  Now, we’re pushing to go even  further,  fighting to double Title 1 and  increase IDEA funding – which will result in better teacher-to-student ratios.   And for the first time, we’re putting millions into ensuring grow your  own programs are developed to bring talent into the profession through the Augustus  Hawkins Grant program. 

Yes,  I expect that our students achieve better than every other country, but that  starts with respecting the profession.

It  translates to eliminating the teacher shortage by:  -Providing  a Competitive salary.  At a minimum, no teacher should make less than the  average salary of people with similar degrees in their state.  It also  means discharging debt for our educators who are public servants.  To date, under this administration, over $24  billion in loans have been forgiven for over 2 million public servants.  

We  are working at the Department of Education to increase transparency on the  teacher salary issue across the country and have called on states and districts  to raise salaries to a competitive level.

-Raising  the Bar for the profession means better professional learning and career  expanding opportunities such as master teacher status, teacher leader  experiences, free advancement education for those who qualify and deserve it.   

Lifting  the profession also means respecting the voice and seeking the input of  teachers when creating policies, not just asking teachers to co-sign someone  else’s plan.  True, authentic engagement requires shared ownership and  multiple perspectives.  Second only to parents, who knows the students  best?

Raising  the Bar also means reimagining college and career pathways.

Currently,  our Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 system and college systems are  disconnected.  

For  too many students, the gaps between the systems are too big to cross.  

For  example, the skills for the high paying jobs that will be made available  through the CHIPS and Science Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the climate  provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act must be better infused into our K-12  education system, especially STEM and Career Technical Education courses, so  our students graduate with options for success.

-This  means that dual enrollment courses for local colleges should start at 11th  grade and that ambitious high schoolers can graduate with an associate’s degree  or credential without paying a penny.

Already,  we’ve secured over a billion dollars in funding for career and technical  education through the Perkins Grant program and $25 million for  career-connected high schools.  Now is  the time to build on that.

To  help get there, in November, we launched a new pathways initiative called Raise  the Bar: Unlocking Career Success – together with the First Lady and the  Secretaries of Labor and Commerce.  As we  roll out this initiative, it will include very specific plans on how our high  schools should be evolved to meet the career and college pathways of today and  tomorrow.  Look out for our plan:  Better yet, put it to good use.  

-It  also means that Career Pathways in high schools can lead to micro credentials  for the jobs of today and tomorrow.  We  have the students for the careers needed to build America. We just have to  better align our systems and clear the path for our students.

We  must challenge our myopic view that emphasizing the importance of career  pathways is about limiting students, or the view that it’s four-year-college or  bust.  

Advancing  career pathways in high schools is about more options for students, not less. What  it does is prepare them for the careers of today with options, and in some  cases, their employer will pay for their future education.  If  we do this well, our graduates will be able to compete on a global stage.  

It’s  my intention to Raise the Bar so we can lead the world in advanced career and  technical education.  

And  speaking of global competitiveness, if we are to prepare our students for a  global market, let’s Raise the Bar to provide better opportunities for our  students in America to be Multilingual.  

Recently  at a ministerial meeting in France with 38 other countries, I was surprised that  we were one of a few countries that was primarily monolingual.  

Learning  another, or multiple languages should be expected of our students and anchored  as a skill that will enhance their global engagement and increase opportunities  for success.  Ya es tiempo de aprender  otro idioma!

What  does it look like to increase multilingualism?  -First off, it means improving our bilingual and dual language program to  follow the research on second language development.  

We  will provide support and assistance to the 50 states who are working to improve  their English Development Programs and Multilingual Language Programs.  Don’t forget: every year, there is $760  million in Title III funding from the Department of Education that can help you  support English learners.

Let’s  look at our students in bilingual programs as gifted with assets that we want  other students to have.  Being bilingual  and bicultural is a superpower!

-  Let’s place a high value on having graduates be multilingual.  Recognition for that, such as earning a Seal  of Biliteracy, which many states have, should be celebrated at graduation as  much as an honors cord.  Let’s face it:  you will have more options in life being bilingual.

-Let’s  improve multilingual education to give our students opportunities to excel in  global markets where multilingualism and cultural differences are embraced and  valued.  

At  the Department of Education, we will prioritize these focus areas and expand  opportunities for technical assistance and use of federal funding.  In  the coming months, you will hear more details for each of these  categories.  Our actions at the Department  must support our beliefs, and we intend to do that.   

But  it will also require states and districts to step up and match the urgency that  the President and Congress demonstrated through the American Rescue Plan – and  will continue to demonstrate through our annual budget proposals.  

Now,  the question is: will we step up and seize this opportunity to raise the bar  for education for years to come?  

How  we answer that question will determine whether we can maximize the potential of  our students, our schools, and our country.

So  today, my challenge to state governors and legislators, local mayors and  superintendents, principals and policymakers alike is this: let’s do what needs  to get done.  

Let’s  fight for the sustainable, long-term state and local funding streams that will  make good on the promise of the American Rescue Plan as a down payment for  transformative change.  Let’s raise the  bar.

Almost  twenty-five years ago, I walked into Room 106 at Israel Putnam Elementary  School in Meriden, Connecticut.  It was  my first classroom.  

I  can still remember the excitement of teaching my first class of fourth graders  – and the effort I put into my first classroom bulletin board to welcome  them.  On it, I put up a picture of a  rocket ship going up, with the words, *“let the journey begin.”*

My  journey as an educator started that day.   And it’s been a joy to embark on that journey ever since – to learn from  the amazing educators I met along the way, to help every child, every young  person discover the promise of education to open doors they didn’t even know  existed.  

That  journey became my life’s purpose.  That  journey became the destination.  

Today,  I invite you to join me on that journey.

If  you believe that every child in this nation deserves a shot: join me on this  journey.

If  you believe that it’s worth taking a few lumps as we challenge the protectors  of the status quo in education: join me on this journey.

If  you believe that we as a nation have the collective will and capacity it takes  to step up and lead the world: join me on this journey.

If  we embrace that journey together, I know that our students and families will be  prepared for the careers of the future – and that they will be able to engage  in, and prosper on the world stage.

So  if you believe we can do this – if you believe now is the time to raise the bar  in education – I say: *let the journey begin.*  Thank you.
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