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# Statement from Secretary Miguel Cardona on the Confirmation of Cindy Marten as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education

# Statement from Secretary Miguel Cardona on the Confirmation of Cindy Marten as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education

May 11, 2021

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

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Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued the following statement on the confirmation of Cindy Marten as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education:

"I am grateful for today's confirmation of Cindy Marten as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. As superintendent of the second largest school district in California and one of the longest serving urban school leaders in America, Cindy remained committed to San Diego when the pandemic hit, finding ways to provide technology to thousands of students and provide more than 20 million free meals to students in need. Cindy also partnered with the local public university to stand up testing at all San Diego Unified School District campuses to curb the spread of the disease and protect students, staff, and the community. Our top priority at the Department of Education is to reopen America's schools for in-person learning, support students' social, emotional, and academic needs, and address inequities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. I am thrilled that Cindy has accepted this challenge and I look forward to working with her as she continues to serve our nation's students as Deputy Secretary."
About Cindy Marten
Cynthia "Cindy" Marten was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Deputy Secretary on May 11, 2021.  Before joining ED, Marten served as the superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District since 2013.  She has spent 32 years as an educator, holding various roles of increasing responsibility as a teacher, literacy specialist, vice principal, and principal.  She is the author of "*Word Crafting: Teaching Spelling, Grades K-6*," which places an emphasis on literacy as a key to students' success. 

As superintendent, she directed implementation of the district's Vision 2020 commitment to a meaningful graduation for all students, with the district achieving the highest graduation rate among big-city districts in California and the fastest reading growth of large urban districts nationwide, in 2019.

In addition to her emphasis on academics, Marten has been a champion for health and wellness, putting in place an award-winning wellness policy for staff and students. Under her leadership, San Diego Unified received Gold Recognition in the American Heart Association's Workplace Health Achievement Index for efforts to support employee wellness, and multiple San Diego Unified schools received "America's Healthiest Schools" award from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

Prior to being appointed superintendent, for ten years Marten worked in one of San Diego's most ethnically diverse and economically challenged school communities, at Central Elementary School in City Heights. As a teacher, instructional leader, and later as principal, she established a commitment to educating the whole child through an emphasis on social and emotional learning and the arts, combined with academic rigor.
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