- Skip to main content
- About Us
- Contact Us
- FAQs
-  Language Assistance ****    - English
  - español
  - 中文: 繁體版
  - Việt-ngữ
  - 한국어
  - Tagalog
  - Русский 

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education

        - Student Loans
        - Grants
        - Laws
        - Data

# Remarks by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Nation’s Report Card

# Remarks by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Nation’s Report Card

October 24, 2022

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -        
Good afternoon; and thank you. 

As your Secretary of Education, I want to be very clear: the  results in today’s Nation’s Report Card are appalling and unacceptable—they are  a reminder of the impact this pandemic had on our learners, and the important  work we must do now for our students.

This is a moment of truth for education.  How we respond to this will determine not  only our recovery, but our nation’s standing in the world.

Here’s what we’re seeing in the results.

By most indicators, students’ math and reading achievement,  as measured by this one assessment, have declined several points since before  the pandemic.  They also tell us gaps in  academic achievement between some students and others worsened at our  elementary levels.

A once-in-a-generation virus upended our country in so many  ways — and our students cannot be the ones who sacrifice most in the long run.  We must treat the task of catching our children up with the urgency this moment  demands. 

But let’s also be very clear: the data prior to the pandemic did  not reflect an education system that was on the right track.  The pandemic simply made that worse.  It took poor performance – and dropped it  down even further.

As an educator and as a parent — that’s heartbreaking and  horrible.  It’s an urgent call to  action.  We must raise the bar in  education! If looking at these outcomes does not make us want to double down on  system-wide academic recovery efforts and use federal funds to provide more  opportunities for students, if this doesn’t have you fired up to raise the bar  in education, this is the wrong profession for you.  

What we’re seeing today isn’t just the impacts of the  pandemic.  While we know our students  were tremendously disrupted, as were their families, and that some students  dealt with the loss of loved ones in home and school, the results also indicate  decades of underinvestment in our students.   If we are serious about leading the world in student achievement, where  we belong, we must act with urgency now, but also invest in long term  strategies that will keep our students achieving at high levels.  

I’ve been in education for a long time, and I can tell you: in  this Administration, President Biden did more for education in the first six  months than in the last twenty years.  

It’s why this Administration, unlike the previous one, *actually* delivered the swift and safe reopening of schools.  This is the leadership that got us from only  46% open for in-person learning when President Biden took office to nearly 100%  just nine months later. 

It’s why this Administration broke with its predecessor and  came in with an actual plan to tackle learning loss from Day One – with  concrete support and guidance for schools.

Not only did I say we needed to open schools from my first  day on this job, I actually provided guidance on how to do it and worked with  those states and districts that were struggling.  

Which is why we fought so hard for the American Rescue Plan –  which no Republican Member of Congress voted for, by the way.

Through the American Rescue Plan, we’ve been able to invest  in strategies that are showing promising results. 

Schools  across the country are using ARP funds to invest in tutors, afterschool  programs, and hiring more teachers and mental health professionals – in red  states and in blue states. These are high-impact strategies that we know result  in learning gains and support students’ mental health. 

So we know what works for our students – and there are  pockets of excellence all over this country. 

Initial  state assessment results in places like **Indiana**, **Wisconsin,****Colorado**, and **Louisiana** show students *are* making important progress.  

And 65% of  urban districts included in the NAEP showed no statistically significant  decline in 4th grade reading scores, and 84% showed no such decline  in 8th grade reading.

These bright spots are encouraging.  And they show what our hardworking educators,  as trained professionals with deep knowledge of how to support their students,  can achieve with the right conditions and adequate resources.  But raising the bar means we can’t just be  satisfied with pockets of excellence for some — when we have an obligation to  build systems of excellence for all.

Raising the bar means keeping standards high for all of our  students.  Learning from what we as  educators know works for our students – and shaping bolder, sharper plans to accelerate growth in reading and  math. 

It also means meeting students where they are.

It means supporting our students who’ve been historically  underperforming.  

It means supporting students in rural communities who’ve  suffered a lot during this pandemic.  

And it means including and supporting students with  disabilities—a group do students who I know suffered the most during the  pandemic.  

In  addition to the work we have been doing since we came on board, we will do  three things in the coming days:
- The  Department will issue yet another resource  for educators and state and district leaders on how they can use American  Rescue Plan funds to address learning loss. The education field should expect  this within one week.
- At  the Department will also launch a new, expert-led series on the most promising  tools to raise the bar and accelerate students’ learning in math and literacy....  We are going to be busy at the Department making sure leading educators and  researchers have the ability to share best practices to all 50 states. 
- And we will push out a Parent Checklist to make  sure parents have the tools they need to ensure their children are getting the  support they deserve using the Recovery funds President Biden made available.  The website is on our page now!

Now is the  time for bold action.

To my  fellow educators, whether you work in a state education agency, lead a district  or school, or are in a classroom every day: we are trained professionals.  We know what to do. We got into this  profession to make a difference for children.   We need everyone’s best now!

I’m  reminded of what John Lewis once said: “if not us, then who?  If not now, then when?”  

The time  is now.  This is our moment.  It’s up to us to raise the bar in  education.  

Thank you. 
   -  Tags: Speeches
          How Do I Find...?    - Student loans, forgiveness
- Higher Education Rulemaking
- College accreditation
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- FERPA
- FAFSA
- 1098, tax forms
- More...
      Information About...    - Elevating Teaching
- Early Learning
- Engage Every Student
- Unlocking Career Success
- Cybersecurity
Search speechesSearch for:      Find By Month    - January 2024 
- December 2023 
- November 2023 
- September 2023 
- August 2023 
- July 2023 
- June 2023 
- May 2023 
- April 2023 
- March 2023 
- February 2023 
- January 2023 
- All Speeches
             
*Our mission* is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.
- Student Loans
- Repaying Loans
- Defaulted Loans
- Loan Forgiveness
- Loan Servicers
- Grants & Programs
- Apply for Pell Grants
- Grants Forecast
- Apply for a Grant
- Laws & Guidance
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- FERPA
- Civil Rights
- IDEA Website
- Data & Research
- Education Statistics
- Postsecondary Education Data
- ED Data Express
- Nation's Report Card
- What Works Clearinghouse
- Open Data Platform
- COVID Relief Data
- About Us
- Contact Us
- ED Offices
- Jobs
- Press Releases
- FAQs
- Recursos en español
- Budget, Performance
- Privacy Program
- Homeroom Blog
- Notices
- FOIA
- Privacy Policy
- Accessibility
- Security
- Information Quality
- Inspector General
- Whitehouse.gov
- USA.gov
- Benefits.gov
- Regulations.gov