Education Week - February 2, 2022 - 8

Miguel Cardona Came in as a Teacher
Champion. Has COVID Muted His Message?
By Andrew Ujifusa &
Madeline Will
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel
Cardona had a clear message to
teachers and others working in
schools when he took office almost
a year ago: I am one of you, and I'm
here to support you.
That message resonated with much
of the nation's education workforce.
Yet as the pandemic continues to disrupt
schools and unsettle educators,
Cardona has drawn the ire of those
teachers who say he hasn't pushed
their concerns hard enough amid the
Biden administration's call for in-person
learning.
" What causes me great frustration
is we know Secretary Cardona has an
education background, but we don't
really see him truly empathizing with
teachers and fighting for us, " said Patrick
Harris, a middle school teacher
in Detroit, adding that he hasn't seen
much concrete action from the U.S.
Department of Education to support
teachers during a grueling school
year. " I need him to call out the crisis
that we are experiencing. "
The Education Department, which
did not make Cardona available for
an interview, insists that the secretary
is standing up for educator concerns.
Under Cardona, the department
has opened civil rights probes into
states it says have jeopardized the
health of people in schools by banning
mask requirements in local districts.
In August, he pledged that his agency
would use " every tool in our toolbox
to protect the health and safety of students
and educators. "
Cardona has also highlighted how
K-12 leaders can use federal COVID19
relief to address acute issues such
as staff shortages. And so far, he
hasn't publicly condemned administrators
who have shut down school
buildings when they've deemed it
necessary.
Yet a vocal subset of teachers online
say some of the education secretary's
messaging-particularly on Twitter,
which draws a sizable number of engaged
teachers-has seemed to ignore
the stresses and anxieties educators
on the front lines are grappling with.
While this is not indicative of widespread
discontent among teachers, it
highlights the fine line Cardona has
to walk between advocating for the
administration's priorities and representing
teacher voices. It's a difficult
task, and some teachers say Cardona
is missing the mark.
Some teachers, who say they want
schools to be open just like Cardona
and President Joe Biden do, are
worried about how they're going to
keep instruction going with surging
COVID-19 case numbers and large
numbers of students and staff absent
at any given point. They're not sure if
Cardona fully appreciates that reality.
And many teachers say they feel
when his nomination was announced.
Cardona taught for five years before
becoming a principal, which stood in
stark contrast to his predecessor Betsy
DeVos, who was deeply unpopular
among teachers.
" We finally got advocates for teachers
in the administration, and teachers
have not benefitted from that, " said
Harris, the Detroit teacher, who wants
to see action on things like more personal
protective equipment in schools
and raising teacher pay, which was one
of Biden's campaign promises.
Then there's Cardona's Twitter messaging
in recent weeks, which some
teachers say has been tone-deaf to the
stressors of the moment or even shown
disregard for teachers' concerns.
One example: On Jan. 8, Cardona
their concerns about a lack of proper
safety measures have been ignored
by policymakers for too long, whether
it's by Cardona or their local officials.
Condemning bans on school masks
is one thing, while not doing more to
ensure schools have enough masks is
another, in their view.
" It feels as if the messaging [from
policymakers] has become increasingly
blunt and really lacking empathy
for those who are feeling vulnerable
at this time, " said Christie Nold,
a high school social studies teacher in
Vermont.
Federal officials insist they're
listening and acting
Department staffers said Cardona
and the Biden administration have
demonstrated in words and actions
that educators are at the top of his
priority list. Among other things, the
department cited the administration's
move to prioritize teachers for
COVID-19 vaccinations at the start of
the president's term, and Cardona's
constant contact with union officials
and district leaders about on-theground
concerns.
They also say that the secretary has
made it clear in a steady wave of public
appearances that educators are the
ones who have helped keep the vast
majority of school buildings open, and
has shared what teachers and others
need for that to continue.
" He still sees himself as an educator.
You listen to him talk, you're listening
to a teacher talk, " said Christian
Rhodes, the chief of staff in the
department's office of elementary
and secondary education. " If you
talk to teachers, to a person, they all
recognize that our students, who are
ultimately our primary responsibility,
have suffered greatly from being out
of school. "
Observers say Cardona must navi8
| EDUCATION WEEK | February 2, 2022 | www.edweek.org
gate how to speak to educators' concerns
without seeming too parochial
or straying from the Biden administration's
position that schools can and
should be open, as most are. Throughout
much of the pandemic, Cardona
has tried to strike a collegial tone and
talked up collaboration as a priority.
Still, Cardona could use his standing
to visit schools more often and
speak out more frequently to acknowledge
and legitimize the concerns
of educators in addition to other
groups, said Pedro Noguera, the dean
of the Rossier School of Education at
the University of Southern California.
" I do see a vacuum here, " Noguera
said. " It can't just be that the only constituents
we hear from are unions or
angry parents or mayors. "
But given current tensions and the
" huge balancing act " he faces, it's
smart for Cardona not to make a public
example of anyone or any school
district, and instead have conversations
behind the scenes or informally
when necessary, said June Atkinson,
who served as a Democratic state superintendent
of public instruction in
North Carolina for three terms.
" If it is not advantageous for parents
and children and educators, then perhaps
[he] should remain silent. It's not
necessary to comment on everything, "
said Atkinson, who thinks Cardona's
done a very good job on the communications
issue in the current conditions.
At the same time, " I would ask
him to remember that educators are
scared and stressed " and dealing with
child care difficulties and other issues
like the rest of the population, Atkinson
said.
Cardona falls short of some
teachers' high expectations
Some teachers say they're disappointed
in Cardona in part because
they had such high expectations
U.S. Secretary of Education
Miguel Cardona talks to
students at White Plains
High School in White Plains,
N.Y., in April 2021.
tweeted a picture of himself in conversation,
under a multicolored balloon
arch, with Hope and Wade King, former
teachers who are the co-founders
of the Get Your Teach On conference.
Replies to his tweet quickly flooded
with teachers questioning why he
wasn't meeting with people currently
in the classroom, and what he was
going to do to keep them and their
students safe.
" The tone was a little too perky compared
to the reality of what public education
is like right now, " said Corinne
Altham, an elementary school librarian
in South Portland, Maine. " We were
reacting to the pastel balloons and
joyful presentation that the secretary
of education was sitting in. That is not
our reality right now. "
Yet the next day, Cardona tweeted,
" Having a lazy Sunday? Use this time
to make your vaccination or booster
appointment, " drawing hundreds of
angry responses from teachers whose
stress levels have skyrocketed this
school year.
" The messaging of, 'It's a lazy Sunday,'
when [COVID-19 case] numbers
are off the charts ... and when educators
are expressing frustration, concern,
and fear-it feels remarkably
out of touch, " said Nold, the Vermont
teacher. " That is hard to make sense
of, and makes me wonder who he may
or may not be in conversation with. "
A shift in tone?
There are signs that some of the
criticism is getting through to Cardona,
or his communications team.
Cardona's official Twitter account-
which at one point followed only fellow
administration members and
government accounts-now follows
several educators, including some
state teachers of the year. He also
tweeted photos of himself talking with
current teachers during the Extra Yard
for Teachers summit, hosted by the
College Football Playoff Foundation
and sponsored by Get Your Teach On.
And on Jan. 12, Cardona tweeted
that he's spoken with teachers and
families across the country, and that,
Mark Lennihan/AP
http://www.edweek.org
Education Week - February 2, 2022

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