Education Week - September 7, 2022 - 9

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona:
How to Fix Teacher Shortages, Create Safe Schools
Going into this new school year, what is top of
mind for you?
First and foremost, I always put my " dad hat " on. I have a high
Conversation with
Miguel Cardona
U.S. Secretary of Education
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona
has a lot on his mind as students return to the
classroom for the 2022-23 school year.
The head of the U.S. Department of
Education has directed his focus on schools'
responses to the COVID-19 pandemic for
the past two years. Now that pandemic
concerns have started to wane, Cardona is
facing increased pleas for help with academic
recovery efforts; advice for dealing with
emotionally charged public debates over the
discussion of race, gender, and sexuality in
classrooms; and ideas for addressing local
teacher shortages.
In an interview with Education Week
on Aug. 23 in his Washington office, Cardona
said greater respect for teachers, mental
health and social support for students, and
partnerships between parents and educators
are key to navigating the complex challenges
facing schools. In the past year, the Education
Department has established a national parent
council, launched an initiative to bring in
250,000 tutors to American schools, and
released proposed Title IX changes that would
add sexual orientation and gender identity to
the federal sex discrimination law.
In the following interview, Cardona talks
about what he plans to do next to address all
these complex education issues.
This interview has been edited for length and
clarity.
school and a college student. I want to make sure that I'm thinking
of back to school from the perspective of a student. They are eager
to get back to see their friends. They're eager to get back into the
rituals of school: the after-school programming, the co-curriculars,
the athletics. So, I'm making sure that students regain that
experience of community that schools provide. I'm really thrilled
that students are feeling that back-to-school excitement the way it
was before. It's not back to school with a caveat. It's " I'm going to
see my friends. We're going to be able to do this. This trip is being
planned. The clubs are up and running. "
What do you have to say to teachers or students
who are nervous about catching COVID-19 in school?
I recognize that. I certainly don't want to minimize that, because
it's real. We can't ignore the fact that the last two years we've
suffered significant trauma as a nation. We need to make sure we're
communicating with our students what we're doing to keep our
schools safe. Not only from COVID, but also-let's face it-school
violence. Sadly, first graders across the country could tell you what
they're doing to prepare for an unwanted person in their building.
That's a reality that I know our educators are taking into account.
It is important that we continue to communicate what we're
doing to maintain a safe learning environment. It's important
for our students, but for our educators as well. We have 150,000
students coming back without a parent or guardian because of
COVID-19 so we cannot ignore the impact of that.
At the same time, how do we help students feel most comfortable?
Give them an environment where they can feel welcome,
where they feel like they can thrive.
One of the top of mind challenges right now is
teacher shortages. You've been a big proponent of
grow-your-own programs. Why that strategy?
I've been in education for over a couple of decades, and it's
always been, " Do more with less. " We've always been fighting for
respect in the profession. Then, the pandemic hit and exacerbated
the challenges that we have. I'm secretary, so now it's on me to
make sure that we're messaging loud and clear that the teacher
shortage is a symptom of a teacher respect issue. That, for me, is
really clear.
We are not going to take a passive role in this. We are going to
take a very active role in this. We have encouraged the use of the
American Rescue Plan dollars to address this issue in both shortterm
and long-term ways. Short term, use the money to provide
incentives, signing bonuses, to ensure that we're paying retired
teachers to come back even if it's for six months while we wait
for the next graduating class. Give our retired teachers an option
to come back without losing any benefits. We worked with [the
U.S. Department of the] Treasury to make that happen. With the
bus driver shortage, we worked with [the U.S. Department of]
Transportation to make it a little bit easier for folks to get their
license to drive buses without compromising safety. We're working
with the Department of Labor to talk about [paid] apprenticeships
for teaching.
We talk a lot about diversifying the profession to represent the
beautiful diversity of this country. We have the students in front
of us. What are we doing to tap those students on the shoulder
and say, " Here's a program in your high school that could get you
interested in teaching, that could get you some college credits,
could get you some scholarship money and we can guarantee you
an interview in this district in four years? " Those programs exist,
and we're strongly encouraging the use of American Rescue Plan
dollars for this.
Sometimes we hear American Rescue Plan dollars, we hear $130
billion, what does that mean? All 50 states are dealing with some
sort of teacher shortage issue. If it weren't for American Rescue
Plan dollars, it would be worse. There'd be students whose beginning
of school would be delayed. While all 50 states are benefiting
from it, only half of Congress voted for it. If we didn't have the
American Rescue Plan dollars, we'd be talking about which colleges
are closing, which schools are not able to start because they
don't have adequate staffing, because they don't have funding.
What would you say to district leaders who are
asking for more time and flexibility to spend
federal COVID-19 recovery funds?
Kids need help now. When the president drafted the American
Rescue Plan and when Congress passed it, it was to help the
students now. For me, it's really important that the students get
support now. This isn't a set of funds that are going to help address
education for the next 10 or 15 years. It's for students now.
In terms of flexibilities, we recognize, in particular with items
that are on backorder because of supply chain issues, that we might
need to be flexible with regard to that. We're doing everything in our
power to provide flexibilities where we can. However, this is an act
of Congress, right? It's not like we can override Congress' expectations
on this. But there is an issue now. Our kids need help now.
The federal government pays for about 10 percent of education
in general. Ninety percent comes from state and local funding.
The urgency that the president showed not only with the American
Rescue Plan, but with his budget proposals over the last two years,
shows that this president understands how important education is.
... Let's have the same level of urgency at the state and local levels
to increase funding in education the way the president has done.
Kids need help now, and it shouldn't just be the urgency from the
federal government leading to education increases in funding. If
we're going to be competitive across the world, we need to make
sure we're prioritizing education the way the president has.
What are you going to do to ensure teacher voices
are a part of the decisions being made by the
Education Department?
In order for us to address the teacher respect issue, we have to
provide better salaries, better working conditions for teachers, and
have teacher voice be a bigger part of our reimagining of education.
At the Department of Education, here in this building, I've
had more teachers here in the last year and a half. I can't speak for
the previous administration, but I can tell you we have monthly
meetings where teacher voice is at the table here. They're here,
physically here.
I've visited 35, 36 states, I've always had conversations with
teachers when I'm there. Not just in front of cameras-I really want
to know how it's going with them. If you look at my team that I've
appointed here, it's made up of teachers too. It's really important
[educators] know that teacher voice is rampant through these
hallways.
When I'm making decisions, I think about it from the perspective
of " what would I do as a 4th grade teacher? What would I do as a
school principal? " That's who I am. That's my DNA. I'm an educator.
I hear that and I want to make sure that teachers know that their
voice is being heard here. That's why I'm fighting really hard to lift
up the profession.
-LIBBY STANFORD
EDUCATION WEEK | September 7, 2022 | www.edweek.org | 9
Alyssa Schukar for Education Week
http://www.edweek.org
Education Week - September 7, 2022

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