America’s education chief visits Salt Lake County schools – Deseret News

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona’s visit Wednesday to Salt Lake County comes at an uncertain moment for the 45-year-old federal agency.

President-elect Donald Trump has pledged in the past to shutter the Department of Education, promising “we will move everything back to the states, where it belongs.”

Cardona spent much of Wednesday meeting with students and educators at two Utah schools. First he met with educators, social workers and mental health support professionals at Kearns Junior High, followed by a visit to Salt Lake Community College’s South City Campus to engage with students involved in career technical education programs.

Following his visits to the two Utah schools, Cardona was asked about the possible demise of the education department that he directs.

He offered a direct comment:

“What the next administration is going to do — I’ll leave it up to them,” he said.

But, he added, the educational support programs highlighted during his visits to the two Utah schools were made possible “because of a federal department of education that understood the needs — and funneled not only money, but also guidance, resources and support … so they are able to be successful.”

Utah is the 48th state Cardona has visited since being appointed to President Joe Biden’s Cabinet. He left impressed with the people he met.

“No matter how pretty the building is or how much technology or funding (a school) has — it all boils down to caring people.”

His brief glimpse at Utah revealed uplift and support.

“My takeaway from my visit here is that there are caring educators who do what they need to do for their students; who work together to make sure that whatever their students need, they get.”

Many other states, he added, “could learn from what Utah is doing.”

Cardona asked a roundtable of SLCC students what he and other educators could offer to help them succeed.

“What I’m hearing is that we need to do more of what they are already doing well,” he said. “We have (Utah) high school students graduating with associate’s degrees — not spending $150,000 on a college program. … That shouldn’t be a rare occurrence in the United States. That should be how we do business.”

The education secretary’s audience of college students Wednesday was a diverse group. Some were first-generation college students. Some had experienced trauma. Some had been forced to miss school at times to care for loved ones.

“That’s not a red or blue issue — that’s a student issue,” he said. “It would be great for Sen. (Mike) Lee to see what I saw today (for) when decisions have to be made about full-service community schools or funding community colleges or increasing Pell Grants — which President Biden increased by $900 in the last four years, giving access and affordability to all students.”

Students today, he added, need support to realize their “God-given potential.” Investing in their education benefits all.

The Utah student that requires additional support “has better income potential to add to the economy of Utah,” said Cardona. “It’s not a red or blue issue — it’s a green issue.”

The nation can’t grow, he said, without investing in education. “So for those folks who want to get political points by attacking DEI or trying to be the hero, you’re hurting the economy of your state.

“All students should be successful. I don’t care what you call it — just keep politics out of the classroom. Let’s focus on supporting our students, supporting our institutions like (SLCC) that gives students an opportunity to not only grow, but to help their families and to end the cycle of poverty that exists in so many parts of our country.”

Lifting students at a pivotal moment

Cardona’s roundtable session at Kearns Junior High focused on the importance of community partnerships and supporting mental health.

Participants included a high school student, a social worker, a school principal and community service leaders.

Despite the novelty of sitting across the table from the nation’s chief educator, the discussion was informal and interactive, with Cardona leading a friendly chat.

Highlights included discussions on the role of local churches and high school students in supporting families — and the residual impact of the pandemic on student social skills and mental health, including the alarming normalization of student isolation.

Funding, panelists noted, is necessary for mental health services.

And the youth, they agreed, can play key leadership roles across the educational system.

“The best resource we have is our students,” said Cardona. “How we organize them and give them voice and agency will help us determine how we move forward.”

The education secretary asked what the roundtable participants would ask for if they “could wave a magic wand” and help inform his leadership duties.

“I would like to see early support for parents — as soon as a child is born,” said one participant. “Early education for parents can prevent so much. And the second thing is to get students in for (speedier) mental health services.

“There are waiting lists that are six months long, and when I have a student who is highly suicidal, that’s too long.”

Cardona encouraged the panelists to be leaders who “Manage Up” when working with education boards, school superintendents, lawmakers and federal officials “who control purse strings for full-service community schools.”

“You have to manage up,” he said. “You have to have a unified voice around students.”

The value of community colleges

After wrapping up his tour and discussion at Kearns Junior, Cardona hustled to SLCC’s South City Campus to tour the school’s arts and digital media program. He tried his hand at operating a sound mixer and a camera in the virtual production studio.

Then he sat down with a group of SLCC students that included photography, journalism and fashion institute students.

Like the Kearns gathering, the roundtable was informal and open as students spoke with the education secretary about their diverse experiences and suggestions that included advocacy for concurrent enrollment programs and practical, hands-on learning.

One student shared her ongoing experience as a first-generation college student. Guidance and support for such students, she noted, is critical.

SLCC President Greg Peterson joined the roundtable and said one way to crack the code to better student outcomes “is to align the incentives for higher ed with K-through-12. … If they are aligned, it’s a lot easier for us to do a concurrent course. We can overlap a lot more of those experiences.”

Wrapping up, Cardona called the Bidens “cheerleaders for community colleges” such as SLCC.

“We’re going to lift up this school,” he said, “as a model of what other schools in this country should be doing to give students an opportunity to succeed at the highest levels.”