NEW YORK, December 22, 2020—President-elect Biden has made it clear that education would be a priority issue for his administration, drawing attention to the widening inequalities students face as our schools and communities navigate the disruption caused by the pandemic. Today’s announcement by President-elect Biden of his nomination of Dr. Miguel A. Cardona as Secretary of Education is an important step toward addressing the issues facing our students and schools. We are encouraged and inspired by Secretary-designate Dr. Cardona’s personal story, his public service record as an educator, school leader, and systems leader, and his long-standing commitment to educational equity and excellence. We are hopeful that Dr. Cardona and his team will exercise leadership to ensure that all children have access to the equitable and excellent education they deserve.

The new Biden-Harris administration has an opportunity to advance the cause of equity for all children, to enact policies that seek to improve educational outcomes, to root out systemic racism and injustice, and to bring our country together to solve the shared problems we face. President-elect Biden has spoken of the four historic crises America faces: the pandemic, the economy, racial injustice, and climate change. We are witnessing the profound impact these crises have on students, especially children of color and children growing up in low-income communities. For far too long, our education system has failed to meet its promise to all children. Too many students have been left out and left behind, denied the opportunity to have an equal chance in life. President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris have an opportunity to bring about a fundamentally different future for our students, one that’s more fair, more just, and more equitable. 

At Teach For America, equity is at the center of all that we do. As we work in partnership with more than 350 urban and rural communities across the country to meet the needs of students, we ask that the Biden-Harris administration and Dr. Cardona move swiftly to take critically important first steps, administering the equitable educational funding and resources that schools need, sustainably closing the digital divide, assessing and addressing learning loss, and ensuring that students have access to safe and inclusive learning spaces and teachers who reflect the diversity of our nation. Our students have tremendous needs and the work ahead will not be easy, but we look forward to partnering with Dr. Cardona and the Biden-Harris administration to ensure that every child in the United States of America has an equal opportunity to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility.