Miguel Cardona is a first-generation college graduate who began his career in education as a fourth grade teacher. He went on to lead the United States Department of Education under President Biden, where he oversaw the reopening of schools during the pandemic, the forgiveness of $185 billion in student loans and the overhaul of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
Cardona will join the 10th annual San Antonio Regional Education Forum, presented by the San Antonio Report, as the keynote speaker on April 1 at the Witte Museum.
The former education secretary will discuss the challenges facing U.S. education as President Donald Trump threatens to dismantle the Department of Education and provide insight into what the future looks like for Texas schools as state lawmakers consider bills outlining school voucher-type programs, proposals to increase teacher pay and public school funding, and laws that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion in K-12 schools.
A keynote breakfast for Cardona’s visit will be held in the Dawson Family Hall of the Witte Museum from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Tickets are still available for purchase.
Ahead of the event, the Report sent Cardona a list of questions to get his thoughts on the current state of education, including school safety, school funding, culture wars in school politics and the role the Department of Education plays under a new presidential administration. Here’s what he had to say:
San Antonio Report: School board meetings in Texas have become political battlegrounds in the last few years, on everything from library books to curriculum to sex education, putting educators and students in the middle. What do you think are some of the biggest challenges schools are facing during this moment in education? What are your thoughts on solutions to those challenges?
Cardona: Without question, the intrusion of culture wars and political overreach has changed the ability to lead schools and districts. The people’s voice is critical to education policy, which is why we have local boards of education, state boards of education and a democratic process that allows for policymakers to be chosen by the public. The challenge that schools face is that they are in the middle of intense back and forth by a growing partisan divide. This provides additional challenges for educators and schools. My solution would be to encourage civility in discourse and disagreement. It sounds basic, but we have lost that in many parts of the country
SAR: You’ve spoken a lot about the need for students to have agency in building the future of their schools. For example, San Antonio has a Higher Ed Student Advisory board, composed of appointed college students, which advises the city on policy. What other ways have you seen students get involved in shaping the future of education? Should this be happening at younger ages as well?
Cardona: Structured student engagement, which is different from random acts of student voice, is required. When students have agency and their perspective is woven into how major decisions are made, it is more likely that the agency results in productive growth for the school, university and city. Absent that, students will continue to find ways to communicate their perspective and it often becomes viewed as resistance. We must provide a pathway for meaningful student engagement.
SAR: How can artificial intelligence tools aid educators and students instead of hinder them? What are some of the traps educators should avoid falling into when it comes to AI?
Cardona: There are many ways to do this. We published a report at the U.S. Department of Education on ways to do this. One of the pitfalls is rolling out AI benefits without properly building capacity in districts through professional development, infrastructure upgrades and stakeholder (family) engagement.
SAR: Texas’ state legislature is getting closer to passing an Education Savings Account law. The current Senate version of the bill would give families $10,000 per student per year to cover education expenses like tuition or textbooks. San Antonio has its own history with voucher experiments, which many recall bitterly. How do you think this type of legislation will affect San Antonio communities, which have significant wealth disparities?
Cardona: While I fully support choice, I do not believe public education dollars should be siphoned away for private institutions. This only erodes funding for public education, which currently pays educators approximately 24% less than other professions with similar degrees.
SAR: While college enrollment in San Antonio has increased, retention and graduation rates remain low and poverty rates remain high. We have so many workforce development programs in San Antonio, I wouldn’t know where to start. What can local governments do to support these kinds of programs to ensure pathways beyond higher education — such as trade schools, the military, etc. — remain easily accessible by young people?
Cardona: A majority of the work we did in the Biden/Harris administration was to reframe how we prepare students for success in life. The “four-year college or bust” mentality is not serving our country well. Evolving high schools to give students options when they graduate is key. That should include internships, career counseling, dual credit courses and skill credentialing. Unless we do this, we are short-changing our students and the options that are available to them when they graduate. As a technical high school graduate myself, I had options when I graduated.
SAR: At this moment in education, many schools are recording math proficiency levels that are still not up to pre-pandemic levels. Only 42% of eighth graders report high confidence in mathematics, compared to 49% in 2019. What can educators do, or what should they keep in mind, when it comes to getting students back on track?
Cardona: Continue to keep standards high, ensure high-quality teaching in the classroom and address the disparities through additional interventions such as afterschool or summer support. The additional funds through the American Rescue Plan were used for much of this, and initial gains showed that they worked. Addressing barriers to education access such as mental health needs, student homelessness and the need for early childhood education are key strategies as well.
SAR: How are students, both those in higher education spaces and those in K-12, affected by the ending of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts? Many institutions and agencies are cutting DEI programs to comply with Texas state law or to preemptively protect against making themselves a target of federal cuts — what can they do to keep serving their students and marginalized communities in this moment?
Cardona: This has been a challenge throughout many parts of the country. Serving students farthest from opportunity must be a priority. Many leaders have shared that they have to avoid specific words in order to meet the students they serve. As mentioned above, the interference of partisan politics is making the work of educating our students more difficult.
SAR: School safety is top of mind when we talk about education in this country today. During the last legislative session, the state required districts to expand their safety measures, which strained the budgets of many school districts. Large school districts tend to have their own police departments, and others are partnering with city or county law enforcement agencies to comply with the law. Other than requiring schools to have armed officers on site, what are other ways we can ensure students are safe in the classroom?
Cardona: School safety is the greatest priority. We must see this as a community need. Schools, like religious institutions, are not immune to community violence and mental health issues. That said, we must ensure schools have the tools they need to protect students and staff. It should not be done at the expense of reading teachers or academic intervention support. This is a conversation that must be had by all, not just education leaders.
SAR: Districts are struggling to retain teachers for several reasons, not just teacher pay. What do you think are some of the reasons for this retention issue, and what can school leaders do to turn the trend around?
Cardona: Part of the ABCs of teaching, (Agency, Better Working Conditions, Competitive Salary) means ensuring schools have adequate support for meeting the needs of the whole child. Dysregulated children and children who have significant behavioral issues require trained experts that can support their learning. Unfortunately, in many cases, supports in schools are inadequate and it leads to overworked classroom teachers and unsafe learning environments. That results in teacher burnout and attrition.
SAR: During the transition from the Biden administration to the Trump administration, the future of the Department of Education, which you led for four years, is in doubt. What do you think is most important to keep in mind about the department’s role in shaping U.S. education policy?
Cardona: The Department plays a small but important role in education in the U.S. States and districts have the responsibility to educate students. The federal role is to distribute funds equitably and ensure they are being used the way Congress intended. It also protects the civil rights of students to ensure they have access to education. Lastly, it manages the distribution of federal aid to students seeking higher education. Removing this will have catastrophic effects on students and our country.
SAR: During your tenure, the rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid hit several snags and an attempt at student loan forgiveness was blocked by the courts. Looking back now, are there any lessons learned about leadership, complex problems and communication that you can share?
Cardona: Overhauling a system that has not been touched in 40 years was a major undertaking, and included setbacks and challenges. That said, last year, over 500,000 more students had access to aid than the previous year. One lesson learned was that we cannot rely solely on contractors to get the job done. We moved much of the work back to the FSA department, which improved the rollout in 2025. This is at jeopardy with the recent move to lay off half the workforce.
