AACTE Congratulates Dr. Miguel Cardona as New Education Secretary

(March 2, 2021, Washington, DC) – The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) congratulates Dr. Miguel Cardona as the new U.S. Secretary of Education, sworn in today by Vice President Kamala Harris. AACTE recognizes Secretary Cardona as a lifelong educator who understands the importance of professional, high-quality educator preparation programs. AACTE and its members stand ready to work with the head of the U.S. Department of Education for ensuring that our nation’s educators are profession-ready and have the necessary resources to help students effectively achieve academic success.

“Secretary Cardona has a strong record on education and has served our nation’s elementary and secondary students at nearly every level,” said Dr. Lynn M. Gangone, AACTE’s president and CEO. “We are deeply concerned about the shrinking pipeline of candidates in educator preparation programs as well as the learning loss and growing deficits of children’s socio-emotional needs exacerbated by the pandemic. We look forward to working with Secretary Cardona to address these challenges as well as diversifying the teaching field so that it better reflects the nation’s student population.”

AACTE shared its 2021 legislative priorities with the Biden administration, including Secretary Cardona and his team, and looks forward to working with the Department to advance the critical work of schools and colleges of education across our nation.

###

AACTE: The Leading Voice on Educator Preparation 

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is a national alliance of educator preparation programs and partners dedicated to high-quality, evidence-based preparation that assures educators are profession-ready as they enter the classroom. Nearly 700 members include public and private colleges and universities in every state, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Guam. Through advocacy and capacity building, AACTE promotes innovation and effective practices that strengthen educator preparation. Learn more at www.aacte.org.