MIGUEL CARDONA

Schools across the U.S. are using portions of the windfall of federal coronavirus relief money to quickly expand their capacity to address students’ struggles with mental health.

Cardona said it "wasn't a mistake" to keep schools closed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Biden administration is encouraging local school districts to host clinics to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to kids and information to parents on the benefits of the shots.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have recognized the 2021 and 2020 national teachers of the year and all teachers for the work they do.

The Biden Administration has provided over $9.5 billion of student loan relief in seven months. Roughly $1.7 trillion of student loans remain.

"We can't wait for a personal finance course in high school," U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona told CNBC's Sharon Epperson in an interview.

"It's appalling that we're talking about debating whether or not to protect children," said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

McALLEN — A conversation between U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and a group of Rio Grande Valley college students last week focused primarily on federal funds for higher education and pandemic response, and the importance those funds have in the tip of Texas. Cardona was in the Valley last week to talk about President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda. They told Cardona about how it had affected them, or their friends and family members. She told him how displeased she was that that isn’t the case for students at Valley high schools and middle schools. Valley students can do anything, she said, with a little help from Washington.

Saturday, October 9, 2021 & Sunday, October 10, 2021 | “The Zoo” returns on Animal Planet

In a letter Friday, Democrats demanded that the Education Dept. determine in 2 weeks the legality of cancelling $50,000 or more in debt per borrower.

A student debt forgiveness program with notoriously complex eligibility rules is getting an overhaul from the Biden administration, with the intent of extending debt relief to thousands of public workers.

A "60 Minutes" report broadcast Sunday detailed how few active-duty service members had their student loan debt erased.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited Rio Grande Valley students and educators Wednesday afternoon in a quick-paced tour of Hidalgo County.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited Rio Grande Valley students and educators Wednesday afternoon in a quick-paced tour of Hidalgo County.

The Biden administration is overhauling the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. The Department of Education said the changes could benefit more than 550,000 public-sector workers. Seth Frotman, the executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center, joins CBSN's Lana Zak to discuss the changes and who might qualify.

A "60 Minutes" report broadcast Sunday detailed how few active-duty service members had their student loan debt erased.

The Biden administration announced major changes to the public service loan forgiveness program, bringing more than 550,000 borrowers closer to relief.

The Biden administration is moving to relax the rules for a student loan forgiveness program that has been criticized for its notoriously complex requirements.

Rio Grande Valley schools continue to exceed traditional perceptions and many expectations with noteworthy performance.

Cardona spoke about how students, teachers, schools and districts have fared during the pandemic — and what happens now.

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has tried to balance optimism around safe, in-person learning with political pugilism aimed at officials who are making it hard for schools to require masks.

U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela congratulated the four schools in his congressional district that are being recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools, Rising Scholars Academy in San Benito, Zeferino Farias Elementary in Alamo and two elementary schools in Brownsville.

The Brownsville Independent School District announces today that two elementary schools, Dr. Ruben Gallegos Elementary and Mittie A. Pullam Elementary, were named National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. All schools are honored in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores, and graduation rates:Exemplary High Performing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students over the past five years. Pullam Elementary was recognized for Exemplary High Performing and Gallegos Elementary was recognized for Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing. Gallegos and Pullam Elementary were nominated by Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency in February 2021 as two of 26 Texas public schools.

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is hopping a purple bus for his "Return-to-School Road Trip." His message to students and educators: It's good to be back.

Connecticut and a handful of other states have recently decided to mandate students be taught about Native American culture and history.

Alaska Gov_ Mike Dunleavy said President Joe Biden’s effort to require millions of U_S_ workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is “ill conceived, divisive, and un-American.”.

The department sent letters to state leaders in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, warning that mask mandate bans could violate federal protections for students with disabilities.

The Department of Education has sent letters to Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.

The Education Department says it’s investigating five Republican-led states that have banned or limited mask requirements in schools, saying the policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions.

The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday that it will forgive $1.1 billion in student debt for 115,000 borrowers.

The Education Department has announced it will forgive student debt for more than 100,000 borrowers who attended colleges in the now-defunct ITT Technical Institute chain but left before graduating.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit over a South Carolina law that bans school districts from imposing mask mandates.

The Biden administration says the historic amount of federal pandemic aid flowing to the nation's K-12 schools presents a moment for reimagining all aspects of American education.

Cardona said he supports vaccine mandates for teachers and students.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona also said states can't withhold federal funds from schools that impose mask mandates.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has sent a letter to South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and Department of Education Superintendent Molly Spearman, warning against policies that prevent school districts from requiring masks.

The U.S. Department of Education announced on Thursday that it will cancel $5.8 billion in student debt for more than 320,000 borrowers.

The move will wipe out more than $5.8 billion in debt, according to the Education Department.

The move will wipe out more than $5.8 billion in debt, according to the Education Department.

Education Sec. Miguel Cardona announced automatic cancelation for borrowers with total and permanent disabilities, eliminating burdensome paperwork.

The Biden administration says it will automatically erase student loan debt for more than 300,000 Americans with disabilities that leave them unable to earn significant incomes.

Biden instructs Education Department to take 'appropriate' action against governors who ban school mask mandates

President Joe Biden has ordered his Education secretary to explore possible legal action against states that have blocked school mask mandates and other public health measures meant to protect students.

President Biden says he has directed the Secretary of Education to exercise full oversight and explore legal action against governors who attempt to prohibit school mask mandates.

A legal tug of war is playing out in Texas, while Florida districts that enforce mask mandates could risk a state investigation and lost funding. Here's where the school masking battles stand.

The case will be heard Monday after the court paused the counties’ mandates.

The Biden administration sent a letter to Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis suggesting that any school officials penalized over the state's ban of mask mandates could be reimbursed with federal funds.

President Joe Biden’s administration is offering its full-throated support for local cities and school boards in Texas and Florida that are defying orders by their Republican governors that prohibit mask-wearing mandates in schools.

In the past week, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urged pediatricians and school districts to ramp up vaccine clinics.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not "preview" the administration's plan Tuesday for pushing back on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's latest action opposed to federal coronavirus guidance, opting instead to highlight "the courage and the boldness" of other local officials taking steps to "protect students."

On this "Face the Nation" broadcast, Governor Asa Hutchinson and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona talk to John Dickerson.

The following is a transcript of an interview with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona that aired on Sunday, August 8, 2021, on "Face the Nation."

At the beginning of the pandemic, federal student loan borrowers were granted a reprieve on their loan payments. The U.S. Education Department says that reprieve will end on Jan. 31, 2022.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Arkansas Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson, and more appear on Sunday's "Face the Nation"

The Biden administration has announced that federal student loan payments will remain suspended through January 2022, extending a pause that was scheduled to expire next month.

​COVID policies are evolving as ​millions of students and educators head back to class.

​COVID policies are evolving as ​millions of students and educators head back to class.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona emphatically urged "adults" Thursday not to "let politics get in front of what is best for our students," but promised not to cut federal funding for states should they implement policies prohibiting the following of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's coronavirus guidance.

Almost 72,000 young Americans caught COVID last week alone, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Almost 72,000 young Americans caught COVID last week alone, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Students learn best in classrooms, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona tells NPR — but "we have to make sure that we're following mitigation strategies."

A leftist political novice who has promised to be a champion of his country’s poor has been sworn in as Peru’s new president.

The U.S. Department of Education approved Georgia’s plans to use $1.4 billion in federal coronavirus relief money.

More than two-thirds of federal student loan borrowers say it would be difficult for them to resume payments.

“I don’t think anybody should be harassed,” U.S. Rep. Alma Adams said when asked about student concerns at Myers Park High.

The Department of Education announced Friday that $55.6 million of student loan debt would be canceled, bringing the total amount to $1.5 billion.

The U.S. Education Department has announced it will forgive student loans for more than 1,800 borrowers who attended for-profit colleges that made false recruiting claims.

U.S. health officials say vaccinated teachers and students don't need to wear masks inside school buildings.

The U.S. Department of Education distributed $81 billion to help schools reopen and sustain their operations.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has said extending the pause is on the table.

President Joe Biden has told the nation's largest teachers union that the nation's educators need “a raise, not just praise.”.

The U.S. Education Department is loosening the rules around a grant program that’s meant to help aspiring teachers pay for college but has actually left many stuck with debt.

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona says Puerto Rico will receive nearly $4 billion in federal education pandemic relief funds to help boost the U.S. territory’s fight against COVID-19.

The U.S. Education Department on Wednesday expanded its interpretation of federal sex protections to include transgender and gay students.

The U.S. Education Department says it's erasing student debt for thousands of borrowers who attended a for-profit college chain that exaggerated its graduates’ success in finding jobs.

President Joe Biden has met his goal of having most elementary and middle schools open for full, in-person learning in his first 100 days in office.

<figcaption> Students draw their self-portrait, including their masks, in Mrs. Hogan's kindergarten class on the first day of in-person classes at Highland Village Elementary. <cite>Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune</cite> </figcaption>

The Education Department is taking the next step to revise federal rules around campus sexual assault, paving the way for an overhaul of a polarizing Trump-era policy that President Joe Biden has vowed to reverse.

Schools across the U.S. are weighing how to use a windfall from the federal government's latest coronavirus relief package.

AdIn total, about 76% of elementary and middle schools were open for in-person or hybrid learning, while 24% offered remote learning only, according to the survey. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the findings, while encouraging, also showed “critical gaps” for in-person learning, especially for students of color. In January, 38% of fourth graders were learning full-time in-person, compared with 28% of eighth graders, the survey found. Among fourth graders, almost half of white students were learning fully in-person, with just over one-quarter learning online. AdAmong students learning online, the survey found, the amount of time spent with a live teacher also varied greatly.

WASHINGTON – Thousands of students defrauded by for-profit schools will have their federal loans fully erased, the Biden administration announced Thursday, reversing a Trump administration policy that had given them only partial relief. The change could lead to $1 billion in loans being canceled for 72,000 borrowers, all of whom attended for-profit schools, the Education Department said. The borrower defense to repayment program allows students to have their federal loans canceled if they were defrauded by their schools. The Obama administration had expanded the program aimed at helping students who attended for-profit colleges like Corinthian and ITT Technical Institute, which have shut down. The Education Department said a total of 343,331 applications for relief under borrower defense had been received as of Feb. 28.

As part of that effort, first lady Jill Biden visited a school in New Hampshire on Wednesday. Also Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced $10 billion for states to support school COVID-19 testing programs. The Education Department said first lady Jill Biden will deliver opening remarks. The Education Department will begin making the money available this month. AdPresident Biden has ordered states to prioritize teachers in their vaccination plans, and the CDC has released guidelines to help schools reopen.

President Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 relief package in the State Dining Room of the White House, Monday, March 15, 2021, in Washington. Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses have launched an ambitious tour this week to promote the $1.9 trillion plan as a way to battle the pandemic and boost the economy. “We want to avoid a situation where people are unaware of what they’re entitled to,” Harris said at the culinary academy. “Shots in arms and money in pockets,” Biden said at the White House. After beginning the sales campaign with high-profile speeches, Biden will head to Pennsylvania on Tuesday and then join Harris in Georgia on Friday.

AdBiden and Cardona also visited a Pennsylvania middle school on Wednesday. To help nudge that along, Biden said Tuesday he is pushing states to administer at least one coronavirus vaccination to every teacher, school employee and child-care worker by the end of March. He said the president’s directive that teachers and school staff be vaccinated quickly will be “my top priority.”Later Wednesday, Biden and Cardona visited Fort LeBoeuf Middle School in Waterford, Pennsylvania, where parents told them they appreciated that the school district had sought their opinion about reopening. She and Cardona also visited a robotics class at the middle school and a class for students who need or want a little extra push. Biden asked the teacher in the sensory room whether she had seen anxiety in children increasing because of the pandemic.

Also pictured is Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second from right, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, third from right. Among Biden’s 23 nominees with Cabinet rank, just 13 have been confirmed by the Senate, or a little over half. On Tuesday, Biden's Cabinet was thrown into further uncertainty when his nominee to lead the White House budget office, Neera Tanden, withdrew from consideration after her nomination faced opposition from key senators on both sides of the aisle. That must change.”The Biden administration has prioritized confirming those nominees who are key to national security, the economy and public health decisions. The Biden administration has not been completely hamstrung by the slow pace of confirmations, however.

Also pictured is Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second from right, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, third from right. Among Biden’s 23 nominees with Cabinet rank, just 13 have been confirmed by the Senate, or a little over half. On Tuesday, Biden's cabinet was thrown into further uncertainty when his nominee to lead the White House budget office, Neera Tanden, withdrew from consideration after her nomination faced opposition from key senators on both sides of the aisle. That must change.”The Biden administration has prioritized confirming those nominees who are key to national security, the economy and public health decisions. The Biden administration has not been completely hamstrung by the slow pace of confirmations, however.

FILE - In this Feb. 3, 2021, file photo, Education Secretary nominee Miguel Cardona testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Senate has confirmed him as Education Secretary on March 1. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool, File)The Senate voted Monday to confirm Miguel Cardona as education secretary, clearing his way to lead President Joe Biden’s effort to reopen the nation’s schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. AdCardona, who gained attention for his efforts to reopen schools in Connecticut, has vowed to make it his top priority to reopen schools. In an increasingly fractionalized world of education, Cardona has vowed to be a unifier.

More Americans typically turn to community college education amid economic downturns, seeking to learn new job skills or change careers. That troubles advocates and policy makers who cite community colleges as important options for low-income Americans. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, the community colleges enrollment decrease was most pronounced among Black students and Native Americans, groups that both experienced 13% declines over the last year. White and Hispanic community college enrollment fell 10% and Asian enrollment dropped 5%. About 60% of Phoenix College's students are racial minorities, but officials said it’s too early to determine whether minorities experienced disproportionate declines.

Facing criticism that President Joe Biden has not acted aggressively enough on reopening schools, the White House on Thursday said it’s aiming for a full reopening but will defer to science experts on how to achieve it in the middle of a pandemic. The White House drew criticism this week when it said schools would be considered opened if they teach in-person at least one day a week. “I can assure any parent listening that his objective, his commitment, is to ensuring schools are open five days a week,” Psaki said at a press briefing. And this week, the White House said schools would be considered open as long as they teach in-person once a week. Asked why parents should be satisfied with just one day of in-person teaching per week, Psaki appeared to back away from her previous stance.

Some believed it discredited teachers unions that have demanded vaccines before returning to in-person instruction. With the right mix of safety measures in places, teachers unions generally agree the vaccines aren't a condition for reopening. AdBut the plan has drawn fire from critics who say Biden is cowing to teachers unions who see him as an ally. Both of the nation’s two major teachers unions endorsed Biden for president, including the National Education Association, whose 3 million members include first lady Jill Biden, who is a longtime community college professor. Gavin Newsom cited Walensky’s comment as evidence that it’s safe to reopen schools before all teachers get vaccines.

Education Secretary nominee Miguel Cardona testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. On school choice, Cardona said it’s important that families have education options, but that a quality public school must be one of them. Public schools are “the bedrock of our country,” he said, adding that most students attend public schools. AdHis deep roots in public education helped him stand out as a contender to lead the Education Department. During his presidential campaign, Biden had promised to nominate someone with experience in public education.

FILE - In this Aug. 9, 2017, photo, flags decorate a space outside the office of the Education Secretary at the Education Department in Washington. President-elect Joe Biden has chosen the education commissioner for Connecticut and a former public school teacher to serve as education secretary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)President-elect Joe Biden introduced Miguel Cardona as his pick for education secretary on Wednesday, saying Connecticut's education chief and life-long champion of public schools is the right pick to lead the department as the nation struggles to educate students safely during the pandemic. But despite their occasional conflict with him, a coalition of Connecticut education unions supported his candidacy as Biden's education secretary. Beyond the pandemic, Biden's education secretary will also be tasked with reversing an array of policies enacted by DeVos.

FILE - In this Aug. 9, 2017, photo, flags decorate a space outside the office of the Education Secretary at the Education Department in Washington. President-elect Joe Biden has chosen the education commissioner for Connecticut and a former public school teacher to serve as education secretary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Miguel Cardona, Connecticut's education chief and a lifelong champion of public schools, to serve as education secretary. The selection delivers on Biden’s promise to nominate someone with experience working in public education and would fulfill his goal of installing an education chief who stands in sharp contrast to Secretary Betsy DeVos. Despite their occasional conflict with him, a coalition of Connecticut education unions supported his candidacy as Biden's education secretary.