News/Commentary

Biden’s education secretary spending hundreds of millions on ‘equity’ agenda as reading scores tank catastrophically

October 10, 2022 | | Print Article

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is fixated on equity-based education and seems to be ignoring academic priorities as students nationwide are experiencing a “catastrophic” decline in literacy which will have severe consequences down the line.

Learning advocates and parents are slamming President Biden’s education secretary for not even bothering to mention academics in a statement of priorities in connection with the Department of Education’s annual report card, according to Fox News. It shockingly shows the largest score drop in reading among 9-year-old students since 1990.

The DOE has been dumping hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into woke, equity-focused programs and grants that have next to nothing to do with actual learning. Last Wednesday alone the DOE doled out $116 million in grants “to support equity.”

“We’re investing in schools and communities that have shown a commitment to intentionally serving students and closing opportunity gaps based on race,” Cardona stated.

Equity and race are being pushed as opposed to children learning how to read and the blowback for doing so will reportedly spike crime and severely hamper an entire generation of students when it comes to surviving out in the real world.

(Video Credit: Fox News)

The DOE is also shelling out $1 billion in grants via the Safer Communities Act to “advance equity” and to create “inclusive and supportive environments.”

“It is essential that… educators consistently pa[y] close attention to communities that face systemic barriers,” Cardona proclaimed on Sept. 15.

This is nothing new for Cardona. He has been pushing equity since he came on board at the DOE, not academic excellence. Lately, he reportedly seems more interested in pushing abortion than academics.

For instance, in June 2021, he issued a press release through the DOE on school closures that asserted, “We look at this reopening through a lens of equity. I don’t have to tell you that the inequities in education have been a constant.”

Then on Oct. 3, he declared, “There can be no equity in education without digital equity.”

In fact, the DOE, led by Cardona, held a conference solely on advancing equity in education to close the “digital divide.”

“We will ensure our work always means equity,” he vowed, according to Fox News. Later Cardona would clarify that he meant “racial equity.”

In 2022, Cardona also claimed that “encouraging teacher diversity” is a key priority.

“One of my key priorities is elevating & encouraging teacher diversity. Black male educators play a valuable role in our education system,” he stated.

Both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have echoed the Department of Education head concerning equity, diversity, and systemic racism.

Cardona also appears to have a very low opinion of parents objecting to what is being taught to their children.

Parents across the nation have watched the declining literacy rates in horror and have demanded that something be done about it. One mother in Fairfax County, Virginia, named Kristin Jackson is blaming teachers’ unions for her child reading below grade level.

“I don’t think they have the best interests of kids at all,” she charged.

Many other parents share the estimation of the situation.

The national director of research for the American Federation for Children, Corey DeAngelis, blasted Cardona for not addressing academics and accused him of being “owned by… teachers unions,” according to Fox News.

“The Secretary of Education nominated by Joe Biden – who is owned by power-hungry teachers unions – somehow forgot to mention raising the bar academically,” he snarked. “How odd. It clearly must have been an honest mistake.”

Former Secretary of Education William Bennett under President Ronald Reagan pointed out that “[children’s] life chances are radically diminished” when they struggle with literacy.

“Third-grade literacy falling is catastrophic both nationally and individually… When schools fail, the groups that are the hardest hit are those already at highest risk,” he asserted, according to Fox News.

Parents are also blaming Cardona’s social and emotional “wellness” priority.

Cardona doesn’t bother to directly address falling reading and math scores among children. Instead, during an interview with CBS News, he blathered, “We should make sure mental health support access is a foundational part of the experience for our students and staff.”

(Video Credit: CBS News)

“For us, it’s critically important that we provide a foundation for mental health support. Access to mental health supports. That we’re aware of our student’s emotional state. In order for them to grow academically it’s important to take care of the whole child—making sure that they’re ready to learn,” he added and then promoted tutors, after-school learning, and summer school.

He’s also unbelievably pushing for more pay for teachers as all of this is going on.

“I feel that we can fix this,” he said, “if we focus on what we know works, and we support our educators… It’s not just competitive pay. We need to give our teachers agency, better working conditions, and competitive salaries.”

The Department of Education told Fox News Digital in a statement that “Secretary Cardona has made clear that academic recovery is the department’s top priority in speeches, hundreds of visits, and thousands of tweets. Selectively choosing one tweet and ignoring the Secretary’s ongoing, consistent focus on academic recovery is disingenuous and doesn’t serve our nation’s students.”

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Terresa Monroe-Hamilton
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