U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona praised Utah students and teachers during his visit

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona’s visit to Salt Lake County on Wednesday comes at an uncertain time for the 45-year-old federal agency.

President-elect Donald Trump has pledged in the past to close the Department of Education, promising “we will take everything back to the states where it belongs.”

Cardona spent much of Wednesday meeting with students and teachers at two Utah schools. He first met with teachers, social workers and mental health professionals at Kearns Junior High, followed by a visit to Salt Lake Community College’s South City Campus to connect with students involved in career tech programs.

After his visits to the two Utah schools, Cardona was asked about the possible demise of the education department he heads.

He made a direct comment:

“I will leave it up to them what the next government will do,” he said.

But, he added, the educational support programs highlighted during his visits to the two Utah schools were made possible “thanks to a federal Department of Education that understood the needs – and channeled not just money but guidance , resources and support…so they can be successful.”

Utah is the 48th state Cardona has visited since he was appointed to President Joe Biden’s Cabinet. He left impressed by the people he met.

“No matter how nice the building is or how much technology or funding (a school) has – it all comes down to caring people.”

His brief look at Utah revealed support and support.

“My conclusion from my visit here is that there are caring teachers who do what they have to do for their students; who work together to ensure that what their students need, they get.”

Many other states, he added, “can learn from what Utah is doing.”

Cardona asked a roundtable discussion of SLCC students what he and other teachers could offer to help them succeed.

“What I’m hearing is that we need to do more of what they’re already doing well,” he said. “We have (Utah) high school students graduating with college degrees — and not spending $150,000 on a college program. … That shouldn’t be a rare occurrence in the United States. That should be the way we do business.”

The audience of the education secretary’s students Wednesday was a diverse group. Some were first-generation college students. Some had experienced trauma. Some were sometimes forced to miss school to care for their loved ones.

“That’s not a red or blue issue – that’s a student issue,” he said. “It would be great for Senator (Mike) Lee to see what I saw today (for) when decisions need to be made about full-service community colleges or community college funding or increasing the Pell Grants – which President Biden increased by $900 in the last month. over the past four years, providing access and affordability to all students.”

Today’s students, he added, need support to realize their “God-given potential.” Investing in their education benefits everyone.

The Utah student who needs extra support “has better income potential to contribute to Utah’s economy,” Cardona said. “It’s not a red or blue issue – it’s a green issue.”

The nation cannot grow, he said, without investing in education. “So for those people who want to gain political points by attacking DEI or trying to be the hero, you are hurting your state’s economy.

“All students should be successful. I don’t care what you call it – just keep politics out of the classroom. Let’s focus on supporting our students, supporting our institutions like (SLCC) that gives students the opportunity to not only grow, but to help their families and end the cycle of poverty that exists in so many parts of our country exists.”

Lifting students up at a crucial moment

Cardona’s roundtable session at Kearns Junior High focused on the importance of community partnerships and supporting mental health.

Participants included a high school student, a social worker, a school principal, and community service leaders.

Despite the novelty of sitting across the table from the nation’s chief educator, the discussion was informal and interactive, with Cardona leading a friendly conversation.

Highlights included discussions about the role of local churches and high school students in supporting families – and the pandemic’s residual impact on students’ social skills and mental health, including the alarming normalization of student isolation.

Funding, panelists noted, is necessary for mental health care.

And youth, they agreed, can play an important leadership role throughout the education system.

“The best resource we have is our students,” Cardona said. “How we organize them and give them voice and agency will help determine how we move forward.”

The education secretary asked what the roundtable participants would ask if they could “wave a magic wand” and help inform his leadership duties.

“I would like to see early support for parents – as soon as a child is born,” said one participant. “Early education for parents can prevent so much. And the second is to give students access to (faster) mental health care.

“There are six-month waiting lists, and if I have a student who is very suicidal, that’s too long.”

Cardona encouraged the panelists to be leaders who “get it right” as they work with boards of education, school superintendents, legislators and federal officials “who control the purse strings of full-service community schools.”

“You have to make it,” he said. “You have to have one voice around the students.”

The value of community colleges

After wrapping up his tour and discussion at Kearns Junior, Cardona rushed to SLCC’s South City Campus to tour the school’s arts and digital media program. He tried to operate a sound mixer and a camera in the virtual production studio.

He then sat down with a group of SLCC students, including photography, journalism and fashion institute students.

As with the Kearns meeting, the roundtable discussion was informal and open, with students speaking to the education secretary about their varied experiences and suggestions, including advocating for concurrent enrollment programs and hands-on, hands-on learning.

One student shared her ongoing experience as a first-generation college student. She believes that guidance and support for such students is crucial.

SLCC President Greg Peterson joined the roundtable and said one way to crack the code on better student outcomes “is to align the incentives for higher education with K-12 education. …If they’re aligned, it’s a lot easier for us to do a concurrent course. We can overlap many more of those experiences.”

In closing, Cardona called the Bidens “cheerleaders for community colleges” like SLCC.

“We are going to take this school to the next level,” he said, “as a model for what other schools in this country should do to give students the opportunity to succeed at the highest levels.”