Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued the following statement today on President Biden’s intent to nominate Roberto J. Rodríguez for Assistant Secretary of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Education:
“I am grateful President Biden has nominated Roberto J. Rodríguez to serve as Assistant Secretary of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Education. As the son of public-school educators and the grandson of immigrants, Roberto has devoted his career to organizing, supporting, and elevating the voices and vision of educators in the policy-development process. He has a strong track record of shaping bipartisan policy solutions that are informed by the experiences of educators. Roberto is also a fierce advocate for educational equity who will ensure we prioritize, replicate and invest in solutions that work for all students. I am thankful he has once again answered the call to serve our nation’s students and look forward to his confirmation.”
About Roberto J. Rodríguez
Roberto Rodríguez brings extensive policy leadership, expertise, and lifelong commitment to advancing educational equity and opportunity.His distinguished career in public service includes senior government roles across two presidential administrations, on the White House Domestic Policy Council and in the U.S. Senate for the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA). His dedication to education began by elevating the voices of Latino families, students and educators. Over the past two decades, he has played a key role in virtually every major education policy effort and legislative reform at the national level.
Rodríguez is currently President and CEO of Teach Plus, a national non-profit organization dedicated to elevating teacher leadership and voice to advance educational equity. The son of public school educators, his parents and grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Mexico. Rodríguez grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.Ed. from Harvard University. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two children.
On Friday, April 30, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will conclude the "Help is Here" School Reopening Tour, with a visit to Amidon-Bowen Elementary School in Washington, D.C. After the visit, Secretary Cardona will deliver remarks on what he saw throughout the tour and the Biden Administration's efforts to reopen the majority of schools within its first 100 days.
The "Help is Here" tour is part of the Biden-Harris Administration's broader effort to support states, schools, students, parents, and educators as they navigate returning to in-person learning and highlight how the American Rescue Plan will aid them in these efforts. Since launching the tour last month, Secretary Cardona has visited eight schools across seven states, where he has seen and heard about both successes and challenges schools are facing as they work to reopen for in-person learning this spring.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, press access is limited. If you are interested in covering this event, please email press@ed.gov.
| Who : | U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Press: If you are interested in covering this event, please email press@ed.gov |
| What : | Tour of Amidon-Bowen Elementary School |
| When : | 9:05 – 9:35 a.m., ET (Time is subject to change) |
| Where : | Amidon-Bowen Elementary School |
| Who : | U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Press: If you are interested in covering this event, please email press@ed.gov |
| What : | Help is Here” tour speech |
| When : | 10:00 – 10:20 a.m., ET (Time is subject to change) |
| Where : | Amidon-Bowen Elementary School |
By: Sean Addie and Amy Loyd
This week we are joining our colleagues at the U.S. Department of Justice, agencies across the federal government, and our partners across the country to mark National Reentry Week and lift up the important work being done to support individuals reentering society from incarceration. The week also bookends Second Chance Month, and here at the Department of Education, we understand the pivotal role that education plays in helping people rejoin and contribute to society.
Education can have a transformational impact on an individual’s life –– and education plays a vital role in easing an individual’s reentry from jail or prison back into society. In a major study of those released from state prisons, 94% of incarcerated adults nearing release identified education as a key reentry need. According to a 2018 study funded by the Department of Justice and conducted by the RAND Corporation, incarcerated individuals who participated in high-quality correctional education were 48% less likely to return to prison within three years than those who didn’t participate in correctional education. More than 600,000 people leave federal and state prisons each year, and our communities have a stake in ensuring that those individuals equitably reenter society educated, prepared for meaningful employment, reconnected with family and loved ones, and ready to resume or begin productive lives.
Providing high-quality educational opportunities to incarcerated individuals and those reentering society can also play a critical role in advancing the Biden Administration’s commitment to racial equity and economic justice. Black, Latino, and Indigenous people in our country are incarcerated at disproportionately high rates, and already face discrimination in the labor market. Systemic racism has put the promise of America out of reach for too many people, and our agency has a role to play in ensuring more equitable outcomes for people as they leave the justice system.
Multiple offices at the Department of Education have work that intersects with justice system-involved individuals and individuals who will be reentering. For example, our Office of Elementary and Secondary Education operates the Title I, Part D, Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk formula grant program and a technical assistance center to improve educational services for students in local, tribal, and state institutions. These grants include services that provide children and youth returning from correctional facilities or institutions with a support system to ensure their continued education and the involvement of their families and communities as well as opportunities to build knowledge and skills to help them successfully transition back to schools, homes, and communities. The Office of Federal Student Aid operates the Experimental Sites Initiative, which includes providing Pell Grants to a limited set of incarcerated students under the Second Chance Pell Experiment. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has technical assistance centers and resources for individuals with disabilities who are involved in the justice system, and our Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education has several technical assistance initiatives working to improve reentry for incarcerated individuals.
With the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, the Department of Education will further expand the ability to serve incarcerated students by reinstating Pell Grant eligibility for eligible students enrolled in certain prison education programs. This program will be transformational for incarcerated students, allowing them to further their education, obtain postsecondary credentials, and positively impact their families and communities.
Through collaboration, the federal government can leverage resources and elevate voices to move the needle on these issues. And as President Biden said in his Second Chance Month proclamation: “Supporting second chances means … providing quality job training and educational opportunities during incarceration to prepare individuals for the 21st century economy.” The Department of Education is recommitting to providing those second chances so that all people in our country can fulfill their endless potential through education.
Consider visiting the National Reentry Resource Center and Youth.Gov to learn more about what is happening in your community, what the Department is doing to help, and how you can get involved.