Biden announces DeVos’ replacement

As education commissioner for the state of Connecticut, Miguel Cardona worked to support in-person learning, renewed existing charter schools, and tried to improve education for non-English-speaking students. As President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Education, he will coordinate the administration’s efforts to reopen most schools across the country in the administration’s first 100 days. On Tuesday, Biden announced his plans to nominate Cardona, who will replace outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

What else is Biden up to? After getting a coronavirus vaccine on Monday, he addressed the nation on Tuesday from Wilmington, Del. Though Congress just passed an unprecedented coronavirus stimulus package and budget bill with a price tag totaling $2.3 trillion, Biden said to consider the relief a “down payment” on more to come once he gets in office.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Evan Wilt’s report on DeVos’ historic and contentious Senate confirmation, then check out Laura Edghill’s Schooled update about changes DeVos made to how schools must handle sexual assault complaints.