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Raise the Bar, Lead the World.
On January 24,2023, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona addressed the public with the
Department of Education Priorities. In his introduction, there was a video that was titled “Raise
The Bar for Student Success” that played. “Raise the Bar '' was used throughout the speech and it
is the clear message/initiative that the Department of Education is relaying to us. "Raise the bar
for student success" is a phrase that generally implies setting higher standards, expectations, and
goals for students in their academic pursuits. The 3 main goals stated by Secretary Cardona for
Raising the Bar are: achieving academic excellence, improving learning conditions, and creating
pathways for global engagement.
The first goal in Raising The Bar is achieving academic excellence. Secretary Cardona
states in his address that we should be setting the standards higher for reading and mathematics,
fostering internal passion for reading, embracing the arts and access to financial literacy.
(Secretary Cardona on Department of Education Priorities, 2023) The second goal addressed
was improving learning conditions. Two points that were made in this portion was to eliminate
teacher shortage and to invest in every student's mental health. Cardona mentions that increasing
teacher pay and eliminating student-loans for teachers is crucial in eliminating the teacher
shortage and that the Department of Education has put in place the Bipartisan Safer Communities
Act to give access to mental health support for all students. (Secretary Cardona on Department
of Education Priorities, 2023) Creating pathways for global engagement is the third goal that
was addressed; ensuring that every student has a pathway to college or a career and to provide
every student with a pathway to multilingualism. According to Cardona, the pathways from k-12
to colleges are disconnected and that to build that bridge between them is to infuse the laws and
policies like the Chips and Science Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law into K-12
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education. (Secretary Cardona on Department of Education Priorities, 2023) Cardona lastly
talks about the benefits of multilingualism and how it should be encouraged and that there are
funds to help with multicultural needs like Title 3 funding. He mentions that being bilingual and
bicultural is a superpower and should be praised upon graduation. People that are bilingual excel
in the global market where they are embraced and valued. (Secretary Cardona on Department of
Education Priorities, 2023)
Potential Implications for Schools:
There implications of the Raise the Bar are particularly more for K-12 schools rather than
higher education. With the 3 goals listed, the implications for school are evident. Schools must
increase academic rigor by revisiting and revising their curriculum to challenge students at a
higher level, ensuring that the academic content is both rigorous and relevant. There also may
need professional development for educators. Teachers may require additional training and
support to effectively implement more demanding educational standards and cater to diverse
learning needs. Further implications would be to focus on a holistic approach to education.
Building relationships with students, focusing on their emotional, social, and physical
development needs, not just academics. Lastly, getting parents and the community involved is a
major part of influencing the culture of education.
Conclusion
In conclusion, "Raise the Bar, Lead the World", Education Secretary Miguel Cardona's
vision for the Department of Education's priorities, emphasizes the importance of setting higher
standards and expectations for student success. Through the initiative of "Raising the Bar," the
US Education System should strive to achieve the three main goals of achieving academic
excellence, improving learning conditions, and creating pathways for global engagement. By
