Woodson 1

Sumer Woodson

Charlene Summers

ENGL 2311 280

1/27/2022

Original Passage

During his remarks, Secretary Cardona underscored the work the Biden-Harris Administration

has done to help nearly all schools reopen for in-person learning over the last year. When

President Biden assumed office, just 46% of America's schools were open full-time in person.

Today, 96% are open. Because of the American Rescue Plan, guidance from the Department of

Education and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expanded access to tests and testing

resources, and the hard work of educators, families, district leaders, and school communities,

America's students have returned to classrooms across the country. And while the Department

continues to focus on keeping schools open, it is also focused on strategies to help students make

up for lost instructional time, access the mental health supports they need, invest in our

educators, and make improvements in our education system to address inequities that existed

long before the pandemic. Secretary Cardona laid out how the American Rescue Plan is

supporting these efforts now, and how additional investments in our education system can make

even greater improvements in our schools and communities. The Secretary also discussed

strategies to improve America's postsecondary education system, including creating stronger

through-lines between P12 and higher education systems, making postsecondary education more

affordable, and putting students and families first in all the Department of Education's work.

Revision
 Woodson 2

The U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona highlighted the efforts done by the Biden

administration in the education sector in a way to explain how the future will pan out. The

COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the education sector with most schools closing.

However, the Biden-Harris administration has worked to ensure that schools fully reopen. The

administration issued a plan which would keep students safe with the help of the necessary

stakeholders such as communities and leaders. As a result, students have resumed in-person

learning while implementing measures such as frequent testing. In addition, the department has

also introduced tactics to ensure that students can catch up with what they lost during the

pandemic while also taking care of their mental health. Before the pandemic, the education

sector faced various challenges. The department is also working to improve the sector.

Furthermore, the department is receiving additional outside help to improve the different levels

of education including post-secondary through investments. Therefore, the nation need to be

assured of the effort put in by the government to ensure student receive high quality education

and smoothly transition during the pandemic.