US Secretary of Education visits UW-Madison on “Back to School Roadtrip”

Students and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison discussed US Secretary of Education Michael Cardona’s intentions to make UW-Madison as safe and as in person as possible for the future during its “Return to School”. Roadtrip school “Tuesday.

Cardona began the school year with a five-day tour, visiting schools from kindergarten to college across the Midwest to explain President Joe Biden’s plan for a safer, more “normal” school year. Madison was the second stop on the secretary’s journey.

Cardona focused on a theme in each place he visited. The theme of UW-Madison was to “celebrate public service”And its importance to every community, including the greater Madison area.

Public service has played an important role in student participation at UW-Madison, as approximately 83% of UW-Madison students report participating in volunteer opportunities, according to a university report. The report also noted that 1,060 UW-Madison students volunteered in the past year.

As part of her commitment to public service, Cardona spoke with students from UW-Madison’s Special Education Teacher Certification Program.

The Special Education Teachers Program offers participating students $ 38,800 during their residency in return for a three-year teaching appointment. The US Department of Education provided $ 2.5 million in funding for the program.

“Secretary Cardona was very passionate about education in general and special education in particular” says Bo Blocker, program graduate and special education teacher in Wisconsin. “He was so positive and thought about how to make positive change through politics and culture, and how to uplift the teaching profession. It was a great conversation.

Cardona also spoke with students at the Latinx Community Center to commemorate Latinx Heritage Month, as it is the first Latinx person to serve as secretary of education. He ended his tour by attending the Civil Service Fair.