Kentucky Education Policy Blog

Geoffrey Canada founder of HCZ The incoming Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona is an advocate of wrap around program s and full-service community schools .  As promised, this blog will take a deeper dive into full-service community schools.  The current USDOE discretionary grants program for  Full-Service Community Schools  may see expansion during the Biden Administration.  These schools provide comprehensive academic, social, and health services for students, students’ family members, and community members that will result in improved educational outcomes for children. The idea of full-service community schools is not new.  In the early 20th century, education reformers like John Dewey and institutions like the Hull House in Chicago were dedicated to providing holistic support and wraparound social services to families through the education system.  Schools became civic spaces, recreation centers and primary units of social capital at the neighbor...

The education world has not had a lot to celebrate over the past year.  The weight and burdens of the pandemic, budget challenges, concern for the well being of students, and upheavals over everything from racial justice to safety restrictions have dominated education policy debates.   But this week, anyone who supports public education will celebrate the ascendency of Dr. Miguel Cardona as the new leader at the U.S. Department of Education.  Cardona is expected to replace Secretary Betsy DeVos, who officially resigned from her cabinet post after the attacks on the U.S. Capitol January 6.  DeVos will likely go down in history as the worst Secretary of Education in the history of our Republic.  DeVos's lack of education experience, not only made her completely unqualified for the job, but her tenure will forever be stained by the outright hostility to P-16 public education. But enough about the past, history will record her abuse of predatory for-profit inst...