U.S. Secretary of Education visits Jackson State, Casey Elementary School

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - “You know it’s time to raise the bar. It’s time to raise the bar.”

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona made a stop in the capital city to discuss the future of education with students and educators.

“So, we’re in a position now where we came together with intentional collaborations to provide arts to provide support that our students need,” Cardona said. “It’s those same coalitions that need to come together with one mission in the same room different folks to say this is so important, we need to keep it.”

The first stop of the day was at Casey Elementary School, where Cardona discussed the importance of continuing after-school programs even after COVID-19 with community-based organizations in Jackson and leaders from Jackson Public Schools.

“Sixty-seven percent of black teachers in JPS come from Jackson State University,” Cardona said. “I can’t think of a better relationship across the country. I have visited 40 states. I can’t think of something this amazing.”

Secretary Cardona then went to JSU, where he met with students who are pursuing careers in education.

He says students like these are needed more than ever.

“We’re working with state legislator officials to make sure that they recognize that we’re close to a crisis here,” Cardona said. “If we’re not investing in our educators if we’re not investing in our students, we can’t expect our students to achieve higher, we can’t expect to lead the world if we’re not investing in our students.”

Cardona, who started his journey in education as a fourth-grade teacher, also talked about the importance of building relationships with children.

“Just remember you teach kids, not curriculum,” he said.

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