Bilingualism is a superpower, with Miguel Cardona, Ed.D.
Meet Our Guest(s):
Miguel Cardona
Prior to founding Cardona Solutions, Miguel dedicated nearly three decades to serving the community in the roles of teacher, award-winning school principal, district leader, commissioner of education for Connecticut, and U.S. secretary of education. As the nation’s 12th secretary of education, he focused on safely reopening and reimagining schools, overhauling higher education accountability, improving access to and affordability of higher education, and providing upward economic mobility to more students across the country.
Miguel earned a bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University, followed by a master’s degree, professional and executive certifications, and a doctorate in education from the University of Connecticut. He also received two honorary doctor of humane letters degrees: one from Southern Connecticut State University and one from Thaddeus Stevens College in Pennsylvania.
Meet our host, Ana Torres.
Ana has been an educator for 30 years, working in both the K–8 and higher education sectors. She served as an administrator and instructor at various public and private colleges and universities and as a bilingual and dual language teacher, dual language math and reading interventionist, dual language instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal in K–8 schools. Ana is currently the Senior Biliteracy and Multilingual Product Specialist at Amplify, and delivers literacy and biliteracy presentations across the nation. Ana’s passion and advocacy for biliteracy and support for all students from all walks of life has led her to educate leaders, teachers, and parents about the positive impact of bilingualism and biliteracy in our world.
Meet our Classroom Insider, Eric Cross.
Eric Cross is a middle school science teacher who hopes to someday be a lifelong educator, like the guests on Beyond My Years! In each episode, Eric connects with host Ana Torres to discuss her guests’ best insights, gleaned from their long and rewarding careers in the classroom. Then, Eric talks about bringing some of their wisdom into his current classroom and busy life.
Transcripts and additional resources:
Quotes
“The brain research has caught up with what we've known. When you are thinking in different languages, your cognitive ability increases.”
“Sympathy isn't always support, so check your expectations underneath it.”
“I am a teacher at heart. I will have that teacher heart until the day I die.”
“Bilingualism is an economic superpower. It is a cognitive superpower.”
“We need hands-on learning, problem-solving. We need to give students a reason to put those phones down.”