and in their occasional series features extensive conversations with historians about their lives and work. many television programs are available as podcasts. you can find them all on the c-span mobile apps or wherever you get your podcasts. next, education secretary miguel cardona outlines the priorities for his department. he spoke about the reopening of schools during the pandemic, and making the education system more inclusive.

>> good morning and welcome. i am a student in washington dc. i'm excited to be here. great to see everyone joining us in person and online. we have students, parents, family and teachers, principled and government leaders.

and and i'm currently a senior at high school, and during the pandemic. this year i have enjoyed leading clubs, and in class with my friends and being part of a strong learning community. after i graduate i look forward to studying mathematics in college. i'm honored to introduce secretary of education miguel cardona. secretary miguel cardona has dedicated his career to educators and families. as an elementary school teacher, school printable, district administrator and most recently commissioner of education for the state of connecticut. he has embraced his work as secretary with great passion over the past 10 months understanding the challenges that students, teachers and

parents are going through. in addition to being secretary of education, miguel cardona is the proud father of two high schoolers and husband of another educator. please join me in giving miguel cardona a round of applause. >> thank you, adam, rebecca, adam's mother. i remember being 5 years old, walking into my first day of kindergarten at john burial entry school. i was so nervous. at that time i was just learning english. i felt i didn't belong. turned out to be a horrible day. my mom had to pick me up early,

not sure if it was the feeling of being overwhelmed, being around bigger kids who spoke and was a lot better than me or maybe a feeling that the challenge ahead was too great but i recall being overcome with an overwhelming fear. my young mother walked from home a few blocks away to come get me from school and on the way home she told me it would be okay. she told me school would open doors for me to be anything i want to be. you were right. i also remember a year and a half ago when i was serving as commissioner of education in connecticut. sitting in my basement in my makeshift office. at that time we were deciding how to reopen schools, knowing excessive school closures would

worsen opportunity's for marginalized students but also knowing the haphazard and sloppy reopening would increase to those i serve. during those moments there were concerns the challenge was too great. my first day of school, it also seemed impossible. an overwhelming fear made people nervous about reopening. today, just one year into president biden's term we know what to do. while i recognize the daily challenges our students, parents and educators still face, we have better tools to keep school safe and thriving amidst the pandemic. we must stay cognizant and supportive of the challenges our heroic educators face daily to keep schools opened today we

must also simultaneously meet this moment in our country's history. a moment to reimagine education through our shared ideals, one where all children, all children can succeed. like my first day of school are working to reopen school the last few years we have a daunting and important task ahead. one that we are prepared to tackle head on at the department of education. we must level up the system of education from prekindergarten to adult education and this is our moment not only to keep schools open but to address the inequities that have existed in our school systems for far too long. our moment to finally make

education the great equalizer. the force that can help every student thrive no matter their background, no matter their zip code, circumstance or the language they speak at home. i am here today to say reopening schools and keeping them open while it is critical is insufficient. our hardest and most important work lies ahead. as educators and leaders, closing educational opportunity acts of making them worse with the decisions we will make in the coming months or years. student success is at stake, not just students we serve today but those but those yet to be born. our country's strength is that stake. our status in the world is at

stake. our task is not only to improve our education system from where it was before the pandemic but to take bolder action to elevate it. how we do this together is what i will focus on today. i would like to take time to outline my vision is your secretary of education for moving forward. we must push with the same urgency as our president did in getting this country back open. there are a few actions that are most different. first we must make sure students thrive during and as we recover from the pandemic. as i noted earlier, safely reopen schools is just the baseline. we must make up for lost time. our schools must offer increased access to mental health support for students, wraparound programs, meaningful and authentic parent and family engagement and intervention for

those who felt the impact of the pandemic or bluntly than others. if missed instruction affected millions of students we must ensure the students receive the most resources. let's come together to ensure that all children in all schools feel connected and supported. i would like to see every high school student in america participate in at least one post curricular activity in their school whether it is being part of an arts program or theater program, athletic or afterschool club. all kids must feel connected and all kids must hear their names in school every day. thanks to president biden's leadership, the american rescue plan, providing $100 billion, schools have the resources to not only stay open but to invest in recovery.

100% of the funds are now in the state's hands for use to support our students, families and educators. across the country cities in rural communities alike, they invest today. to help kids catch up and succeed. strategies like targeted intensive tutoring, afterschool programming, summer programs to meet the needs of students and the demands of the economy. across our country entire communities including parents, educators and students themselves should be brainstorming together about how these resources can be deployed to help schools do this and i would like to challenge our district leaders to set a goal of giving every child that fell behind during the pandemic 30 minutes per day, three times a week with a

well-trained tutor, providing intensive support. we cannot expect teachers to do it all. districts have the american rescue plan fund available to them today to invest in these efforts. schools embed mental health supports to their day-to-day operations in new and innovative ways. every child must have access to a mental health question whether through their school or a community-based organization and districts should use american rescue plan funds now to hire these critical staff and create more partnerships. i visited a high school last year where every student had a learning period dedicated to social and emotional well-being or mental health support on their daily schedule. in their daily schedule.

let's see more of that and work to meet the president's goal of doubling the number of school counselors, social workers and mental health professionals in our schools. we cannot let lack of mental health or other supports lead to exclusionary school discipline for students who are suffering from trauma. we cannot let that happen. time to reimagine holistic support for every student every day and reimagine schools and school systems designed to meet the needs of our learners today. next, to improve and elevate our education system, we must unapologetically address opportunity and achievement gaps that are pervasive in our country. this means acknowledging many of the students underserved during the pandemic are the same students who had to deal with barriers to high-quality education since well before covid 19.

we can't lose this moment, this chance for research in education. by going back to the same pre-pandemic strategies that didn't address inequities for latinos, students from low-income backgrounds or rural communities, students with disabilities, experiencing homelessness for english learners. let's do what america does best, turn crisis into opportunities. increasing funding for title i schools, those serving communities and in many cases those who are hardest hit by the pandemic. it means increasing funding for individuals with disabilities education act so that every eligible child can access a free, appropriate public education. it means not allowing for a culture of low standards or low expectations for some students

and some families over others. it means providing every family and every child the opportunity to start on an equal playing field by providing for universal preschool, and to ensuring coming years that every child can read by third-grade. let's hold ourselves accountable to this. it means more meaningful and authentic parent and family engagement which is a former school principal, i knew partnering with parents is critical. during the pandemic, the process of recovery. it is necessary. all parents voices must be heard. it means honoring native languages and cultures as well as gifts and talents that our students bring.

it means funding and pushing for additional special education teachers and investing in educators in their well-being and recruiting and retaining them. we invest in our students. you for the past two years educators, school personnel, school and district leaders, go from 46%. over 96% of schools opened full-time. that is despite delta, let's not just talk about honoring educators but they sure they are treated with respect and dignity they deserve. it means a livable wage and ongoing professional learning and development. their voices are welcome as

critical partners, to make sure education jobs, they don't want to leave. all of these goals are in our reach. we have the will to make it happen? this cannot be done with federal resources alone. we need our states and districts to take a hard look at their own ways of funding schools. to fix broken systems that perpetuate inequities in schools across the country. to elevate education systems to leave the world we must transform education beyond high school so it works for

everybody and the well-paying, rewarding careers. it is an acceptable in the united states to have a postsecondary education system that further separates the haves and have nots. it also acceptable to be burdened with unmanageable loans. for several decades because you chose to go to college. today, too many talented americans are enrolling in higher education, fear of debt and a feeling college is out of reach. to maintain' neglect in postsecondary education for students and their families. the administration canceled $15 billion in student loan debt. more than any other administration and that is only in our first year in office. we are committed to supporting every student loan borrower when they transition. no one should be forced to make a payment they cannot afford.

to fix the system, holding public service alone, public servants who paid for 10 years can finally get the loan relief they deserve. i am proud that as of last week our changes made 70,000 doctors and nurses, veterans, servicemembers, are eligible for $5 billion in loans. we work with congress to make long-term improvements to public service loan forgiveness and we are committed to holding programs, colleges, and universities accountable. we brought back the enforcement unit to crack down on institutions that defraud our students and because we need to make sure schools that focus on career programs aren't leaving students with debt or good job

opportunities, we've begun to process to create a strong gainful employment world, students will not be taken advantage of. all that we do here, we will be students. as we work to make colleges more affordable and accountable we must also make them more accessible. that means creating stronger college and career pathways on pre-k through k-12 system and two and four your college and workforce partners so our systems lead the world. to get this done, our high school must evolve more quickly. each high school in the country should have at least one career counselor so that every highschooler have great options when they graduate. today is a new day, and requires new thinking. at the department of education

we work with our partners in the department of commerce, the department of labor to develop career preparation programs that run through community colleges. we will continue to invest in colleges that serve underrepresented groups and we will prioritize and increase grants in the board of education that allow any american at any age or any point in their career to pursue higher education. like roof. i miss ruth this summer in michigan. ruth is a middle-aged woman working hard to make ends meat. she had health issues that forced her to go to the hospital during the pandemic. that experience of being in the hospital, it opened her eyes to a future in healthcare. after seeing with the country is going through i will live the rest of my life helping others who are going through this. using a pell grant, she's returning to school to be a nurse practitioner.

it is never too late for any american to go back to school. i challenge states and districts to rethink the link across education systems from pre-k to k-12 to hire adjudication so more people like ruth can reignite their passion and discover new ones. at the the permit of education they do better as a service agents. i visited 90 start in 20 states in the last 12 months. i recognize our field is in great need. the department of education support to them, the government of education values, in the center. with me as secretary of education. we are going to listen and

engage partners in our work through intentional collaboration, intentional collaboration. this collaboration includes students, parents, families, educators, leaders across sectors as we could not accomplish any of this, we tried to do it alone. proactive webinars and meetings, we listened to 8000 parents, thousands of educators, leaders and students, my actions today are driven by what we are hearing. time to level up education in this country. removing silos between systems designed to work together for families across america. strengthening the partnerships with colleagues at the permit of labor, housing and urban development, health and human services, environmental protection to support children, families.

we will work so that all schools can truly house their communities where students, connected to resources and services they need. we are all on the same team and we serve the same families. with unhealthy conditions. it will be diminished. it is done in the biden harris administration. colleagues in the field, i know you are tired, you are stretched, you feel what i felt when trying to reopen school during the first part of the pandemic. it felt impossible. and and a much-needed

transformational shift. we did sign up to serve students. at your work today would have a greater impact, thank you. the actions would have determined that, when students look up to us for academics and we can collectively lead our nation's healing. let's move america forward with a greater sense of urgency and passion and purpose. i chose to speak today so despite our country being in the midst of a surge, i know our children cannot wait any longer. they suffered enough and this is our moment. this is our moment to reimagine education.

this is our moment to lift our students, lift our education system, to lift to a level never before seen. as congressman lewis said, it is not us, then who? if not now, when? students in this room, it is important to have students in the room, riley, madalyn, nora, christian, middle schoolers in the room, college students in the room and to my own, millions of students who benefit from our collective work. this is our moment. we got into this profession to give you opportunities, so you

can have a brighter future. so students today with greater sense of urgency we recommit to fulfill the promise to support you as you seek the education to give you the tools to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. let's get to work. thank you. [applause] ♪♪

>> here's a look at what is live today. at 10 am eastern on c-span the common sense society holds a conference in palm beach county, florida concluding an evening of keynote remarks from governor ron desantis was at 8:30 eastern nato secretary-general speaks to the atlanta council about ongoing tensions between russia and ukraine. the discussion on nato's defense strategy with two supreme allied commander's. former national security advisors from the trump, obama and george w. bush administration to discuss global challenges facing the us. you can watch these events live on c-span.org or on the go with c-span now come our free video apps.

american history tv saturdays on c-span 2, export the people that events patel the american story. at 2:00 pm eastern on the presidency, we look back on the scandal that led up to president richard nixon's resignation. joe shepherd at the time was the youngest lawyer and president nixon's white house staff. he is the author of the nixon conspiracy, watergate and the plot to remove the president. at 8:00 pm eastern on lectures in history, katherine labsday of teaches about politics and culture in the united states. the country changed between the presidencies of thomas jefferson and andrew jackson. exploring the american story. watch american history tv saturday on c-span2 and the full schedule on your program guide or watch online anytime, c-span.org/history.

at least six presidents recorded conversations while in office. here many of those conversations on c-span's new podcast, presidential recordings. >> season one focuses on the presidency of lyndon johnson. you will hear about the 1964 civil rights act, the 1964 presidential campaign, the gulf of tonkin incident, the march on selma and the war in vietnam. not everyone knew they were being recorded. >> certainly johnson's secretaries new because they were tasked with transcribing many of those conversations. they were the ones who made sure the conversations were taped as johnson would signal to them through an open door between his office and there's. >> you will hear some blunt talk. >> a report of the number of people assigned to kennedy the

day he died. if minor not less i want to the list but if i can't go to the bathroom in my own building i won't go anywhere. i will stay behind these black gates. >> reporter: residential recordings on the c-span now mobile apps or wherever you get your podcast. >> brett mcgurk, deputy assistant to the president and middle east coordinator for the national security council talks about the biden administration's foreign policy agenda for the region. topics include negotiations with iran and its return to the jc poa. >> good morning, good afternoon, good evening, truly hope you are safe, sound and healthy. i am mayor david miller, senior fellow, welcome to carnegie connects.