Why I'm Loving Most of Biden's Education Investments

I had the occasion to dig into the Biden education and child care financial plan in some detail because of the work that my wife (primarily) and I (peripherally) support. I was surprised to see how well thought-out in detail it was. There was an excellent visualization of the things that are needed and in what proportions and how they will fit together. For example, of the $112 billion program 1%, or $1.2 billion, is going to summer learning (which is very important for underserved populations who would face undesirable alternatives). What summer learning should consist of was well thought out in order to make it productive. (For example, social-emotional learning is part of the plan.) Similarly appropriate financing for after school activities, which are so important, is well planned and budgeted for. The plan also includes spending on broadband, laptops, and the other tools for connectivity in order to reduce the digital divide. I could go on and on listing many other fundamental necessities that are budgeted and appropriately planned for.  

Also well thought out is whose hands the money will go into. It will largely be place-based partnerships, so that people and organizations that have lots of experience and well-established programs can scale up activities that are proven to work. For these people and these communities, the investments will be like rain landing on dormant seeds on dry ground. I expect that it will lead to a flourishing. 

I call these investments rather than expenses because I believe that these programs will not only make the system fairer but will pay for themselves over the long run because they will lead to greater productivity, lower crime rates, lower incarceration costs, and more social stability. I believe that these programs will be big steps forward toward bringing back the American Dream. 

These programs are led by the Biden administration’s Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, who has lived the American Dream and understands it well. His parents came from Puerto Rico, his dad was a policeman, he was raised in a housing project in Meriden, Connecticut, he graduated from a high school where he focused on automotive studies, he was the first in his family to graduate from his local college where he majored in education, he got a master’s degree and then a doctorate in education, became a 4th grade teacher in the town he grew up in, then a principal there, then his school district’s superintendent, then the Commissioner of Education in Connecticut, and now Secretary of Education for the United States. This guy has the practical knowledge that comes from having seen education at all levels, he has the big picture vision of what’s right and where education should be headed, and he is working with a number of great people around him. 

Of course, the key challenge ahead will to be to get the money deployed fast and well with minimum waste. While I’m sure that it won’t go perfectly, from what I can see the big picture is great--far better than it was and better than any other alternatives that I could imagine