Statement by Secretary Cardona on President Biden’s Nomination of Roberto J. Rodríguez

Archived Information

Statement by Secretary Cardona on President Biden’s Nomination of Roberto J. Rodríguez

April 28, 2021

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued the following statement today on President Biden’s intent to nominate Roberto J. Rodríguez for Assistant Secretary of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Education:

“I am grateful President Biden has nominated Roberto J. Rodríguez to serve as Assistant Secretary of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Education. As the son of public-school educators and the grandson of immigrants, Roberto has devoted his career to organizing, supporting, and elevating the voices and vision of educators in the policy-development process. He has a strong track record of shaping bipartisan policy solutions that are informed by the experiences of educators. Roberto is also a fierce advocate for educational equity who will ensure we prioritize, replicate and invest in solutions that work for all students. I am thankful he has once again answered the call to serve our nation’s students and look forward to his confirmation.”

About Roberto J. Rodríguez

Roberto Rodríguez brings extensive policy leadership, expertise, and lifelong commitment to advancing educational equity and opportunity.His distinguished career in public service includes senior government roles across two presidential administrations, on the White House Domestic Policy Council and in the U.S. Senate for the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA).  His dedication to education began by elevating the voices of Latino families, students and educators.  Over the past two decades, he has played a key role in virtually every major education policy effort and legislative reform at the national level.

Rodríguez is currently President and CEO of Teach Plus, a national non-profit organization dedicated to elevating teacher leadership and voice to advance educational equity. The son of public school educators, his parents and grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Mexico.  Rodríguez grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.Ed. from Harvard University.  He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two children.