Biden's Education Chief Says He Avoided 'culture Wars' Despite Goading From Gop Governors

While Republican states were working to limit school history lessons and ban transgender athletes , President Joe Biden's education chief says he was focused on what matters: putting more social workers in schools, expanding summer school and building a pipeline of new teachers.

In an interview during his last days in office, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said he sought distance from the battles waged by Republican governors who he says were out to make a name for themselves.

"I'm not going to get distracted by culture wars," Cardona said. "It's nonsense, and I think the people that spew it, they make a fool of themselves. I don't need to help them."

Cardona said he wants to be remembered for 'substance, not sensationalism." He helped schools reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. He oversaw a historic infusion of federal aid to America's schools. Under his watch, more than 5 million Americans got student loan cancellation .

Yet his time in office will also be remembered for the politics swirling around him. Conservatives and some experts now say COVID school reopenings were too slow, pointing to ongoing academic shortfalls and concerning trends in youth mental health. Even after the pandemic, education became a battleground, as conservatives rallied to rid what some see as "wokeness" being promoted by educators in the classroom. Republican states passed laws limiting what schools can teach about race and sexuality, and many adopted laws and rules banning transgender athletes in school sports.