Education Policy & School Reform News

This section covers K12 policy, school board elections, curriculum transparency, parental rights, school choice, charter and voucher programs, and state and federal rules that shape classrooms. The Daily Signal includes news reports, analysis, commentary, and opinion pieces to explain how these decisions affect students, families, and educators.
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    • News

    After ‘Equity Audit,’ Minnesota Middle School No Longer Gives Students ‘F’ Grades

    A Minnesota middle school will no longer give students “F’s” in an attempt to address “systemic racism” after conducting an “equity audit.” Sunrise Park Middle School in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, announced a new grading scale for the 2021-2022 school year that does not include anything under 50% or any “F’s,” according to a video posted to…
    Kendall Tietz
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    • Opinion

    Allowing Kids to Enjoy Childhood Is One of My Top Reasons for Homeschooling

    We are told children grow too fast. If we blink, we’ll miss it. As my eldest turned 11 this week, this realization hits me particularly hard. But I consider myself fortunate to be able to closely grow with my children, because eight years ago I decided to homeschool them. Homeschooling has been such a blessing…
    Eve Deborah
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    • Opinion

    When It Comes to Education, Charity Can Change Lives

    Government-run schools fail kids. Teachers unions and education bureaucrats say, “We need more money!”   But America already spends a fortune on public schools. My town, New York City, spends $28,000 per student—half-a-million dollars per classroom! Think about what you could do with that money: Hire five teachers? Pay for private tutors? Where does the…
    John Stossel
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    • News

    University Says ‘Action Could Be Taken’ Against Students for ‘Misgendering’ or ‘Pronoun Misuse’

    Students at Point Park University in Pittsburgh received an email that said “action could be taken” over complaints of “misgendering” or “pronoun misuse,” according to the school’s anti-discrimination policy, Campus Reform reported. Point Park University’s “Misgendering, Pronoun Misuse and Deadnaming Policy” said that “any individual who has been informed of another person’s gender identity, pronouns,…
    Kendall Tietz
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    • Opinion

    Fired High School Football Coach Appeals Prayer Case to Supreme Court

    Attorneys for Joe Kennedy, the Washington state high school football coach fired in 2016 for praying briefly with members of his team after games, have petitioned the Supreme Court to hear his case and to reverse a lower court decision. Previously, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit found it was lawful for the…
    Nicole Russell
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    • News

    Kentucky Lawmakers Override Governor, Expel School Mask Mandate

    Kentucky’s Republican Legislature overrode the state’s Democratic governor late Thursday and repealed a statewide public school mask mandate. The move, reported by the Louisville Courier Journal, came on the final day of a special session called by Gov. Andy Beshear. The mask mandate was repealed as cases in the state increased for the 10th straight week, and…
    Andrew Trunsky
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    • Opinion

    Antifa Teacher’s Indoctrination Attempts Should Outrage—and Mobilize—Public School Parents

    “Public schools are trying to indoctrinate our kids!” When parents hear statements like this, all too often they dismiss it as a right-wing conspiracy theory. But the evidence is piling up that shows this is not just a theory, and it’s time for parents to start taking indoctrination in school seriously. The latest example of…
    Mary Clare Amselem
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    • Opinion

    New School Year Brings New Education Options for Kids and Families

    Over a million additional students will be eligible to use private school choice options this school year, thanks to the legislative boom across the country in 2021. Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and curriculum controversies related to critical race theory, 18 states have either expanded or established a combined 28 school choice programs, earning 2021…
    John Schoof
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    • Opinion

    Office for Civil Rights Sticks Its Nose Unnecessarily Into School Masks Debate

    To our knowledge, not a single state, school district, or individual school has banned students from wearing masks in the classroom. Yet, the ever-politicized Office for Civil Rights within the U.S. Department of Education has decided to use the heft of the federal government to investigate states that don’t mandate children to wear masks. The…
    Lindsey Burke
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    • Opinion

    Back to (What Kind of) School? Transgenderism, Yes; Testing, No

    When I was in public school, a TV ad asked: “It’s 10 o’clock. Do you know where your children are?” Here’s a better question for today: “Do you know what your children are being taught and exposed to in their schools?” This summer’s controversy over the teaching of critical race theory and whether to wear…
    Cal Thomas
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    • Opinion

    Utah Teacher’s Anti-Parent Rant Exposes Broader, Disturbing Education Agenda

    On the first day of school last week in a Utah high school classroom, chemistry teacher Leah Kinyon had little to say about chemistry, but a lot to say about what she regards as the stupidity of parents. In the course of a wide-ranging political tirade caught on video by students, Kinyon said, “Most of…
    Kimberly Ells
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    • Opinion

    As School Year Begins, Kids Have More Educational Options

    School is back in session—or will be soon—for students across America. As they head back to the classroom, many of our children will encounter a different environment this year. With debates about mask mandates and critical race theory garnering headlines, another underreported story is reshaping American education. Corey DeAngelis, national research director for the American…
    Robert B. Bluey
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    • Opinion

    2 Employees Sue Missouri School District Over ‘Equity’ Training

    Public school employees Brooke Henderson and Jennifer Lumley have had it with the racially discriminatory training sessions taking place in their school district in Springfield, Missouri. The women filed suit Wednesday in federal court, arguing that Springfield Public Schools violated their right to free speech under the First Amendment by forcing them to affirm beliefs…
    Sarah Parshall Perry
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    • News

    Mom Rebels as Elementary School Creates ‘Black Classes’ to Segregate Children

    A mother filed a federal complaint against her child’s Atlanta elementary school after students were reportedly separated into classes based on their race, her lawyer told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Kira Posey filed a complaint to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights after learning her child and 11 other black students…
    Harry Wilmerding
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    • Opinion

    I’m a Teacher. Parents Should Know That School Districts Hide an Ideology of ‘Unlimited’ Gender.

    As a former secondary school English teacher, I believe definitions are important. As a current special education teacher, I believe communication with parents is essential.  And as a former school board member, I believe transparency to taxpayers, who fund public education, is obligatory.  Unfortunately, authorities in public school districts in charge of pre-K through grade 12…
    Brenda Lebsack
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    • News

    Are These 7 LGBT ‘Kids’ Books in Your Child’s Classroom or School Library?

    Warning: Some content may be inappropriate for children.  Children are learning about gay marriage, preferred pronouns, and gender identity, thanks to woke children’s books. “I have a girl brain, but a boy body,” the book “I Am Jazz” says. “This is called transgender. I was born this way.”  “I Am Jazz” was published in 2014…
    Virginia Allen
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    • Opinion

    How Back to School Is Different, Again, This Year

    It’s back-to-school time. Like every other year, children are excited about new teachers, new experiences, new clothes, and maybe even some new friends. But for many families, going back to school is not business as usual this year. In many cases, temporary changes to education brought on by COVID-19 have become permanent. Perhaps the biggest change is…
    Joseph Backholm
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    • Opinion

    British Chaplain Reported to Counterterrorism Agency After Questioning School’s ‘LGBT Stuff’

    Holding to the biblical definition of male and female has cost the Rev. Bernard Randall his job.  Randall served as chaplain of Trent College, a day and boarding school in Derbyshire, England, for four years. He delivered a sermon to students on the topic of gender identity in 2019.  “So, all in all, if you…
    Virginia Allen
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    • Opinion

    How 2 Unconventional Education Styles Fostered a Love for America’s Founding

    The National Education Association adopted a strategy to impose critical race theory in 14,000 school districts in all 50 states. The association’s decision to promote critical race theory is unsurprising considering it claims America suffers from systemic racism. Public schools, including schools in Loudoun County, Virginia, have added racial diversity books to their classroom libraries….
    Julea Pehl
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    • Opinion

    Do Student Suspensions Really Cause a ‘School-to-Prison Pipeline’?

    The Biden administration is picking up where the Obama administration left off in trying to dictate to local school districts how they should best discipline students.  Its justification for acting as national school principal is based on the claim that suspending students harms them by excluding them from the learning environment and by stigmatizing them…
    Jay Greene
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