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

    Fired Teacher Sues School Board, Claims He Was Terminated for Conservative Political Activism
    Fired Louisiana teacher Jonathan Koeppel is suing his former school board and superintendent on grounds of unlawful termination.  Koeppel was fired in August, he says, for his conservative political activism and for refusing to wear a mask, even though he had received a medical exemption.  “I was told [by school leadership] that my political commentary…
    Virginia Allen
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  • news

    Top Berkeley Scientist Resigns, Says School Excludes Scientists Based on Political Views
    David Romps, director of the Berkeley Atmospheric Sciences Center, publicly resigned Monday over his concern that the school excludes scientists based on their political beliefs. “Excluding people because of their political and social views diminishes the pool of scientists with which members of BASC can interact and reduces the opportunities for learning and collaboration,” Romps…
    Laurel Duggan
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  • news

    #MeToo Groups Silent Over Boy Allegedly Raping Girl in Loudoun School Girls Bathroom
    Advocacy groups that once emphatically urged the public to “believe all women” are now silent over a viral report that a skirt-wearing male student allegedly raped one of his peers in her school bathroom. “The left’s silence on the accusations of sexual assault inside Loudoun County schools is absolutely deafening,” Lauren Adams, legal director of…
    Mary Margaret Olohan
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  • opinion

    Why We Must Protect School Choice
    It takes brave men and women to stand up to the inhumanities that are occurring today. As we see many fighting for our freedoms—holding the line, risking it all—I am motivated to talk about another freedom that we depend on: school choice. Why is school choice important to protect? School choice prevents the government from…
    Eve Deborah
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  • opinion

    Media Ignores Story About ‘Gender-Fluid’ Boy Accused of Raping Girl at School
    If we sat in a boardroom and tried to decide the kind of story that the liberal media is the most hostile to covering—hostile to the point of wishing it had never existed—it may be this: Teenage boy describing himself as “gender-fluid” accused of raping a girl in a high school bathroom. This is a…
    Tim Graham
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  • news

    Seattle School Nixes Halloween Parade for Fear It ‘Marginalizes Students of Color’
    A Seattle elementary school canceled its Halloween parade, citing concerns that the annual event “marginalizes students of color who do not celebrate the holiday,” according to KTTH-AM radio talk-show host Jason Rantz. Benjamin Franklin Day Elementary, part of Seattle Public Schools, also said black males do not celebrate Halloween, Rantz reported. The school administration said its…
    Kendall Tietz
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  • opinion

    In Temporary Win, Mom Gets Dirty Books Removed From School Libraries
    Northern Virginia continues to be a battleground between parents and their school boards over what should be taught in public schools. One of the latest incidents involves books in the libraries of Fairfax County Public Schools that contain graphic depictions of sex between children and adults. Stacy Langton, a Fairfax County mother, made headlines after…
    Douglas Blair
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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 | Sarah Parshall Perry
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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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