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.
Filter articles by
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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
    Read More
  • 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 | Meg Kilgannon
    Read More