Education Policy & School Reform News

Anti-Catholic prejudice, which spread like gangrene in the 19th and 20th centuries, often manifested itself in so-called Blaine Amendments, which enabled government discrimination against religious families, students, and schools. This month, the Supreme Court will have the opportunity to overturn one such law. In Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, the court will examine Montana’s…

Should families be able to use school choice tax credits on religious schools? That’s the question that’s at the heart of Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which the Supreme Court is hearing Wednesday. Heritage Foundation legal scholar and host of the podcast “SCOTUS 101” Elizabeth Slattery breaks down the case for us. Read a…

The Supreme Court returned Monday for oral arguments after a lengthy holiday break. During the court’s January sitting, the justices will hear arguments in eight cases, including ones dealing with school choice and the “Bridgegate” scandal. The justices already have heard arguments in cases involving the Second Amendment, Obamacare, and whether federal law covers claims…

What does it mean to truly be educated? Great Hearts Academies, a series of charter schools in Texas and Arizona, is focused on a classical curriculum. “We are trying to provide a form of education where our students’ loves are tapped into. They begin to learn to love what is true. They are drawn to…

What do you do when your community faces crushing poverty, failing schools, and disturbing homicide rates? In Baltimore, the answer is: Ban plastic bags, of course. Yes, Charm City is saving the world, one plastic bag at a time. The Baltimore City Council passed a citywide ban on retailers’ use of plastic bags at checkout…

Editor's note: Count on The Daily Signal's audience to have a lot to say on the state of public education and other topics, as this week's mailbag reveals. You can join in by emailing [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: Excellent article by Fred Lucas about the education failures of the Great Society (“Why LBJ’s Great…

I live in Fairfax County, Virginia, which has the 10th-largest public school district in the nation, but I never focused on our public schools. My kids go to Catholic schools, and that was the center of our universe. I never focused, that is, until I heard that the Fairfax County School Board voted to let…

Editor's note: We’re back with a roundup of your emails, beginning with one on the state of public schools from a correspondent who recently moved from California to Virginia. Don’t forget to write us at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: About your "Back to School Edition" roundup of reader comments: I served on a consultative…

With the school year in full swing, anxious parents hope their children are content in their local schools. Families worry about finding the right school environment for their children, especially since every child learns differently. Take the Gilbert family, in Florida, whose story captures the importance of having multiple education options. Four of their five…

This week on “Problematic Women” we talk with Lindsey Burke, The Heritage Foundation’s education fellow, about a new collection of essays, “The Not-So-Great Society.” Burke, co-editor of the project, discusses what Lyndon B. Johnson’s programs really did for public education, and it’s little that is positive. She also suggests how we can begin to solve…

Last year brought a whirlwind of education opportunities to Puerto Rican families. The island’s first charter school, Proyecto Vimenti, opened to serve disadvantaged children. The commonwealth’s legislature approved a private school scholarship program for children who are bullied, experience sexual harassment, or who have special needs. These were notable victories for families where most have…

In a significant win for religious liberty, a federal court last month ruled that a state university in Iowa can’t require a Christian student organization to have non-Christian leaders. The court ruled that the university had discriminated against the Christian group and that top university officers, including the vice president, must pay out of their…

West Point High School French teacher Peter Vlaming is a soft-spoken man who was well loved by his students. He wasn’t looking for a fight. He was just looking to do his job. But when the school demanded that he use male pronouns for a biological girl student who had decided to identify as a…