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
  • news

    ‘Party Like It’s 1776’ Theme Too Offensive for New Jersey School Prom
    A New Jersey high school principal apologized Friday for a “Party Like It’s 1776” theme at prom. Dennis Perry, principal of Cherry Hill High School East, posted on his Twitter feed an apology for the theme printed on prom tickets, calling the decision “insensitive and irresponsible,” reported Fox News. “I especially apologize to our African-American students,…
    Rob Shimshock
    Read More
  • news

    Remembering Meadow: Her Family Hopes to Prevent More School Massacres
    Julie Pollack, who lost her 18-year-old stepdaughter Meadow in the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, is taking steps she hopes will prevent other students from dying in similar mass murders. Meadow Pollack, a senior, died during the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in which a 19-year-old former student with a rifle…
    Ginny Montalbano
    Read More
  • opinion

    We Hear You: Betsy DeVos ‘Headed in Right Direction’ at Education Department
    Editor's note: The Daily Signal's audience sees Betsy DeVos as a stronger champion of improved public education than her predecessors in the Obama administration, judging by reaction to our recent interviews. We begin with that topic. Don't forget to email us: [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: Thanks for Rob Bluey's interview with Education Secretary Betsy…
    Ken McIntyre
    Read More
  • opinion

    How Homeschoolers Defeated California’s Push to Take Power From Parents
    They came by the hundreds, one newspaper said—“perhaps thousands.” Some traveled hours, others waited hours, all for the opportunity to protest one of the most outrageous homeschooling bills ever introduced: California’s AB 2756. Spilling out into crammed hallways and overflow rooms, families poured into the Statehouse just for the opportunity to spend a few minutes speaking…
    Tony Perkins
    Read More
  • opinion

    New National Test Scores Show Betsy DeVos Was Right About Public Schools
    Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ recent interview with Lesley Stahl on “60 Minutes” caused quite a bit of backlash from critics. As my colleague Jonathan Butcher has written, “60 Minutes” ignored many of the facts about the state of education in America. Response to the interview drew quite a bit of criticism of DeVos and her…
    Mary Clare Amselem
    Read More
  • news

    Purdue University Just Froze Tuition for the 7th Straight Year. Mitch Daniels Explains How.
    Purdue University President Mitch Daniels, the former governor of Indiana and director of President George W. Bush’s Office of Management and Budget, spoke exclusively to The Daily Signal’s Rob Bluey at the Reagan Institute Summit on Education on Thursday. Daniels explained how Purdue has been able to freeze its tuition for seven consecutive years and…
    Robert B. Bluey
    Read More
  • news

    Exclusive: Betsy DeVos Says Federal Government Has Failed to Improve Education
    Education Secretary Betsy DeVos spoke exclusively to The Daily Signal’s Rob Bluey for an on-camera interview at the Reagan Institute Summit on Education on Thursday. This week, the Department of Education released what’s known as the “nation’s report card.” DeVos addressed its disappointing results and how the Trump administration is pursuing reforms to improve education…
    Robert B. Bluey
    Read More
  • opinion

    Student Journalist Says Discipline Policies Weakened School Safety Before Parkland Shooting
    While the media continues to focus on gun control in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, one area student has dug into his school’s policies and found them wanting. Kenneth Preston, a 19-year-old student journalist who attends high school in Broward County, Florida, has done an in-depth investigation…
    Jarrett Stepman
    Read More
  • opinion

    How to Give Military Kids a Flexible, High-Quality Education
    I’m a military brat, along with my five siblings. My dad was a pilot in the Air Force, and being part of a shared community while living on base made for a wonderful childhood. But if there’s anything you learn from being in a big military family, it’s that educating your kids while being in…
    Christine Cooke
    Read More
  • opinion

    Concealed Carry on Campus Is More Common, and Useful, Than You Thought
    Recent tragedies have put a spotlight on the issue of firearms in schools, particularly whether there should be more or fewer armed personnel protecting students in the classroom. What many do not realize is that students and teachers at some colleges and universities have for years been able to arm themselves on school property. Which…
    Amy Swearer | Kyle Becker
    Read More
  • opinion

    Podcast: What School Shooters Have in Common
    Warning signs were abundant prior to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, last month—so why wasn’t it prevented? Aside from protocol failures and lack of sufficient school security, Amy Swearer points to three specific traits that tend to mark school shooters. Swearer joins the podcast to explain what those are. Plus: “Roseanne” makes a major…
    Daniel Davis | Rachel del Guidice
    Read More
  • news

    Brown University Offers ‘Tuition-Free’ Master’s Degree to DACA Recipients
    Brown University plans to offer “tuition-free” master’s degree programs to beneficiaries of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals if the federal government ends the Obama administration protections. DACA, an executive action implemented by then-President Barack Obama, authorized renewable two-year deferrals of deportation along with eligibility for work permits for illegal immigrants brought to this country as…
    Chrissy Clark
    Read More
  • news

    Poll Finds Most Teachers, Students Say They’re Protected From School Shooters
    A majority of teachers say they believe they are protected from shooters entering their school, according to a recent poll. The Gallup poll found that 60 percent of teachers agreed their school is somewhat protected or very protected. Gallup, however, chose to look at the down side with a headline reading: “Four in 10 Teachers…
    Kyle Perisic
    Read More
  • opinion

    3 Common Traits of School Shooters
    It’s time to get serious about school safety.  Nearly 20 years separate the horrible tragedies at Columbine High School in Colorado and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In that time, too little has been done to make our schools safer. That’s why our grieving nation is again searching for a solution. If…
    John G. Malcolm | Amy Swearer
    Read More
  • news

    How This College Conservative Counters Liberal Intolerance on Massachusetts Campuses
    The leader of Republican groups at Massachusetts colleges says the position is rewarding because it allows him to support fellow students, such as the one who felt attacked by a professor who openly derided President Donald Trump. The episode occurred last fall at Bridgewater State University, where Jason Ross is a senior. “It wasn’t a…
    Rachel del Guidice
    Read More
  • news

    Armed School Resource Officer’s Intervention Helps Stop Gunman at Maryland High School
    An armed school resource officer intervened and engaged a gunman who had opened fire at a Maryland school Tuesday morning. “When the shooting took place, our school resource officer, who was stationed inside the school, was alerted to the event and [to] the shots being fired,” St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron said of the…
    Rachel del Guidice
    Read More
  • opinion

    This Education Bill Would Be a Game-Changer for Military Families Like Mine
    As a third-generation Army wife and the mother of four school-age children, I am immensely grateful that my family has had the privilege of living among America’s heroes. Yet, life as a military family has also provided some unique challenges. In the past 15 years of marriage, our family has lived in seven homes at…
    Brooke Medina
    Read More
  • opinion

    House Bill Would Give Military Families the Schooling Options They Deserve
    Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., introduced a proposal on Monday that would create well-deserved educational opportunities for military families. The Education Savings Accounts for Military Families Act of 2018 would allow military families to choose education options that are the right fit for their children instead of having to attend the public schools nearest to base….
    Jude Schwalbach | Lindsey Burke
    Read More
  • news

    This High School Senior Explains Why It’s Better to ‘Walk Up’ to Help Others Than to Walk Out of Classes
    While students across the country protest school shootings Wednesday with walkouts, one senior says her school in Utah is encouraging students to “walk up, not out” and show an act of kindness. “I feel like the media tends to focus a lot on the anger, hurt, and destruction of our youth in society,” Alessa Love,…
    Rachel del Guidice
    Read More
  • opinion

    ‘60 Minutes’ Snubs the Facts on Education
    Beth Richardson is committed to her son’s success. She expected Jed to do his homework once in school, so she did her homework first on the schools near their South Carolina home. “I visited every single school that was available,” she says. She wasn’t satisfied with Jed’s assigned school, and her research led her to…
    Jonathan Butcher
    Read More