Education News
Reports on education reform, school choice, and classroom policies. The Daily Signal provides conservative commentary and opinion alongside education news.
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- Opinion
It’s a Problem When the Goal of School Meals Is No Longer Just to Serve Students in Need
The White House wants every K-12 student to be part of the welfare system. And in its zeal to achieve that goal, pesky things like Congress or the risk of expanding already poorly performing programs pose no obstacles. President Joe Biden’s administration is continuing the work of President Barack Obama’s team and trying to put…Jonathan Butcher -
- Opinion
‘He’s Wrong,’ Expert Says as Education Secretary Implies Book Banning Responsible for Falling Civics, History Scores
The test results are in, and America’s children are failing history and civics. According to the “Nation’s Report Card,” just 13% of eighth graders are proficient in U.S. history, and only 22% are proficient in civics. Every four years, the National Assessment of Educational Progress captures how well America’s students are performing in major subjects….Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Red States Ban Destructive Transgender Treatments as K-12 Schools Funnel Children to Dangerous Path
Citing “very serious side effects” and a “lack of reliable scientific evidence for their efficacy and safety,” Missouri is clamping down on chemical and surgical gender transition interventions for both children and adults. The move comes as public schools across the nation push children toward transgenderism with organized efforts and intentional tactics that leave children’s…Keri D. Ingraham -
- Opinion
‘We’re Not Doing That Here,’ Oklahoma Schools Superintendent Says of DEI Instruction
Oklahoma is taking a lead on school choice programs and resisting far-left ideology in classrooms across the state. “It is amazing how aggressive the Biden administration is with this radical agenda towards our schools,” Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public instruction, says. When he came into office, Walters says he told staffers there, “We’re…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
The School Choice Momentum Continues Nationwide
Education choice is on the march. So far this year, four states have enacted education choice policies that will be available to all K-12 students. Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, and Utah have now joined Arizona and West Virginia in making every child eligible for education savings accounts or ESA-like policies that allow families to choose the…Jason Bedrick -
- Opinion
Parents Get Back in Charge of Their Children’s Education
Parents in the pandemic era have asserted themselves with new vigor for the sake of their children. Parents no longer presume that the zoned public school is the right fit, or that the school puts students first. Nor do parents presume that most teachers wish to reproduce the values of the community. Since 2020, Americans’…Adam Kissel -
- News
School Allows Reading of LGBT Book to Second Graders Despite State Law Requiring Parental Consent
A Missouri elementary school allowed a parent to read the transgender-promoting children’s book “I Am Jazz” to a second-grade class without first informing other parents, although state law requires school districts to notify parents beforehand about lessons on sexuality. Webster Groves School District, located in the suburbs of St. Louis, allowed the parent to read…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- News
4 Highlights From Teachers Union Head Randi Weingarten’s Testimony on School Lockdowns
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, fielded lawmakers’ questions Wednesday about her powerful union’s role in school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weingarten, who leads the nation’s second-largest teachers union, testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on why the AFT pushed school lockdowns. The New York Post reported…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
What Bud Light Scandal Could Teach Us About School Choice
One of the most effective levers of influence in a free market system is the ability for consumers to take their business elsewhere. When Gillette released a marketing campaign in 2019 designed around criticizing “toxic masculinity,” alienating millions of men around the country, consumers responded by taking their business (about $5 billion of it) elsewhere. …Tony Kinnett -
- Opinion
Marxian Education
Some schools are ditching traditional grading. Instead, they use “labor-based grading,” an idea promoted by Arizona State University professor Asao Inoue. Labor-based grading means basing grades more on effort than the quality of work. In addition, Inoue lectured a conference of rhetoric professors “stop saying that we have to teach this dominant English. … If…John Stossel -
- Opinion
New Book Pulls Back Curtain on Public Schools’ ‘Mediocrity’ Sending Parents, Students to Exits
Connor Boyack and Corey DeAngelis’ new book, “Mediocrity: 40 Ways Government Schools Are Failing Today’s Students,” provides a concise explanation for why Americans have begun abandoning the woefully inept public school system. Forty chapters rife with examples of failure paint the American public school system as a catalyst for the exodus to alternative options. Case…Tony Kinnett -
- Opinion
A Christian College Becomes Bastion of Student-Led Censorship
Free speech and free inquiry are in bad shape on college campuses. You might hope that things would be better on avowedly Christian campuses, but if Whitworth University is any indication, they aren’t. On April 12, Whitworth’s student government voted 9-4 to deny a conservative group’s request to invite Chinese dissident Xi Van Fleet to…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- News
Larry Arnn Reveals Secret of Hillsdale College’s Success
OXON HILL, Md.—Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn criticized the overcomplication of learning in K-12 schools and universities across the nation, calling for America to return to “the classics.” Speaking at The Heritage Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Leadership Summit on Friday, Arnn picked apart the critical flaws in how progressives view the classroom in a discussion with…Tony Kinnett -
- News
State Officials Share Wins on Life, Election Integrity, Education
OXON HILL, Md.—After participating in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court case that overturned the Roe v. Wade abortion decision, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said the credit goes to the entire pro-life movement. “We did this together,” Fitch told the crowd at The Heritage Foundation’s 50th anniversary celebration event on Thursday….Fred Lucas -
- News
Education Reform Group, Communism Watchdog Receive Heritage Foundation Innovation Prizes, Among Others
The Heritage Foundation awarded five organizations a prize for innovation on Thursday during its 50th anniversary celebration. The Heritage Innovation Prize is an annual award given to successful nonprofits in regard to research, litigation, education, outreach, or communications. Each year a group of recipients is selected and up to $1 million in prize money is…Jarrett Stepman -
- Opinion
Opposing Porn in School Makes You Part of New ‘Uptown Klan,’ SPLC Researcher Says
Do you think parents should have a say in their children's education, that kids shouldn't be judged according to the color of their skin, that parents should know if their children say they identify as transgender, or that books with explicit sexual images should be removed from school libraries? If so, you represent a threat…Tyler O’Neil -
- Opinion
UN Population Panel Meeting Implodes Over Push for Radical Sexuality Education for Kids
A major United Nations meeting has collapsed because of its promotion of radical sexuality education for children. The 56th session of the Commission on Population and Development concluded April 14 with no negotiated outcome between governments, resulting in the failure of yet another multimillion-dollar U.N. session as a result of vociferous opposition to extreme ideological…Rachana Chhin -
- Opinion
Medical Schools Look for Activists, Not Healers
What qualities should medical schools look for in future doctors? Probably academic excellence, experience in the medical sector, loyalty to medical ethics, and good interpersonal skills. These are all characteristics that future doctors should have, but they’re not what medical schools now emphasize. Medical schools are looking for social justice zealots to advance the diversity,…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- Opinion
Arkansas Enacts Given Name Act. Here’s What Parents of Schoolchildren There—and Elsewhere—Need to Know.
Arkansas lawmakers delivered a clear message to parents of K-12 students this week: You have the right to know how your child is being treated in school. Lawmakers in New Jersey, California, and hundreds of other school districts across the U.S. operating under policies that do the opposite and allow school officials to hide information…Jonathan Butcher -
- Opinion
Handful of Colleges Hold Out, Push Back on Cultural Marxism on Campus
Former University of Kentucky championship swimmer Riley Gaines was recently assaulted by demonstrators at San Francisco State University for her support of keeping biological men out of women’s sports. Federal Appeals Court Judge Kyle Duncan was shouted down at Stanford Law School. Cornell University’s student government recently passed a resolution calling for automatic trigger warnings from faculty—though,…Katharine Gorka