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
Homeschooling Is on the Rise. Here Are 4 Tips to Effectively Homeschool Your Children.
I wish I had been given more advice about homeschooling when I first started about eight years ago. I didn’t know the first thing about home education. I felt unsure and nervous. The weight of responsibility on my shoulders was nerve-racking. I can’t say homeschooling is easy, but it is rewarding. If you are thinking…Eve Deborah -
- News
Connecticut Parents Claim Schools Teach Kindergarteners About Transgenderism
Connecticut parents claimed a school district is indoctrinating elementary school students about transgenderism, including with a book for kindergarteners. Officials of the West Hartford Public Schools told parents that they could not opt out from the materials, according to a release from advocacy group Parents Defending Education. The reading list for kindergarteners included the book “Introducing…Harold Hutchison -
- News
Parent Activists Warn That Fight for Education Far From Over
Parent activists, school board members, and a congressman gathered Monday in Washington to remind Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Justice Department that the fight for education is only just beginning. “Whether it’s radical transgender policies in our schools, whether it’s putting masks on our children, which is paramount to child abuse, whether it’s forcing…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- Opinion
The Rise of ‘Chief Diversity Officers’ at K-12 Schools
Diversity officers slowly are corrupting K-12 education by bringing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives into schools and teaching children divisive topics such as critical race theory, a Heritage Foundation scholar says. A new report from Jay Greene, a senior research fellow in education at Heritage, highlights how harmful these diversity officers and their initiatives can…Douglas Blair -
- Opinion
Future of Schools and Critical Race Theory After Youngkin’s Victory
Following Republican Glenn Youngkin’s victory on Nov. 2 over Democratic incumbent Gov. Terry McAuliffe for the governorship of Virginia and Democratic incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy’s narrow win for the governorship of New Jersey, commentators on both sides—conservatives and liberals—are interpreting the outcomes from opposing perspectives. Education was at the center of the gubernatorial contests this…Jonathan Butcher -
- News
School Choice Denied to Most Rhode Island Families, but Not These Union Teachers
A local chapter of the nation’s largest teachers union has acknowledged the importance of school choice, at least for its own members. Thanks to an agreement quietly reached between the South Kingstown, Rhode Island, chapter of the National Education Association and the South Kingstown School Department, teachers there now have access to an exclusive school…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
How Montana’s Revamped Focus Makes for Better K-12 Civics Education
Civics education has become a flashpoint in American politics. Many schools are asking how students should learn about themselves and their country in a way that fully encompasses American history, both good and bad. Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen recently updated the state’s standards for social studies to better teach students about civics…Douglas Blair -
- News
Fact Check: Is Critical Race Theory Taught in Virginia Schools?
Throughout election night, as it became clear Republican Glenn Youngkin would win the Virginia governor’s race, numerous left-leaning media commentators insisted that critical race theory isn’t being taught in Virginia public schools. Various media personalities—some professing to be on the news side, others on the opinion side—repeated the assertion both before and after the election…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Virginia Election Proves That Americans Reject Critical Race Theory
Critical race theory proponents have just learned the hard way the folly of their strategy. The American people reject the politicization of the classroom, the office, the military, and the houses of worship that has exploded since the civil disturbances of 2020. But the lesson cuts both ways. Now, politicians who have discovered they can…Mike Gonzalez -
- News
Taxpayers Take School Board to Court for Trying to Silence Parents’ Criticism
Four taxpayers in Pennsylvania have decided enough is enough after footing the bill for a school board attorney who told them that the school system could limit their First Amendment rights. The taxpayers filed a free speech lawsuit in federal court that could set a precedent for invalidating policies that shield both school administrators and…Kevin Mooney -
- News
Schools Chief Complained That Sheriff Rejected Request to Monitor Parents as ‘Extraordinary’
A county schools superintendent in Virginia complained to the county sheriff’s office over its rejection of “extraordinary” security requests for school board meetings in August, documents reviewed by The Daily Caller News Foundation show. Loudoun County School Superintendent Scott Ziegler requested personnel, a K-9 sweep, and undercover presence from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, which…Kendall Tietz -
- Opinion
Left Thinks It Should Be in Charge of Education, Not Parents
The left has a new message for parents concerned about critical race theory and similar ideologies being foisted on their children in public schools: Sit down and shut up. The left has already pretty much abandoned the “critical race theory is not in schools” narrative. Parents just aren’t buying this absurdity. It’s clear that ideas…Jarrett Stepman -
- News
‘There Is No Rational Debate’: Loudoun County School Board Chair Trashes Parents
Brenda Sheridan, chair of the Loudoun County Public Schools board, criticized parents protesting the use of critical race theory in schools, claiming “[t]here is no rational debate” on the issue. Sheridan made the comments during an interview with Chuck Todd during the Oct. 27 episode of “Meet the Press Reports,” a weekly podcast. “I’ll echo that we…Harold Hutchison -
- News
Mom to Sue After Son Vaccinated at School Without Consent
A Louisiana mother is threatening to sue, claiming that her 16-year-old son was vaccinated for COVID-19 while at his Jefferson Parish high school without her consent. Jennifer Ravain alleged that during a visit by an Ochsner Health System mobile vaccination clinic to East Jefferson High School, her son was allowed to sign a consent form and receive…Harold Hutchison -
- Opinion
We Hear You: Public Schools, Private Beliefs, and Rising Inflation
Editor's note: The Daily Signal's audience isn't happy with how school system leaders in Loudoun County, Virginia, responded to a rape in a girls' restroom at one of its high schools, nor with the continuing rise in inflation, as evidenced by these letters from the mailbag at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: As a retired…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
The ‘Prisoners’ Dilemma’ in Biden’s Title IX Policies
In economics, there’s a thought experiment called the “prisoners’ dilemma” that describes a scenario in which two rational people fail to reach a win-win outcome by cooperating. Neither person can trust the other to cooperate, and their distrust leads them to pick an outcome that’s bad for both. The classic example features two conspirators questioned…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- Opinion
School Spending Up, Test Scores Down
Thirteen-year-old children in American public schools were not quite as good at math and reading in 2019 and 2020 as they were in 2012. This is despite the fact that American taxpayers invested more money per pupil in the nation’s public schools in each of the last two fiscal years than they did in 2012….Terence Jeffrey -
- 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 -
- 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 -
- 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