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
Americans Deserve Better Schools
With most services, you get to shop around, but rarely can you do that with government-run schools. Philadelphia mom Elaine Wells was upset to learn that there were fights every day in the school her son attended. So she walked him over to another school. “We went to go enroll and we were told, ‘He…John Stossel -
- Opinion
Memo to Teachers Unions: Charter Schools Clearly Benefit Students
When Morgan Waldrop started high school, academics weren’t much of a priority. “It wasn’t even a goal of mine to be at the top of my class,” Waldrop says. But when she became pregnant, her goals changed. “Focusing on my schoolwork was focusing on my son so that I could provide a future for him,” she says. Starting in…Jonathan Butcher -
- Opinion
America’s Children Need Universal School Choice Now More Than Ever
What social institutions have the most immediate and strongest impact on a child’s development and well-being? According to researchers for the Pew Charitable Trust’s Economic Mobility Project, it’s the child’s family circumstances, with schools ranking as the second-most important factor. In the U.S., family circumstances and schools are closely linked, because most cities and counties link schooling to housing….Lindsey Burke -
- Opinion
Justice for Victims of School Shootings Act Could Have Unintended Consequences
Another member of Congress, this time a Republican, has succumbed to the temptation of creating a federal crime where one isn’t needed. Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, on Aug. 23 introduced the Justice for Victims of School Shootings Act, which would make carrying out, or conspiring to carry out, a school shooting a federal crime. At…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- Opinion
We Hear You: Our ‘Back to School’ Edition
Editor's note: Kids of all ages are returning to school, and "We Hear You" is back from a summer hiatus. What could be more fitting than some of your letters on the state of public education? Remember to write us at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: I'm writing with thoughts arising from Stephanie Curry’s commentary…Ken McIntyre -
- News
School Board to Fight After Judge Imposes Pro-Trans Bathroom Policy
Virginia’s Gloucester County School Board will appeal a federal judge’s finding that its bathroom policy unlawfully discriminates against transgender students. U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen ruled Aug. 9 that the district’s decision violates constitutional equal protection principles and Title IX, the federal law governing sex discrimination in education. Former President Barack Obama appointed Allen to the…Kevin Daley -
- Opinion
How LGBTQ Groups Are Quietly Dismantling Norms, Changing Education
Virtually every week, there seems to be another issue that preoccupies the country. But while our attention is focused on President Donald Trump, Google, Charlottesville, Russia, impeachment, Jeffrey Epstein, the next elections, racism, a trade war with China, the #MeToo movement, or something else, LGBTQ organizations are quietly going about their work dismantling ethical norms,…Dennis Prager -
- Opinion
Common Sense in Free Fall on College Campuses
Evidence is mounting that political ideology is corrupting the liberal arts. According to Campus Reform, in late July, Portland State University accused one of its professors, Peter Boghossian, of “‘questionable ethical behavior’ and banned him from conducting academic research.” What was the professor’s offense? He successfully convinced several prestigious, peer-reviewed journals to publish articles that…Jason Snead -
- News
Department of Education to Probe Athletic Program Allowing Transgender Females to Compete With Girls
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is opening an investigation into whether female high school athletes were discriminated against when the state of Connecticut allowed males who identify as females to compete with them. The three high school girls pursuing the complaint include Selina Soule, who earlier this year missed qualifying for the…Carmel Kookogey -
- News
Stand on Marriage Costs Christian School Its Place in Voucher Program
When the state of Maryland found out that Bethel Christian Academy affirms the biblical view of marriage in its student handbook, officials last fall cut the Baltimore-area school from a state-sponsored school voucher program, arguing it practiced sexual discrimination. Now the principal says at least six students no longer can afford to attend Bethel, a…Carmel Kookogey -
- Opinion
A Time for Trade Schools
Solving the huge debt incurred by young adults who took out loans to attend college has become a key policy debate. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for example, recently announced proposed legislation to eliminate student loan debt by taxing bonds and stocks. By the beginning of 2019, student loan debt was at an all-time high: Over…Nayeli Riano -
- Opinion
The Unintended Consequences of Student Loans
Every year, colleges raise tuition prices yet again. That’s helped create the student debt crisis, and it’s causing more young people to skip college altogether. But what’s the government’s role here? Is it making things worse? And if so, what’s the solution? Richard Vedder, author of “Restoring the Promise: Higher Education in America” shares his…Daniel Davis -
- News
San Francisco School Board Votes to Paint Over George Washington Mural
The San Francisco Board of Education unanimously voted last month in favor of painting over a George Washington mural series on a school wall depicting Washington standing over a Native American’s corpse and another in the company of slaves on his Mount Vernon estate. “This is reparations,” Education Board Commissioner Mark Sanchez said in a…Joshua Q. Nelson -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Set to Hear School Choice Case Next Term
Before hitting the road for their summer vacations, the justices of the Supreme Court announced last week that they would hear a major school choice case in the next term. If the court rules in favor of the families that brought this case, it could pave the way for educational freedom and opportunity for millions…Elizabeth Slattery -
- Opinion
Expand School Choice in DC
Families in the nation’s capital deserve a choice about educating their children. This year, Congress has the chance to make changes to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program—up for reauthorization—that could positively affect the future of D.C. children for decades to come. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program provides scholarships to cover private school tuition for low-income…Jude Schwalbach -
- Opinion
Why Military Families Overwhelmingly Support Education Choice
While protecting American freedom, the active-duty men and women of our armed forces want education freedom as well. That’s the general finding of a new report by EdChoice, a nonprofit organization that promotes educational choice through research and advocacy. The report includes results of a survey of nearly 1,300 current members of the U.S. military…Kerry McDonald -
- News
Tussle Over Charter Schools Puts These NAACP Branches on Side of Betsy DeVos
The NAACP’s support for a moratorium on new charter schools across America has put the nation’s oldest civil rights group at odds with three of its local branches—and in California, of all places. Not only that, but the local NAACP chapters appear to agree with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that charter schools offer valuable opportunities…Joshua Q. Nelson -
- Opinion
The Injustice of Canceling Student Debt
This week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed that it was “literally easier” for her to win the congressional election than pay off her student loan debt—which says something unfortunate about both the cost of college and the electorate’s choices. Ocasio-Cortez was commenting on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ new plan to eliminate $1.6 trillion in student debt and…David Harsanyi -
- Opinion
Forgiving Student Debt Is Not the Way to Ensure Economic Freedom
In today’s dynamic society, we have a general consensus that investments in time and effort, such as excelling in the classroom and earning degrees, help to achieve intended goals. But when it comes to financial investments in our futures, especially in the case of student loans, consensus surrounding sacrifices and consequences associated with the pursuit…Anthony B. Kim -
- News
Parents Call Out School Board’s Transgender Policy Proposal
ARLINGTON, Va.—A group of concerned parents held a press conference just ahead of a scheduled Arlington County School Board meeting Tuesday evening about the adoption of a policy concerning transgender student protections in the school district. “[Arlington Public Schools] has far overreached its authority in this matter, and needs to be reminded by concerned parents…Kaylee Greenlee