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
Christian School Kicked Out of Voucher Program for Biblical Views on Sexuality
Don’t say America wasn’t warned. During the oral arguments for same-sex marriage in 2015, a question came up about the fallout for Christian education. Asked if religious schools could be punished for holding a natural view of marriage, U.S. Solicitor Donald Verrilli was surprisingly honest. ” … [I]t’s certainly going to be an issue. I…Tony Perkins -
- Opinion
Treasury Department Just Fixed a Situation That Threatened School Choice
Lawmakers intended with the 2017 tax cuts not only to promote economic growth and job creation and to allow families to keep more of their hard-earned money, but also to make the federal tax code more neutral toward state tax policy. But state-based tax credit scholarship programs got unintentionally caught up in the broader reform….Adam Michel -
- Opinion
How Anti-Semitism Became a Staple of ‘Woke’ Activism on Campus
Recent events in higher education have led many to conclude that college campuses are hubs of anti-Semitism. Stanford University student and resident assistant Hamzeh Daoud declared in July 2018 his intent to “physically fight Zionists on campus.” Oberlin College professor Joy Karega asserted in November 2016 that U.S. intelligence agencies conspired with Israel to commit…Dion Pierre -
- News
Grandmother Asks Governor Not to Scrap School Choice Program
A North Carolina woman with three grandchildren in the state’s school voucher program says she isn’t too proud to beg the governor not to reduce funding and phase it out, as he proposes. “I would just really hope to beg him not to make this cut to this program,” Lisa Davis told The Daily Signal….Joshua Q. Nelson -
- Opinion
Child Safety Accounts Bill Is an Escape Route from Violence in DC Schools
Gerald Watson, a high school freshman in Washington, D.C., died in December after he was chased down and shot 17 times near an after-school program center. His killing occurred less than four miles from the U.S. Capitol Building. Watson’s death reverberated through the local community, affecting its youngest members. Marilyn Wiggins, a volunteer at the…Jude Schwalbach -
- Opinion
Cruz Fights for More Flexible Education Savings Accounts
Before Congress adjourned for Memorial Day weekend, Sen. Ted Cruz objected to a new retirement saving bill passed by the House because it left out one important reform. The Texas Republican is standing up for expanded access to personal savings options for family education choice. In 2017, college savings plans, or “529s,” were modified to…Adam Michel -
- News
North Carolina Governor Under Fire for Proposing Freezing School Voucher Program
A billboard campaign in North Carolina is taking aim at Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper after his announcement proposing freezing and eventually ending a scholarship program that has benefited minority students—more than 30% of which are African-American, according to North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority. The billboard says the governor is “failing when it comes to…Joshua Q. Nelson -
- Opinion
School Choice Breaks the Poverty Cycle, Not ‘Adversity Scores’
The College Board’s recent announcement that it will no longer score students based only on their ability to correctly answer questions on the SAT exam is about as welcome as a pop quiz. Students will now also be assigned “adversity scores” of one to 100 using 15 different metrics regarding their background. The more disadvantaged a student is…Mary Clare Amselem -
- Opinion
How Charter Schools Empower Inner-City Children to Escape Failing Public Schools
Butler College Prep, a top-rated charter school on the South Side of Chicago, provides an atmosphere that reflects and engages the local community. The founder and principal, Christopher Goins, built his school community by intentionally hiring teachers from historically black colleges so students would have relatable role models. “If [students] don’t love the school and…Jude Schwalbach -
- News
Satisfaction High in DC School Voucher Program, Study Finds
Students who participated in a school choice program for low-income families in the nation’s capital were less likely to miss classes than peers who applied but did not get scholarships, a government evaluation has found. Students in the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program also were more likely to give their schools a positive safety rating, concluded…Joshua Q. Nelson -
- News
Massachusetts High Schoolers Give Freed Slave Her 175 Years Overdue Gravestone
Nearly 175 years after the death of freed slave Lucy Foster, a memorial service it’s thought she never got took place at a cemetery on May 9 in Andover, Massachusetts—thanks in no small part to a group of high school girls there. An elective course, “Out of the Shadows,” taught by Linda Meditz at the…Joshua Q. Nelson -
- Opinion
How Louisiana Undermined Its Own School Choice Program
“You couldn’t learn. There was so much bullying. Kids are bullying the other kids and they’re bullying you,” said Willie Augustus, who was relentlessly bullied in his public school in Louisiana. His parents unsuccessfully fought with the school board to address the school bullying. Eventually, they applied for and received a voucher for Willie to…Jude Schwalbach -
- Opinion
The Equality Act Could Let Schools, Not Parents, Make Decisions About Children
It’s not an alliance the media is rushing to cover—and who can blame them? After weeks of talking up this phony consensus on the Equality Act, imagine if the story got out that it’s not just conservatives who are opposed—but grassroots liberals, too. Even in a country as divided as ours, there is no right…Tony Perkins -
- Opinion
Here’s My Plan to Fix Student Debt Without Raiding Taxpayers
Confounded by rising piles of student debt, cash-strapped graduates across the country are realizing that their degrees don’t offer enough bang for the buck. It’s time we rethink the way students pay for college. College is an investment. The conventional wisdom tells us to borrow for college now and be proportionally rewarded in the job…Rep. Mark Green -
- News
8th Place: A High School Girl’s Life After Transgender Students Join Her Sport
When two high school athletes who were born male but identify as female took first and second place at Connecticut’s girls indoor track championship this year, it wasn’t just a local news story. To some, it was a story of triumph and courage. The winner, a junior from Bloomfield High School, set a girls state…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
This Mom Is Fighting Her Kids’ School District’s LGBT Indoctrination
Maria Keffler is a former teacher herself. But when she recently found out, by accident, about new LGBT policies her children’s school district was considering instituting, Keffler was shocked. Now she’s speaking out—and urging other parents to do the same. Read the transcript of the interview, posted below, or listen to the interview on the…Katrina Trinko -
- Opinion
LA May Cap Charter Schools to Appease Unions. But Kids Would Pay the Price.
When policymakers in California enacted a charter school law 25 years ago, many children had educational choice for the first time. But now, teachers unions want to needlessly limit children’s choices. Francisco Nunez’s story is a prime example of how charter schools use their independence to inspire and empower children through learning. Growing up in…Jude Schwalbach -
- News
New Jersey Parents to Rally Against LGBT Education Law
A rally this weekend will give New Jersey parents an opportunity to oppose a new state law requiring public schools to teach children about the “political, economic, and social contributions” of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. The new law also requires schools to stress such contributions made by disabled persons, but it’s the LGBT…Rachel del Guidice -
- News
George Washington University Students Far From Consensus on Changing ‘Colonials’ Mascot
The Student Association at George Washington University has called the school’s nickname and mascot, the Colonials, “extremely offensive” and has urged that it be changed, but it’s not at all clear how widespread support for the move is among the broader student body. A recent referendum question asking GW students whether the university should…Courtney Joyner -
- Opinion
Pro-LGBT Group at Brigham Young University Wants to Secularize the School
Brigham Young University is known for a lot of things: a great football team, superior academics, but most of all, being the flagship school of the Mormon church (also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Yet today, BYU’s identity is being challenged. Not by political forces from Washington, but from within…Ryan Neuhaus